Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman

Feminism in its infancy. 'Maria was not permitted to walk in the garden, but sometimes, from her window, she turned her eyes from the gloomy walls, in which she pined life away, on the poor wretches who strayed along the walks, and contemplated the most terrific of ruins: that of a human soul.' Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft is a feminist novel set in 18th century England, at a time when women were just mere assets to men. Having woken up in the wrong marriage, Maria tries to escape her husbands but, instead, she is imprisoned in an asylum. There she meets warden Jemima, a woman abused as a child, and fellow inmate Henry Darnford, who is sane but living a chaotic life. Maria ends up falling in love with Henry, preparing us for an open ending with many twists and turns.