THE QUITE CONTRAAY MARY WOLLSTONE CRAFT.

• Author: Bagge, Peter

LONDON, 1765.

NOW THAT I'VE COME INTO MY INHERITANCE I BELIEVE 1 SHALL BECOME A GENTLEMAN FARMER

WHATEVER YOU SAY, DEAR.

WHAT DOES HE KNOW ABOUT FARMING?

YORKSHIRE, 1773...

WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING BY THE DOOR, MARY.

TO HELP MOTHER, IN CASE FATHER STARTS BEATING HER AGAIN.

... DONT YOU TELL ME HOW TO SPEND MY MONEY...

BACK IN LONDON, WITH NEW BEST FRIEND FANNY BLOOD...

YOU'RE SO CULTURED AND REFIEND, FANNY...

WE SHOULD LIVE TOGETHER...

AND START A DAY SCHOOL!

THAT DOES SOUND FUN, MARY...

ONLY I WISE SHE WASN'T SO POSSESSIVE...

SHE SUFFOCATES ME, BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY!

1784, AT MARY AND FANNY'S DAY SCHOOL...

YOU HELPEO YOUR SISTER LEAVE HER HUSBAND?

AND BROUGHT HER HERE?

WE'LL ALL BE ARRESTED!

HE WAS CRUEL TO HER, FANNY...

1 SAVED HER!

MARRIAGE IS AN EVIL INSTITUTION!

BUT I'M ABOUT TO GET MARRIED MYSELF!

BISBON, PORTUGAL, 1785...

FANNY AND HER BABY--BOTH DEAD!

I BLAME YOY FOR BRINGING HER TO THIS GODFORSAKEN PLACE!

YOU KILLED HER! YOY AND OUR SICK SOCIETY!

I BROUGHT HER HERE FOR HER HEALTH!

IRELAND, 1787:WORKING AS A GOVERNESS...

MY EMPLOYER IS SELF--CENTERED, SHALLOW AND VAIN...

I DETEST EVERYTHING ABOUT HER...

YET SOCIETY REGARDS HER AS AN IDEAL WOMAN

I WANTED HONEY IN MY TEA!

MOTHER'S MAD AGAIN!

WHILE AMONG THE LOWER CLASSES...

THAT STICK IS NO THICKER THAN HIS THUMB, SO HE'S WELL WITHIN HIS RIGHTS...

WHACK!

WHACK!

WHACK!

YET WE WOMEN HAVE NO RIGHTS. WE'RE OUR HUSBANDS' PROPERTY...

WE'RE OUR HUSBANDS' SLAVES!

BACK IN LONDON, 1788, WITH REVEREND RICHARD PRICE...

IF, AS YOU SAY, MEN'S RIGHTS ARE GOD GIVEN, DOES THAT NOT INCLUDE WOMEN AS WELL?

AND SO DENYING US OUR RIGHTS WOULD BE A SIN?

A "SIN"? HMM... YOU MAY HAVE A POINT THERE...

YOU MAKE A LOT OF GOOD POINTS!

1790: WORKING FOR HER PUBLISHER JOSEPH JOHNSON...

YOU WROTE THIS DEFENSE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION IN RECORD TIME, MARY!

I NEEDED TO START ON MY NEXT PROJECT RIGHT AWAY...

A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN!

LATER, AT ONE OF JOHNSON'S WEEKLY DINNER PARTIES...

THE WORD "VIRTUE" IMPLIES CHOICE...

YET IF WOMEN CANNOT SELF-GOVERN, HOW CAN ME TRULY BE VIRTUOUS?

SO YOUR SOLUTION IS TO GIVE GIRLS THE SAME EDUCATION AS BOYS?

INCLUDING HISTORY AND SCIENCE? OF COURSE...

AS WELL, AS THE SAME AMOUNT OF OUTDOOR. EXERCISE!

OH DEAR THAT'S CRAZY TALK.

I FOR ONE CAN'T ARGUE WITH ANYTHING YOU SAY, MARY ONLY...

YES? ONLY WHAT?

ONLY THE THOUGHT OF THAT MUCH INDEPENDENCE TERRIFIES ME...

YOU TERRIFY ME!

PARIS, FRANCE, 1793

ALL HAIL THE AUTHOR OF "VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN"!

ARE YOU HERE...