This classic work of early feminism remains as relevant and passionate today as it was for Wollstonecraft's contemporaries. First published in 1792, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" was received with a mixture of vociferous outrage (Wollstonecraft's detractors called her "a hyena in petticoats") and ardent enthusiasm. In what is the first major work of feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft dares to apply the egalitarian principles of her day to women. The result is an argument for sexual emancipation -- in short, a women's declaration of independence.