A room of one’s own – Virginia Woolf Brief Introduction
Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941)
was an important precursor in feminist criticism. She belonged in the modernist era – 20th century. Woolf wrote 10 novels and a number of non – fiction books. Her first, novel, The voyage out was published in 1915 and her last novel – Between the acts, was published posthumously in 1941. Woolf belonged to the Bloomsbury group.
“A woman must have money and a room of her own....”
The essay ‘A room of one’s own’, was written in 1928 and was published in 1929. It was an extended essay based on the two lectures delivered by Woolf at Newham College and Gritan college of Cambridge University. Women were the regular victim of men’s anger, misunderstanding and hostility. Therefore, in this essay, she focused on women’s literary tradition. This essay is also a powerful answer to the male-biased assumption and society that women are biologically weak and interior with no creativity.
While giving a lecture on women and fiction, Woolf tells the audience that she is not sure of the topic should be; what women are like, the fiction women write or the fiction written about the women or the combination of both... Here would makes a point that a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.
Through the essay, she uses a fictional character – Mary Beton as her alter ego. Woolf relates how her thoughts on the lecture mingled with her daily life. To showcase how women were treated, Woolf narrates an incident where the narrator crosses a lawn at the Oxbridge (fictional name – an amalgamation of Oxford and Cambridge University) tries to enter the library and passes by the chapel. She was intercepted at each station and reminded that women are not allowed to do such things without being accompanied by men. Later the narrator goes for lunch, where excellent food and relaxing atmosphere was being set up for good conversation. She compares this experience with the women's college at Fernham, where she was served a mediocre dinner and not so comfortable atmosphere. Woolf talks about the conversation which she had with a friend named Mary Sexton. They discuss how men's colleges were funded by kings and independently wealthy men, whereas it becomes difficult to raise funds for women's college. Later the narrator and Seton denounce their mothers for being so impoverished and leaving do little for their daughters.
“A woman must have money and a room of her own....”
The essay ‘A room of one’s own’, was written in 1928 and was published in 1929. It was an extended essay based on the two lectures delivered by Woolf at Newham College and Gritan college of Cambridge University. Women were the regular victim of men’s anger, misunderstanding and hostility. Therefore, in this essay, she focused on women’s literary tradition. This essay is also a powerful answer to the male-biased assumption and society that women are biologically weak and interior with no creativity.
While giving a lecture on women and fiction, Woolf tells the audience that she is not sure of the topic should be; what women are like, the fiction women write or the fiction written about the women or the combination of both... Here would makes a point that a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.
Through the essay, she uses a fictional character – Mary Beton as her alter ego. Woolf relates how her thoughts on the lecture mingled with her daily life. To showcase how women were treated, Woolf narrates an incident where the narrator crosses a lawn at the Oxbridge (fictional name – an amalgamation of Oxford and Cambridge University) tries to enter the library and passes by the chapel. She was intercepted at each station and reminded that women are not allowed to do such things without being accompanied by men. Later the narrator goes for lunch, where excellent food and relaxing atmosphere was being set up for good conversation. She compares this experience with the women's college at Fernham, where she was served a mediocre dinner and not so comfortable atmosphere. Woolf talks about the conversation which she had with a friend named Mary Sexton. They discuss how men's colleges were funded by kings and independently wealthy men, whereas it becomes difficult to raise funds for women's college. Later the narrator and Seton denounce their mothers for being so impoverished and leaving do little for their daughters.
A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.
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