TRAUMA THEORY IN MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT’S MARIA

OR, THE WRONGS OF WOMAN

Abstract

Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman, asserts and protests strenuously against the rigid laws that enslave women. The piece of work sheds light on the prevailing morality, which believes that chastity, repentance and submission should be the only virtues of women. Mary Wollstonecraft’s posthumous work is equipped with such powerful political statements. Maria’s character is nothing but a written defence against her oppressive and abusive husband’s misconducts against her. Wollstonecraft pens this feminist manifesto to denounce the numerous wrongs that are done to women. Her proclamation stands tall, demanding women’s right to be free of male oppression. In this research work, we would like to draw not only on the measurements of Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman but also take a different path, focusing on a theme that is central to the novel and its feminist politics which has received little attention so far: trauma. The novel is a structuring of intertwined life events of suffering and ruptured relationships. We would here delve deep into the novel; the protagonist’s life events and the writer’s concerns through Trauma Theory.