New feminist approaches to 18th-century women's labour: sex work and mother work in The Memoirs of Mrs Margaret Leeson (1795–1797)

• Published in: Feminist theory
• Main Author: Collinson, Alexandra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 17.04.2025
• ISSN: 1464-7001; 1741-2773
• DOI: 10.1177/14647001241308441

I argue that modern feminist theory offers a valuable critical lens through which to analyse representations of sex work and mother work in 18th-century literature. Considering the life writing of a courtesan, The Memoirs of Mrs Margaret Leeson (published between 1795–1797), I contend that feminist theory which recognises the work women undertake in these fields supports the vital process of investigating women's experiences as multidimensional labouring subjects in a patriarchal system. My methodology extends beyond moralistic commentaries surrounding maternity and prostitution, resisting dynamics of objectification which persist to the present day. Building upon Kim F Hall's analysis of Early Modern literature, I show that a productive dialogue can be established between historical texts and recent feminist theoretical perspectives, without flattening critical distinctions between past and present women's experiences. Moreover, studying historical women's writings and representations in this way offers new insights about women's social roles and labour rights in today's world. This article argues that using the term ‘sex worker’ helpfully distinguishes sexual labour from the moral baggage it carried in the 18th century, as within a present-day misogynistic system. I emphasise the importance of distinguishing Leeson's nuanced self-representation from dominant caricatures and social narratives about prostitution; she reframes discussions which fixate on moral stigma in order to centralise women's struggle for survival in a patriarchal socioeconomic system. I illustrate the value of reflecting on Leeson's mother work and sex work in Matricentric feminist terms, untethered from dehumanising misogynistic binaries which juxtapose ‘mothers’ with ‘prostitutes.’