In 1779, a Scottish doctor called William Alexander published a two-volume History of Women. Alexander was a man of the Enlightenment who regarded politeness to women as a mark of civilisation. Savages and 'musselmen' might treat their women as sexual helots, but a gentleman was solicitous of his womenfolk. Whether women deserved such treatment was another matter. Modern European women were commendably good-hearted, always 'exerting themselves in acts of benevolence and charity', but also dissipated and extravagant: 'Is not the course which you steer in life, almost entirely directed by fashion and pleasure?'

LRB 4 November 2010 | PDF Download