Marie le Jars de Gournay was a single woman supporting herself through literature, which, unsurprisingly, got her a lot of negative reactions from contemporary Europe. The Equality of Men and Women and The Ladies’ Complaint demonstrate the current inequalities of men and women, and mainly how this is due to a lack of access to education for women. She is one of the first female philosophers to argue for the equality of the sexes, which is why I am intrigued by her arguments.
According to Gournay, men have privileges and opportunities that women simply do not have or are shamed for having. This puts women at a disadvantage and often leads to them being seen as the “ignorant”, but Gournay offers several arguments for why women are indeed equal to men. Many of her “radical” views are highlighted in The Equality of the Men and Women, in which she addresses some counter arguments as well. For example, some may argue that men are physically stronger than women, and so they cannot be equal. Yet, Gournay responds by stating that physical strength is essentially useless in this argument and is not the virtue that should be associated with equality. If it were, then shouldn’t beast be superior to man? (86). Further, she states that the human presents as one animal, of one rational soul, that is expressed both as man and woman. Gournay claims, “Man and woman are so thoroughly one that if man is more than woman, woman is more than man. Man was created man and female- so says scripture, not reckoning the two except as one, and Jesus Christ is called Son of Man, although he is that only of woman- the whole and consummate perfection of the proof of this unity of the two sexes” (87). She acknowledges that women are not superior to men, but the same, because God granted both sexes rational souls and so the virtue of man and woman is equal (Conley).
In other accounts, Gournay argues that true friendship entails the melding of two souls, such as with her and Montaigne. This kind of argument, as author Marguerite Deslauriers points out, can further explain how men and women are “one” as they share a soul (Deslauriers, 2008). She even inferred that Gournay was claiming that men and women are one thing identical with itself, as opposed to two different things that merely resemble each other. The argument, then, is that men and women share an “essential form” and they are in essence the same (Deslauriers, 2008). Deslauriers concludes that, in this way, nature determines the equality of the sexes.
Gournay also argues that scripture has its fair share of citations supporting equality. Included in these are examples of women who have achieved great things throughout history, proving their intellectual capabilities. For instance, in the opening book of Genesis, Holy Scripture states that men and women are both made in the divine image and are, therefore, both deserving of the same rights and are capable of the same rational (Conley). In fact, there are several women listed as authors in a variety of biblical texts, including Anne, Mary, and Judith. Gournay shows particular interest in Mary Magdalene, who is often depicted as preaching to large groups of people in Provence, demonstrating that preaching, in a biblical sense, is open to both men and women (Conley). This inclusion of women in religious scenes is profoundly evident of the equality of the sexes and should be held as an utmost truth.
Regardless, some maintain that man resembles God, such that they have beards, meaning that the two are not equal. Yet, Gournay argues in The Equality that sex is irrelevant when it comes to the ability of honoring God or His son. Further, even if men possess this sort of advantage, it is counterbalanced by “His priceless conception in the body of a woman, by the entire perfection of that woman…” (94-95). Women have the ability to create life, as without them, God would have no conduit for men to be brought into this world. This fact discounts any previous notion that men have an inherent advantage over women. Because so many passages of scripture highlight the unity of the sexes, Gournay says that claims of women’s current “inferiority” to men can be deduced to “a need of fostering peace in marriage” (95). Indeed scripture declares the husband head of a wife, but, she claims, men are foolish if they believe that this defines their worthiness. She even points out that God declares, “The two shall be but one… The man shall leave mother and father and give himself to his wife” (95). Gournay goes on to say that it would be absurd to say that, even given what scripture states, women and men are not capable of the same things, given that women are granted the astounding ability to create life.
In the essay, The Ladies’ Complaint, Gournay offers a more satirical account accompanying The Equality of Men and Women, though appropriate to the actual behavior of men in contemporary society. For example, she states that men never fail to criticize the educated woman, yet they do so without even reading their works (103). Gournay even predicts that, when given the chance for women to be educated, they will “turn the tables” on men as women will have read the words of men and further understood their minds through their own writings. Yet, with men throwing their fits about intellectual women, they will be at the disadvantage as they refuse to read anything a woman produces (103).
Gournay recognizes that women are viewed as incompetent to many. She even faces her fair share of criticism after various works highlighting the need for women’s education. Gournay knew that most of her audience were men, considering the uncommonness of educated women, and this alone demonstrates her own resilience and strength as an intellectual woman, which is why I find her arguments so compelling.
Glossary:
- Rational soul: what makes every human able to reason and think
- Scripture: the Holy Scripture, biblical references
- Montaigne: Michel de Montaigne; a significant French philosopher that Gournay drew inspiration from and considered her his “adopted daughter”; secondary author Deslauriers inferred that Gournay and Montaigne shared the same soul, arguing both for their true friendship and the equality of the sexes
- Mary Magdalene: a woman who, according to biblical texts, traveled with Jesus Christ as one of his followers and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection
Sources
*Note: citations with page numbers correlate to the text referenced within that paragraph.
Conley, J.J. (n.d.). “Marie Le Jars de Gournay (1565-1645).” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ISSN 2161-0002.
Deslauriers, M. (2008). One Soul in Two Bodies: Marie de Gournay and Montaigne. Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities, 13(2).
Gournay, M. (1641). The Equality of Men and Women.
Gournay, M. (1641). The Ladies’ Complaint.
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introduction
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comparison with Sor Juana
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