[3] When Judith Drake and the other intellectuals of her circle began writing, they were still a minority and subject to much nay saying.
Drake first constructed the rationalist framework used at that time to explain women's intellectual inferiority, especially using John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
She then proceeded to show that this rationale was outdated, and in this modern time, women would benefit from a greater knowledge.
Besides her rational arguments, Drake also wrote sketches of various stereotypes among men: the Pedant, the Country Squire, the News-monger, the Bully, the City-Critick, and the Beau.
Drake also gave the example from nature of male and female animals that showed equal wisdom in their actions.
A man and a woman from the same background are more similar in ability than two men, one a wealthy gentleman and the other a poor farmer.
[7] With her combination of Tory ideas and Lockean philosophy, Drake formed an early Enlightenment vision of social roles in which women could be of help in settling the uncertain society of the day.