Astell, Mary (1666-1731), was an English writer and political philosopher whose works focused on women’s status in marriage and education. Her most influential works are A Serious Proposal to the Ladies for the Advancement of Their True and Greatest Interest (1694) and Some Reflections upon Marriage (1700). In A Serious Proposal, Astell proposed the creation of a scholarly community of religious women. In Some Reflections, she encouraged women to base their decision to marry on reason, not duty or necessity. Both works call for women to seek an education to enhance their religious and personal lives. Astell also wrote on political and religious subjects. Her correspondence with the English philosopher and poet John Norris, Letters Concerning the Love of God, was published in 1695.
Astell was born on Nov. 12, 1666, in Newcastle-on-Tyne. Early in life, she was educated at home by her uncle, an Anglican clergyman, and later she taught herself through extensive reading. Astell’s father died when she was 12, leaving the family in financial difficulty. At about the age of 21, Astell moved to London, where she befriended a number of influential religious and intellectual leaders. While her writings made Astell popular among women readers, she was criticized in the press. In 1709, the Irish-born writer Richard Steele and the English author Jonathan Swift attacked Astell’s proposal for a women’s religious school.
In her later years, Astell concentrated on the creation of a charity school for poor girls. It was established at Chelsea Hospital in London. Astell died on May 9, 1731.
