Why is it that men, and not women, have always had power, wealth, and fame? Woolf cites the two keys to freedom: fixed income and one’s own room.
In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf considers with energy and wit the implications of the historical exclusion of women from education and from economic independence. She examines the work of past women writers, and looks ahead to a time when women's creativity will not be hampered by poverty, or by oppression.
Photo Gallery
You might like these
Wow, how i would have loved to have been at one of her lectures!
The book sets out to explore the reasons behind the absence of women writers thr... (show more)
Wow, how i would have loved to have been at one of her lectures!
The book sets out to explore the reasons behind the absence of women writers throughout British history. Woolf wants to know why there are so many: "blank spaces on the shelves" and what women were doing if they were not writing.
Woolf explains that women have not had the same social and economic advantages as men. She claims that 'a room of one's own' and a decent income are necessary in order to produce an environment conducive to writing; something she says, women have never had: “Intellectual freedom depends upon material things. Poetry depends upon intellectual freedom. And women have always been poor, not for two hundred years merely, but from the beginning of time".
Woolf claims this is why women couldn't write in the past. She then goes on to imagine what would have happened to a woman had she even tried. She does this by exploring the fictional character of 'Judith Shakespeare': Shakespeare's sister with artistic talents equal to his own. Forced into marriage and children by her father and without the creative outlet for her gifts that were afforded her brother, Judith promptly commits suicide. This reminded me so much of Maggie Tulliver in Eliot's 'The Mill on the Floss', who is forced to abandon her studies, contradicting her very nature, due to patriarchal conventions at the time.
At the end of the novel, Woolf calls to modern woman to write whatever she can as times have changed and we can now go to university, rent a room of our own and, at long last; write! (show less)
Overemotional incoherent feminist polemic. Gave me a headache. Dissapointing after the dream to read that is 'To The Lighthouse'. There are maybe a... (show more)
Overemotional incoherent feminist polemic. Gave me a headache. Dissapointing after the dream to read that is 'To The Lighthouse'. There are maybe a few pages of cohesive writing near the beginning. After this I had to suffer Woolf's angry tirade of beration of men. Usefully structured, Woolf could be a good essayist if she was less emotional and more reasoned and logical. I wouldn't say it's not worth reading either. Check it out, if only to form your own view of it. (show less)
All MEN need to read this book too! (and just about everything else Virginia Woolf wrote)
This is my absolute favorite work by Virginia Woolf and completely changed my view of her. The essay is riveting, even though it follows the relatively mundane activities of Virginia Woolf/Mary Beton because it raises controversy and is almost flawless in execution. The work seems methodical and yet lyrical, and the ending made me feel simultaneously guilty and inspired. If ever there was a class geared specifically towards woman writers, the first act in it would be to set everyone down, ... (show more)
This is my absolute favorite work by Virginia Woolf and completely changed my view of her. The essay is riveting, even though it follows the relatively mundane activities of Virginia Woolf/Mary Beton because it raises controversy and is almost flawless in execution. The work seems methodical and yet lyrical, and the ending made me feel simultaneously guilty and inspired. If ever there was a class geared specifically towards woman writers, the first act in it would be to set everyone down, hand them a copy of this essay, and tell them to come back with their own thoughts and impressions. Moreover, this is a splendid essay not only for women but for men, encouraging them to evaluate whether they take everything for granted or hurt, suffer, and strive just as much as Woolf claims women do. Moving beyond the topic of sex, Woolf also goes into a lovely criticism of what makes a true literary genius, citing it as androgyny, which is simply another word for not being sexually conscious. A great writer must be a writer, not an individual, and must overcome the obstacles of society that will inevitably try to hinder them. Bravo, Woolf, bravo. Now I know why you withstood the test of time. (show less)
Already read
This book has been added to these lists:
LivingSocial.com is a social discovery and cataloging network that allows people to review and share their favorite movies, books, games, music, restaurants and beer
Add Bookmark
