The article challenged the contemporary historiography of the Renaissance, arguing that women's power and agency declined during the early modern period.
Her growing political involvement in the 1960s, particularly with Marxist theory and the civil rights movement, led to Kelly becoming more interested in women's history.
[2] Together with Gerda Lerner, Kelly founded the first master's program in women's history at Sarah Lawrence College.
[3] In addition to these positions, she also sat on the advisory boards for City University of New York's Center for the Study of Women and Sex Roles and their publisher, the Feminist Press.
Drawing on contemporary literature, Kelly argued that concepts of courtly love led to an increased emphasis on women's passivity and virginity.