A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Room of One's Own
Book Review: What Every Woman Writer Needs....
Summary: 4 Stars
This essay taken from a lecture that Virginia Woolf gave to students in England during 1928 is an essential reading for writers and feminists alike.
During the 1920's women writing literature were still struggling for a voice without prejudice. Virginia Woolf emerged as one of the first feminist voices ready to speak out against the silenced history of women writers and historians. In this book she argues that any woman serious about writing must have 500 pounds per year and a room of her own in which to capture a few moments of silence and restore her voice back to power without the pull of all her "womanly" responsibilities. Woolf seems to believe that one of the only true literary voices, one that wrote without anger, fear, or prejudice was Shakespeare and that his works have lasted because of the extension of this idea. Woolf discusses Brönte and leans towards a woman writing with anger the seeps forth in her words and of Austen she expresses appreciation for what she must have endured in order to publish her works in a male dominated industry. Woolf clearly criticizes writer's that allow their gripes to appear in their works rather than their true talents. She appears hopeful that the future holds another Shakespeare and that inevitably it will be a woman who writes so extraordinarily this time around.
Woolf shows herself to be one of the first true feminists our society had during her lifetime. She unabashedly criticizes a society dominated and silenced by men who felt it their duty to protect women from their own fear. Her critique of professors who openly claim women to be inferior is turned towards them as men concerned instead with being superior. She insists that the enlargement of men like Napoleon and Mussolini as well as the many wars society has experienced is purely because the light that is contained within women has been allowed to be dimmed by male domination. Woolf is saddened and disgusted by the fact that history and literature represented women so poorly in the past refusing to offer a woman as being anything more than a lover to a greater man. She also indicates that the suffrage movement probably contributed towards males feeling challenged by something far inferior to their inflated superiority. Her words are quite strong for a woman of her era but also fairly futuristic in thought.
Woolf writes of many intelligent guidelines for any writer in this book. She offers a suggestion that one should write with an androgynous mind allowing both the softness of the feminine and the power of the masculine to come forth in words. A writer must not fear another's opinion but instead believe so forcefully in one's words that criticism cannot cause dishonesty of talent. And of course she is resolute in the fact that a writer needs a room of one's own to come to his or her center and in order to bring forth greatness without prejudice.
Book Review: Witty and Intelligent Argument on Behalf of Female Writers
Summary: 5 Stars
Virginia Woolf is a writer of intelligence and grace. A Room of One's Own is a skinny little treasure of a book with words and wisdom that will stay with the reader long after it is read. The essay contained in the book is the result of two papers that Ms. Woolf read to the Arts Society at newnham and Odtaa at Girton (England) in October of 1928. She was asked to speak about the topic of "Women and Fiction", and after doing so, she expanded her papers and later published them as this book.Woolf begins the essay by writing, "I soon saw that [the subject of women and fiction] had one fatal drawback. I should never be able to come to a conclusion. I should never be able to fulfil what is, I understand, the first duty of a lecturer- to hand you after an hour's discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks and keep on the mantelpiece for ever. All I could do was to offer you an opinion upon one minor point- a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction... At any rate, when a subject is highly controversial- and any question about sex is that- one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opionion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conslusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker."
It is in this straightforward and honest manner that Woolf writes about women and fiction. Although the speech was given and the book was published in 1929, all of its points are still important for women- and especially women writers and artists- today. In A Room of One's Own Woolf examines classic literary works of the past and wonders why most, until the 19th Century, were written by men, and why most of the works published by women in the 19th Century were fiction. She comes to the logical conclusion that women in the past had little to no time to write because of their childbearing and raising responsibilities. There is also the fact that they were not educated and were forbidden or discouraged from writing. When they did begin to write, they only had the common sitting rooms of Elizabethan homes to do so in, which did not provide much solitude or peace of mind, as it was open to any interruption and distraction that came along.
Woolf argues passionately that true independence comes with economic well-being. This is true for countries, governments, individuals, and writers, especially female writers. Without financial security it is impossible for any writer to have the luxury of writing for writing's sake. It is also a very inspiring book for any aspiring write to read. I end this review with Virginia Woolf's own hopes for women in the future:
"... I would ask you to write all kinds of books, hesitating at no subject however trivial or however vast. By hook or by crook, I hope that you will possess yourselves of money enough to travel and to idle, to contemplate the future or the past of the world, to dream over books and loiter at street corners and let the line of thought dip deep into the stream."
(If you liked this review, please read my other book reviews under my Amazon profile...)
Book Review: Women and literature
Summary: 4 Stars
Her argument goes: "Intellectual freedom depends upon material things." The intellectual freedom of writing books, good books, depends on a person's ability to acquire income and to have their own space, undisturbed and unashamed. Virginia Woolf suggests that she is an amateur in this matter, and, due to her lack of formal education, finds it difficult to properly research the topic. However, she proves herself competent in making a coherent argument that is convincing, though her conclusions are no longer very surprising. It is difficult to argue against her, to say that women, who have had substantially lower incomes than men and have faced many stigmas and prejudices are not disadvantaged in producing works of literature or art or in making intellectual contributions.As I said, her argument is no longer new. Most people probably do not have to read this book in order to agree with her main thesis. But she does make a few interesting points about the role of women in literature and what the effects of increased freedom for women might be. For the method of the argument alone this book has value: "...one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold." She does not ask you to agree, but only to understand why she thinks what she does.
Book Review: Woolf is a Brilliant Writer
Summary: 5 Stars
This may be a longer essay than many may be used to reading, but it is worth reading! It is brilliant! That is practically the only word I can describe it by. Some of her best work/thoughts and quotes on literature is in this essay. If you are a fan of Virginia Woolf, you must read this. If you are just starting to read her writings, this is a great introducion to her work. If anything it will make you want to read more of her writings( which is exactly what happened to me after I read this!) !Book Review: Woolf's version of what women want and need
Summary: 5 Stars
In "A Room of One's Own," Virginia Woolf explores the topics of feminism, individuality, and financial independence. Unlike many of Woolf's other works, this essay is very accessible to the reader. She presents wonderful arguments in an extremely creative way. This book is possibly one of the most important pieces of feminist literary criticism in history...it is not to be missed.