Mary Hays (1759–1843) was an English writer, intellectual, and early feminist who challenged the societal expectations of her era through her rebellious writings. Born into a family of Protestant dissenters, Hays was largely self-educated. Following the tragic death of her fiancé, John Eccles, on the eve of their wedding, she chose to remain unmarried, escaping the traditional path of domesticity to pursue a career in the literary world.
Throughout her career, Hays published essays, poetry, novels, and biographical collections. She was deeply influenced by Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and subsequently developed a close friendship with Wollstonecraft. Hays was also connected to other prominent radical and dissenting thinkers of her time, including William Godwin, Robert Robinson, and William Frend. Her progressive ideas drew sharp criticism from conservative contemporaries, who labeled her a disciple of Wollstonecraft and attacked her in publications like The Anti Jacobin Magazine.
In the wake of the public backlash following Wollstonecraft's death, Hays's later writing adopted a more conservative tone. Her most ambitious project from this period was Female Biography: or Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women of All Ages and Countries, a massive six-volume compendium celebrating women's historical achievements. Though largely neglected by critics during the nineteenth century, Hays's contributions to feminist thought and literature were rediscovered and reevaluated by scholars in the twentieth century.
