Digital Edition of An Essay on Women, Or, Psychological and Historical Defense Of The Fair Sex
Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro
Annotated and edited by AJ Martineau
Introduction
The book I decided to transcribe text from was An Essay on Women, Or, Psychological and Historical Defense Of The Fair Sex, written by Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro. The book was published in Spanish in 1726, and then later translated and published in English in 1765. It was printed in London for W. Bingley, opposite Durham-Yard, in the Strand. Feijóo wrote the book to defend the minds of women and their right to be educated the same as their male counterparts. When it was first written by Benito it was specifically for a Spanish audience, during the time of The Enlightenment in Spain, but since the text has reached a larger audience all around the world. During The Enlightenment people in Spain began to contest and contradict ancient theories and ideas. One person who specifically contested ancient theories was Feijóo, and he then encouraged other people to think for themselves. Feijóo believed that women deserved to be educated in all of the same subjects as men. During the 18th century Women in Spanish societies were treated the same way they had been treated in ancient times. They were expected to be in the house cooking and cleaning, and people didn’t believe they were even worthy of an elementary education. But during The Enlightenment people started to show more interest in educated women, many people even began to promote women’s education. The book was intended to examine to beliefs that had been embedded in people minds overtime about women. Feijóo wanted to remove the old habits of thinking in Spain and fight prejudice with the light of reason. In my transcription of the text, I decided to modernize the spelling, to make it easier for the reader to follow. I translated long s’ to regular s’ and changed “ct” ligatures to modern spelling of just “ct”.
An Essay on Women, Or, The Physiological and Historical Defense of The Fair Sex
1. The talk I now undertake is something arduous[1], and not without danger. It is not only against the ignorant vulgar that I enter the lists. To defend women in general is come to be the same thing as to affront, and consequently, offend the generality of men, who
2. build the super-eminence of their sex on the contempt of the other.
We have seen, in our time, says a French author, what our fathers never would have imagined. We have seen Frenchmen take their pen in hand purely to propagate a contempt of women.
Among our ancestors, persons convicted of having spoken ill of women, were not allowed to come into public assemblies, or to be present at tournaments, or if they took such liberties, were ignominiously turned out. And this was not merely from humanity or gallantry, but it was a point of policy.[2] They were persuaded that the more women see themselves respected,
3. the more they endeavor to deserve respect; that however a governor may cultivate our understanding, our temper receives its cast from women, at that age, when soft propensities prompt us to offer them the first fruits of our heart; that many a one; distinguished for the exertion of noble sentiments, would possibly have had only one vulgar soul, had not the desire of pleasing them awakened his self-love. Theodoret[3] believed Adam to have been naturally of a savage disposition, but civilized by the amiable deportment and soothing blandishments of his helpmate. Evam liberasse a belluina feritate virum suum Adam: i.e., Eve[4] reclaimed her husband Adam from his brutal ferocity.
4. In the moral part of their composition, say those unnatural railers, women are all vice, and their physical part is full of imperfections. The very name of women is an abomination among the Tatars[5], never to be written. Or uttered: instead of maiden or woman, they say, a veiled, mother of a family. The history of Tamerlan tells us, that meeting with the word woman in a letter to him from Bajazet, that martial prince cried out with indignation: This mad fellow of a turk! To mention such a polluted name in a letter to me! But it is at their shallow intellects and the contracted knowledge of women, that such ill-mannered malice chiefly points its batteries; and I, to overthrow them, shall, after a cursory vindicate-
5. tion of the sex in other articles, discourse more fully on their capacity for every science, and the most sublime parts of knowledge, adducing authentic examples of support of my assertions.
Mahomet, the false prophet, has excluded women from that chimerical paradise, which his debauched imagination has planted his followers,
6. and makes all their felicity to conflict in beholding, from without the men wallowing in luxury and magnificence within.
Bibliography
Coughlin, Edward V. “The Polemic on Feijoo's 'Defensa de Las Mujeres'.” Dieciocho, vol. 9, no.
1-2, 1986, p. 74.
Encyclopedia.com. (2022, June 8). ." World literature and its times: Profiles of notable literary works and the historic events that influenced them. . encyclopedia.com. 3 jun. 2022. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 7, 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/essay-woman-or-physiological-and-historical-defense-fair-sex.
Mónica Bolufer Peruga, et al. “Revisiting Benito Jerónimo Feijoo’s Defense of Women
(1726).” Clio (English Edition), no. 43, Belin, 2016, pp. 223–49.
Moss, Joyce. Spanish and Portuguese Literatures and Their Times : the Iberian Peninsula.
Gale Group, 2002.
Involving strenuous effort; difficult and tiring. Defending women’s education was not an easy task because it was not widely accepted at the time in Spain. It was believed that women did not deserve an education and should instead spend their time in the kitchen and cleaning the house. ↑
Before women were neglected, they were accepted. In Spain people who spoke bad about women were punished, and not allowed to be present at community events. This was a time period before it became socially unacceptable for women to be educated. ↑
Theodoret also known as Theodoret of Cyrrhus was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, a biblical commentator, and a Christian bishop of Cryyhus. He was very important to the Catholic religion. ↑
Adam and Eve were the first human according to the Christian religion. Catholicism was widely followed in Spain at the time of the text. Feijóo devoted his life to a religious career. He entered the Benedictine order at the monastery of St. Julian of Samos and then continued his religious education at several colleges. He then taught religion and after retiring from that devoted his life to writing. ↑
Tatars were members of a Turkic group of people living in Tatarstan and other parts of Russia and Ukraine. ↑