During the Enlightenment, some philosophers like Montesquieu supported greater equality for women in society, though he still believed in traditional gender roles. Rousseau advocated educating women to be subordinate to men and viewed their purpose as childrearing and being pleasing to men. Mary Wollstonecraft criticized these views in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Women, arguing that women deserved equal education and were capable of reasoning. Salons run by women like Madame Geoffrin provided a socially acceptable space for women's education and participation in intellectual discussion.

1. Women and the Enlightenment

2. Perceptions of Women There were other feminists prior to the Enlightenment, but not many Feminism began to gain momentum in the Age of Enlightenment. Why?? Notions of rationalism & tolerance Print culture

3. Montesquieu Supported equality for women in society and was sympathetic to the obstacles they faced (The Persian Letters) However, he held traditional beliefs as to a man’s dominance in marriage and family

4. Rousseau’s “Emile” (1762) Men and women occupy separate spheres Worldly Sphere = Men Domestic Sphere = Women

5. Rousseau (cont.) Women should be educated to be subordinate to men – there is little else for a woman to do but make herself pleasing to men

6. Rousseau (cont.) A woman’s purpose was to bear and raise children Weaker/inferior to men EXCEPT in their capacity for feeling and giving love No political rights

7. On the Bright Side… Portrayed the role of being a wife and mother as fulfilling and noble This gave the women of the nobility and middle class a sense of purpose

8. What I Think of Rousseau… Tomb of JJ Rousseau, Panthéon, Paris

9. Diderot & The Encyclopedia Published men almost exclusively Articles that dealt with women often emphasized their physical weakness and inferiority, usually attributed to menstruation or childbirth

10. Diderot (cont.) Women were reared to be frivolous and unconcerned with important issues Motherhood = most important occupation Double standard on sexual behavior Overall, the contributors disagreed on the social equality of women

11. (Some) Notable Women of the Enlightenment

12. Mary Wollstonecraft Mother of the feminist movement Born in London, England, Mary became interested in becoming educated at an early age

13. Wollstonecraft (cont.) She sought personal liberty and economic independence Her first book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) caused much controversy because she stated that men and women were created equal, but women received less education

14. A Vindication of the Rights of Women Celebrates the rationality of women Attacks the view of female education put forward by Rousseau and countless others who regarded women as weak and artificial and not capable of reasoning effectively

15. Vindication (cont.) Rejects the education in dependency that Rousseau advocated for them in Emile A woman must be intelligent in her own right, as she cannot assume that her husband will be intelligent!

16. Vindication (cont.) Maintained that this did not contradict the role of the woman as a mother or the role of the woman in the home Said that “…meek wives are, in general, foolish mothers.”

17. Wollstonecraft (cont.) Both men and women criticized her and her books In later writings, she sharply criticizes the conditions in which women (especially poor women) lived

18. Controversy She caused further controversy when she chose not to marry the father of her first daughter She did eventually marry William Godwin, another English philosophe Sadly, she died days after giving birth to their daughter, Mary Shelley (future author of the book Frankenstein)

19. Salons

20. Salons Pleasure was not the objective of the Enlightenment salons The philosophes that had rejected the academy and the university as their institutional bases for their work turned to the Parisian salons to continue their conversations and practices

21. Salons (cont.) The salonnières served to listen attentively to the philosophes and fill in during the silences of the conversation, if needed A main purpose of the salons of Paris for the salonnières during the Enlightenment was to satisfy the self-determined educational needs of the women who started them

22. Salons (cont.) For the salonnières, the salon was a socially acceptable substitute for the formal education denied them

23. Salon Bleu – Louis XV

24. Salon Jaune

26. Marie -Therese Geoffrin To many, her salon was the premier salon of the day At a young age, she was orphaned and at fourteen was married off to the wealthy director of the royal glassworks at Saint- Gobain

27. Geoffrin (cont.) In her twenties, she began apprenticing at the salon of her neighbor, Madame de Tencin

28. Geoffrin (cont.) Two innovations Geoffrin contributed to the salon: Switched the traditional late night dinner to a 1:00 dinner to fallow for an entire afternoon of conversation Created a regular, weekly salon dinner schedule, with Monday assigned to the artists, Wednesday for the men of letters, and so forth

29. Geoffrin (cont.) Mme. Geoffrin was so popular because she was a wonderful, attentive listener She knew how to make other people talk their best. She knew just when to say her piece or ask a question

30. Geoffrin (cont.) Mme. G was a very generous woman as she was quite wealthy and willing to share She often helped young authors struggling to make ends meet and on Sundays she didn’t open her salon. Instead she put together large sums of money in little bags to distribute among the poor

33. Madame Geoffrin’s Salon

34. Bust of Voltaire

35. Marquise de Pompadour Began visiting the court of King Louis XV at Versailles After their first meeting, he instantly admired her beauty and skill He enjoyed watching her perform in plays at her own theater (Etoilles Estate)

36. Pompadour (cont.) In 1744, she was installed at court as Louis XV’s “official favorite” under the title of Marquise de Pompadour She had a profound effect over the private life of the court

37. Pompadour’s Effects Organized suppers and brought many performances to the theater Brought back the sense of intimacy and extravagance that the French court had lost

38. Pompadour’s Effects (cont.) Commissioned artists such as the writer Voltaire and the painter François Boucher Encouraged the manufacture of porcelain and decorated the palace of Versailles in the Rococo manner

39. Pompadour (cont.) Pompadour was mistress to the king for only five (5) years On Oct. 12, 1752, the King made her a duchess; the greatest favor he could bestow upon her

40. Pompadour (cont.) When France was on the verge of a major war with England she played a major role in influencing the Diplomatic Revolution (the treaty that allied France with her former enemy Austria)

41. Pompadour (cont.) She also demonstrated her power and influence over the King in the way she was capable of removing her enemies from office and enabling her friends to come into government

42. Pompadour (cont.) All of these proved to be disastrous to France, and led to the unpopularity of the Marquise She was hated and blamed for all of the misfortunes that fell upon France

43. The Pompadour Eventually, though, a really snazzy hair style would be named after her so at least she had that going for her…