Project Gutenberg 2017-06-26 Public domain in the USA. 10478 Astell, Mary 1666 1731 Wotton, Mr. Single, Tom A serious proposal to the Ladies, for the advancement of their true and greatest interest (In Two Parts) Produced by MFR, Wayne Hammond and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) "A Serious Proposal to the Ladies" by a Lover of her Sex is a treatise aimed at promoting the intellectual and moral advancement of women, written in the late 17th century. The text advocates for a transformative education that shifts women's focus from superficial charms to the cultivation of their minds and virtues, urging them to transcend societal expectations that limit their potential. It proposes the establishment of a "Religious Retirement," a supportive community dedicated to both spiritual and intellectual growth. The opening of the work lays a foundation for its argument by addressing the current state of women's lives and the limiting factors imposed by societal norms. The author begins by challenging women to reflect on their true worth beyond physical beauty and societal acclaim, presenting knowledge and virtue as ultimate goals. The aim is to inspire women to seek true greatness through intellectual and moral development. The author highlights the need for a supportive environment that encourages learning, character building, and virtuous conduct, thus making a strong case for the necessity of the proposed institution. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 45.2 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Feminism -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources Women's rights -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources HQ Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Gender & Sexuality Studies Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 438923 2025-06-22T05:34:35.008481 text/html 415138 2024-10-23T02:15:59 text/html 253208 2025-06-22T05:34:40.490438 application/epub+zip 256462 2025-06-22T05:34:35.948471 application/epub+zip 224000 2025-06-22T05:34:35.474487 application/epub+zip 369879 2025-06-22T05:34:44.333518 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 332203 2025-06-22T05:34:39.964506 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 300094 2022-09-25T01:50:34.593962 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 399443 2025-06-22T05:34:34.563542 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 379331 2024-10-23T02:15:59 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16901 2025-06-22T05:34:44.474416 application/rdf+xml 9654 2025-06-22T05:34:35.560471 image/jpeg 2015 2025-06-22T05:34:35.517499 image/jpeg 215164 2025-06-22T05:34:35.059491 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia