In Original Stories, there is a strong theme of education, which was something that was historically very important to Wollstonecraft. These themes of education are seen throughtout the book as the character Ms. Mason educates two young girls about a variety of different topics, mostly involving virture and morality.

History of Education 

In Great Britain in the late 1700’s and 1800s, women were seen as subordinate and mostly stayed at home and focused on being mothers and wives. Women did not participate in wage labour, which in turn meant it wasn't important for their families to invest in their education (Hasan, 2018). In addtion, society did not believe in women’s intellectual abilities. Women were strongly encouraged not to pursue intellectual endeavors because it would be damaging to their physical, psychological, and emotional health (Hasan, 2018). People in Great Britain at the time believed women were too fragile to pursue higher education, and actually believed that it would impair their abilities of being a good housewives and even impair their health and give them gynecological disorders (Hasan, 2018). These extremes show some of the contextual circumstances that Mary Wollstonecraft grew up with. 

Wollstonecraft and Education 

Growing up, Wollstonecraft was taught how to be a good wife and mother, while her brother Ned went to school to be a lawyer. However, from 1784-1786 Mary Wollstonecraft pursued her passion and opened and operated a school in Newington Green. One way in which Wollstonecraft was a feminist leader was through her fight for equal education. In 1786, Wollstonecraft wrote Thoughts on Education of Daughters, which talked about how boys and girls are unfairly educated differently (Morgan, 2007). For example, she explained that “male education included lessons in reason, politics, economics and physical exercise, to name some curriculum areas; whereas girls’ education involved lessons in domestic duties, such as needlepoint, and lessons in how to be beautiful and an obedient wife” (Morgan, 2007).

In addition, Wollstonecraft fought many cultural and patriarchal beliefs concerning the abilities of women. Wollstonecraft believed that it was important for women to have educational opportunities in order to have basic rights. Wollstonecraft also did not believe in education purely for socio-economic or status advancement, but believed that education was important to strengthen capabilites of heart and the mind (Hasan, 2018). This could be why many of the lessons that Ms. Mason taught in Original Stories are not of traditional education, but lessons of morality and virtue.