A classical work doesn't ever have to be understood entirely. But those who are educated and who are still educating themselves must desire to learn more and more from it.
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich SchlegelRead
Prudishness is pretense of innocence without innocence. Women have to remain prudish as long as men are sentimental, dense, and evil enough to demand of them eternal innocence and lack of education. For innocence is the only thing which can ennoble lack of education.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the societal expectation for women to maintain an innocent facade despite the ignorance and malice of men.
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel's quote highlights the hypocrisy surrounding gender expectations, particularly the pressure on women to embody innocence while being denied education and agency. It suggests that this notion of innocence is a performance required by society, rooted in the demands and sentiments of men, who remain ignorant or maliciously indifferent, thus perpetuating a cycle of ignorance for women.
Themes
InnocenceEducationGenderSocietyHypocrisy
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on gender roles, I might quote Schlegel to illustrate the outdated expectations placed on women.
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