In the Service of Education of Women. Activity of Felicja Boberska née Wasilewska (1825–1889)

Abstract

The main goal of this work is to show the content concerning upbringing and education of women proposed in her writing by a columnist and a teacher Felicja Boberska, educator of women and writer, born in Lviv. She takes up a distinguished position among women meritorious for the scientific, educational and cultural life of the second half of the 19^th century. Increased activity of women in the scope of efforts for equality in access to education was noted. Boberska was not only a writer and pedagogue but also ran a modern school for girls, actively participated in social and literary life of Lviv as a member of Pedagogical Society, senior teacher in the women’s teacher’s college, cooperator of Women Teachers Association and Lviv Women’s Work Association. She was also an author of pedagogical, historical and literary works. Throughout her life she was guided by the idea of sacrifice and work for others. While analysing the life and pedagogical work of Boberska two aspects of her activity for education of women should be especially no­ted, these are professional work and effort put into the education of a generation of Polish women and her writing with special focus on presentation of the role of women in scientific, educational and political life. Moreover the work points to a certain pattern in the image of a woman of the end of the 19^th century that was propagated by this pedagogic writer.