Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I The Age of Enlightened Rule?
- 1 Women's Political Authority in Maria Antonia Walpurgis von Sachsen's Talestris: Königin der Amazonen (Thalestris: Queen of the Amazons, 1763)
- 2 Maxims of Leadership for a Silent Readership: Sophie von La Roche's Pomona für Teutschlands Töchter and Mein Schreibetisch
- 3 Marcus Aurelius, Also for Girls: Discussions on the Best Form of Government in Enlightenment Hamburg
- 4 Dux Femina Facti: Gender, Sovereignty, and (Women's) Literature in Marie Antonia of Saxony's Thalestris and Charlotte von Stein's Dido
- 5 Crossing the Front Lines: Female Leadership, Politics, and War in Die Familie Seldorf
- 6 Power Struggles between Women in Schiller's and Jelinek's Works
- Part II Leadership as Social Activism around 1900
- Part III Women and Political Power in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Bibliography
- Notes on the Contributors
- Index
3 - Marcus Aurelius, Also for Girls: Discussions on the Best Form of Government in Enlightenment Hamburg
from Part I - The Age of Enlightened Rule?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2019
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I The Age of Enlightened Rule?
- 1 Women's Political Authority in Maria Antonia Walpurgis von Sachsen's Talestris: Königin der Amazonen (Thalestris: Queen of the Amazons, 1763)
- 2 Maxims of Leadership for a Silent Readership: Sophie von La Roche's Pomona für Teutschlands Töchter and Mein Schreibetisch
- 3 Marcus Aurelius, Also for Girls: Discussions on the Best Form of Government in Enlightenment Hamburg
- 4 Dux Femina Facti: Gender, Sovereignty, and (Women's) Literature in Marie Antonia of Saxony's Thalestris and Charlotte von Stein's Dido
- 5 Crossing the Front Lines: Female Leadership, Politics, and War in Die Familie Seldorf
- 6 Power Struggles between Women in Schiller's and Jelinek's Works
- Part II Leadership as Social Activism around 1900
- Part III Women and Political Power in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Bibliography
- Notes on the Contributors
- Index
Summary
ELISE REIMARUS (1735–1805), a proud lifelong resident of the republican city state of Hamburg, consistently advocated republican government ideals that rely on the ability of its citizens to participate actively in public affairs and lead others toward the common good. This emphasis on civic participation accounts for Reimarus's insistence on an educated citizenship. In this respect she differed markedly from most contemporary educators who, for good reason, considered a curriculum with history and politics a threat to the stability of a monarchical state and wanted to limit the privilege of education to future noble rulers. Of course, even in Hamburg, citizenship did not eradicate all inequalities. Reimarus wrestled with the reality that women, relegated to domestic roles, were barred from public office and other leadership positions. In this essay I argue that Reimarus nevertheless exercised civic leadership as a writer and educator, advocating political education not only for boys but also for girls.
It was not unusual for an eighteenth-century female writer to discuss education: virtually all contemporary women writers did so. But it was not at all common for a female writer explicitly to address civic education and to include girls in the discussion. Reimarus did just that. One of her early works is a treatise on the Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121–180 CE), aimed specifically at girls. This work reflects her understanding that effective government and civic education belong together. While the text survives only in incomplete form and was never printed, as was apparently intended, it is significant, because it shows Reimarus's use of Roman history for educating eighteenth-century girls in civic-political matters.
Her portrayal of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus conveys support for a government that promotes the well-being and happiness of the people, listens to the people and their representatives, attends to the weak and vulnerable, uses resources only for the benefit of the common good, respects laws and refrains from arbitrary revenge, and supports education, including female education. In promoting these leadership qualities across genders, based on a male model from classical Rome but intended for a female audience, Reimarus delves into a subject matter usually off-limits for women.
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- Realities and Fantasies of German Female LeadershipFrom Maria Antonia of Saxony to Angela Merkel, pp. 82 - 96Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2019