Susanna Annesley Wesley (1669-1742): A Biography of Strength and Love (the Mother of John and Charles Wesley)

The life of Susanna Annesley Wesley (1669-1742) represents a complex social and intellectual entity within the context of eighteenth-century life in general. One one level she endured the domestic drudgery associated with the wife of a poor, incompetent rural Church of England rector. On the other, she had, early in her life, developed strong intellectual and theological perceptions, which she complemented with a rigid sense and practice of discipline. Through a discussion of her marriage and her roles as mother and mentor emerges the image of an admittedly dependent woman -- wife and mother -- struggling hard to maintain and advance her own intellectual independence.