In this illuminating work, surveying 300 years and two nations, Sarah Gwyneth Ross demonstrates how the expanding ranks of learned women in the Renaissance era presented the first significant challenge to the traditional definition of "woman" in the West. An experiment in collective biography and intellectual history, The Birth of Feminism demonstrates that because of their education, these women laid the foundation for the emancipation of womankind.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Her father's daughter -- Household academies in Venice and London -- The biographical tradition -- Models of feminist argument -- Learned wives and mothers in italy -- Collaborative marriages in Britain -- Discourses of equality and rights -- Conclusion.