“The Emulation”

“The Emulation,” a Pindaric ode, and the prose “Preface to the Masculine Sex” are the two pieces attributed to “A Young Lady” in Triumphs of Female Wit, in Some Pindarick Odes. Or, The Emulation. The preface argues for women’s intelligence and creative abilities, referring to Eve’s natural curiosity and appeals to nature as the speaker questions “why we [women] should not be thought capable of all the Endowments of human Nature, I cannot apprehend: I am sure we seem fram’d with as much skill and exactness, with the same Materials too both of Body and Mind.” The speaker of “The Emulation” posits that women’s desire for better education is not so that they may surpass men but rather so women “[their] time may to the best advantage spend”– enabling them to appreciate science and art.