Women are Equals to Men, although Some of the Latter Think Otherwise

The battle between males and females has been waged for centuries, but the 17th and 18th Centuries witnessed the rise of early feminism among literary circles. One prominent example was Mary Astell, who argued that women ought to have the rigth to education. While she was not a leading crusader of women's suffrage, her views were shared by a number of male contemporaries such as Daniel DeFoe. Another major female writer was Margaret Cavendish, who was the Duchess of Newcastle and an author in her own right. These two examples are unique, because they pushed for ideas such as equal education and using females as a literary protagonist.

Mary Astell was known for her early feminist work and proposing the idea of an institution for women to be educated. In her book A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, for the Advancement of their True and Greatest Interest, she suggests that women be taught separately from men and given a good education. She put forward the question of why God bestowed women with intelligence and never gave them a chance to use it. During the 17th to 18th Centuries, the only education women received was from Bible study, but they were encouraged (or rather dissuaded) not to read books. The notion of a woman reading novels was seen as "dangerous" for the possibility of giving her certain thoughts. With regard to religious context, a number of religions had dogmatic claims that viewed men and women as not being different; indeed, Quaker groups allowed females to speak at meetings. However, most denominations (Catholics, Protestants) were strict on conformity. Apart from Astell, Daniel DeFoe (Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders) was also in favour of an all-women's college in the design of a convent for nuns.

Unlike Astell, Margaret Cavendish is an interesting woman for her ability to get her work published. As the Duchess of Newcastle, she had the support of her husband, who pretty much let her do as she wished. Due to her high status, she was able to social circles of learned individuals, which was considered scandalous for women to do. Her 1666 prose fiction A Description of a New World (or The Blazing World) was significant, because it concerned a female protagonist exploring new realms and pondered themes of science. However, Cavendish was mocked and derided by others for being "mad", "different", and abnormal. Ironically, she was able to get her work published due to her supportive, financially-stable husband.

While a number of women were able to publish their work in this period (mostly under pseudonyms), Astell and Cavendish are significant for their ideals in women being educated and casting females as protagonists. Although they had a number of male writers who shared their views, there was no major feminist movements at this time. Women being educated was a hotly-contested debate and an interesting topic in history, because obtaining higher education was not seen as a universal right. Nevertheless, Astell and Cavendish were instrumental as females getting their work published.