I came across A Room of One’s Own essay pretty randomly and seeing it was written by Virginia Woolf I started reading it. As a student of literary criticism, I was immediately fascinated to read the essay. I have been a fan of her work since I read Mrs. Dalloway. During the time that she wrote, it was brave of her to break away from the traditional molds of writing. Woolf’s works played an influential role in the reemergence of feminism in the 1970s. Her characters, lectures, and essays kept women at the forefront.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf is an extended essay. This essay explores a fictional character and narrative, but it is rooted in reality. Woolf through this essay discusses the various disadvantages in education, society, and finance faced by women throughout history. The fictional character of this essay is Mary, who visits the British Museum to find out everything that has been written about women so far. Through the character and narrative, Woolf showcases how society, literature, and history are male constructs or male-centric while women have been marginalized.
A Room of One’s Own is a daring essay, especially considering the time it was written. The essay discusses at length the problems women have faced in the past to now. It showcases the male-centric attitude of society in literature and history. Woolf gives an example of Judith, Shakespeare’s sister in the essay to put forth her point. The point of the essay is to explain that there are no stories or characters which are trivial and which shouldn’t be told. Woolf also talks about the gendered values of society. The prevalence of masculine values in a society shouldn’t stop one from creating stories or characters the way they want. Not giving in to the stereotypes is important.
A Room of One’s Own written by Virginia Woolf is a feminist text that talks about creating space for women in literature and figuratively in a traditionally patriarchal society. This is a very interesting read and it makes points that are relatable but it is something that has been expected as a norm.
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