2009/01/01 by Jacqueline Broad · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Religion, Gender, and Enlightenment #Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes #Reformation and Early Modern Christianity #Friendship #Transformative learning #Power (physics) #Feminism #Sociology #Virtuous circle and vicious circle #Gender studies #Social science #Economics
paper · doi:10.1353/pgn.0.0169
openalex publication_date 2009/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
According to some scholars, Mary Astell’s feminist programme is severely limited by its focus on self-improvement rather than wider social change. In response, I highlight the role of ‘virtuous friendship’ in Astell’s 1694 work, A Serious Proposal to the Ladies . Building on classical ideals and traditional Christian principles, Astell promotes the morally transformative power of virtuous friendship among women. By examining the significance of such friendship to Astell’s feminism, we can see that she did in fact aim to bring about reformation of society and not just the individual.