Wollstonecraft was inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau 's idea that `` geniuses are self-taught '' , so Wollstonecraft made Mary , the main character , a self-taught heroine .
Inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau 's idea that geniuses are self-taught , Wollstonecraft chose a rational , self-taught heroine , Mary , as the central character of her novel .