Themes A Room of One's Own

1 themes

1.1 women s access education

1.1.1 judith shakespeare


1.2 building history of women s writing
1.3 4 marys
1.4 lesbianism

themes
women s access education

the title of essay comes woolf s conception that, woman must have money , room of own if write fiction . woolf notes women have been kept writing because of relative poverty, , financial freedom bring women freedom write; in first place, have room of own... out of question, unless parents exceptionally rich or noble . title refers author s need poetic licence , personal liberty create art.

the essay examines whether women capable of producing, , in fact free produce work of quality of william shakespeare, addressing limitations past , present women writers face.

woolf s father, sir leslie stephen, in line thinking of era, believed boys of family should sent school. in delivering lectures outlined in essay, woolf speaking women have opportunity learn in formal, communal setting. woolf lets audience know importance of education @ same time warning them of precariousness of position in society.

judith shakespeare

in 1 section, woolf invented fictional character, judith, shakespeare s sister, illustrate woman shakespeare s gifts have been denied same opportunities develop them because of doors closed women. woolf, stayed @ home while brothers went off school, judith stays @ home while william goes off school. judith trapped in home: adventurous, imaginative, agog see world was. not sent school. woolf s prose holds hopes of judith shakespeare against brother s hopes in first sentence, abruptly curtails judith s chances of fulfilling promise but. while william learns, judith chastised parents should happen pick book, inevitably abandoning household chore attending. judith betrothed, , when not want marry, beaten , shamed marriage father. while shakespeare establishes himself, judith trapped confines of expectations of women. judith kills herself, , genius goes unexpressed, while shakespeare lives on , establishes legacy.

building history of women s writing

in essay, woolf constructs critical , historical account of women writers far. woolf examines careers of several female authors, including aphra behn, jane austen, brontë sisters, anne finch, countess of winchilsea, , george eliot. in addition female authors, woolf discusses , draws inspiration noted scholar , feminist jane ellen harrison. harrison presented in essay initials separated long dashes, , woolf first introduces harrison famous scholar… j ---- h---- herself .

woolf discusses rebecca west, questioning desmond maccarthy s (referred z ) uncompromising dismissal of west arrant feminist . among men attacked views on women, f. e. smith, 1st earl of birkenhead (referred lord birkenhead ) mentioned, though woolf further rebukes ideas in stating not trouble copy out lord birkenhead s opinion upon writing of women . birkenhead opponent of suffrage. essay quotes oscar browning through words of (possibly inaccurate) biographer h. e. wortham: … impression left on mind, after looking on set of examination papers, that…the best woman intellectually inferior of worst man. in addition these mentions, woolf subtly refers several of prominent intellectuals of time, , hybrid name university of oxford , university of cambridge—oxbridge—has become well-known term, although not first use it.

the 4 marys

the narrator of work @ 1 point identified mary beaton, mary seton, or mary carmichael , alluding sixteenth century ballad mary hamilton. in referencing tale of woman hanged existing outside of marriage , rejecting motherhood, narrator identifies women writers such herself outsiders exist in potentially dangerous space. important note woolf s heroine, judith shakespeare, dies own hand, after becomes pregnant child of actor. woman in 4 marys, pregnant , trapped in life imposed on her. woolf sees judith shakespeare, mary beaton, mary seton, mary carmichael, powerless, impoverished women everywhere threatened spectre of death.

lesbianism

in section, describing work of fictional woman writer, mary carmichael, woolf deliberately invokes lesbianism: may tell next words read these – chloe liked olivia... not start. not blush. let admit in privacy of our own society these things happen. women women. woolf references obscenity trial , public uproar resulting publishing of radclyffe hall s lesbian-themed novel, of loneliness published in 1928. before can discuss chloe liking olivia, narrator, has assured sir chartres biron, magistrate of hall s obscenity trial not in audience: there no men present? promise figure of sir chartres biron not concealed? women, assure me? may tell you...

woolf scholar , feminist critic jane marcus believes woolf giving radclyffe hall , other writers demonstration of how discuss lesbianism discreetly enough avoid obscenity trials; woolf offering besieged fellow writer lesson in how give lesbian talk , write lesbian work , away it. marcus describes atmosphere of woolf s arrival , presence @ women s college lover vita sackville-west sapphic. woolf comfortable discussing lesbianism in talks women students because feels women s college safe , essential place such discussions.