a-room-of-ones-own

UNIT7ARoomofOne’sOwnVirginiaWoolfVirginiaWoolf(25January1882–28March1941)wasanEnglishessayist,publisher,andwriterofshortstoriesandstream-of-consciousness.“Professionsforwomen”Woolf’sAchievement1Stream-of-ConsciousnessTechniqueRevealtheactionorplotthroughthementalprocessesofthecharacter.Heremphasiswasnotonplotorcharacterizationbutonacharacter'sconsciousness,histhoughtsandfeelings.Theactionoftheplotmovesbackandforththroughpresenttimetomemoriesofpasteventsanddreamsofthefuture.Dramaticmonologue&freeassociation.Itisoftenin3rdpersonnarrator.Woolf’sAchievement2AFeministShewasverymuchconcernedwiththerightsandpositionofwomen,especiallyofintelligentwomenandwomenwriters.Sheactivelytookpartinthestruggleforwoman’srightsofsuffrage&rightstowork.LifeBornin1882andbroughtupinanupper-middle-class,sociallyactive,literaryfamily.Waseducatedathome,becomingavoraciousreaderofthebooksinherfather’sextensivelibrary.Childhoodexperiencesofdeathandsexualabuseleadtodepression↓↓thedeathofherfamilyherstepbrotherLifeThedeathofherfatherin1904provokedhermostalarmingcollapse.VirginiaStephenmarriedLeonardWoolfin1912.Aftercompletingthemanuscriptofherlastnovel,BetweentheActs,Woolffellvictimtoadepressionsimilartothatwhichshehadearlierexperienced.LifeOnMarch28,1941,WoolfcommittedsuicideintheRiverOusenearherhomeanddrownedherself.Woolf’sbodywasnotfounduntilApril18.Herhusbandburiedhercrematedremainsunderatreeinthegardenoftheirhome.RiverOuseVirginia'slettertoLeonard“Dearest,IfeelcertainIamgoingmadagain.Ifeelwecan'tgothroughanotheroftheseterribletimesagainandIshan'trecoverthistime.Ibegintohearvoicesandcan'tconcentrate.SoI'mdoingwhatseemstobethebestthingtodo.Youhavegivenmethegreatestpossiblehappiness.Youhavebeenineverywayallthatanyonecouldbe.”Virginia'slettertoLeonard“IknowthatI'mspoilingyourlifeandwithoutmeyoucouldwork,andyouwill,Iknow.Yousee,Ican'tevenwritethisproperly.WhatIwanttosayisthatIoweallthehappinessofmylifetoyou.Youhavebeenentirelypatientwithme.Andincrediblygood.Everythingisgonefrommebutthecertaintyofyourgoodness.”Virginia'slettertoLeonard“Ican'tgoonspoilingyourlifeanylonger.Idon'tthinktwopeoplecouldhavebeenhappierthanwehavebeen.”DearLeonard.Tolooklifeintheface.Alwaystolooklifeinthefaceandtoknowitforwhatitis.Atlasttoknowit.Toloveitforwhatitis,andthen,toputitaway.Leonard.Alwaystheyearsbetweenus.Alwaystheyears.Alwaysthelove.Alwaysthehours…”WorksEARLYWORKSTheVoyageOut,1915《出海》NightandDay,1919《日夜》LATERWORKSJacob’sRoom,1922《雅各的房间》Mrs.Dalloway,1925《黛洛维夫人》TotheLighthouse,1927《到灯塔去》Orlando,1928《奥尔兰多》TheWaves,1931《海浪》TheYears,1937《年月》BetweentheActs,1941《幕与幕之间》WorksCOLLECTIONSOFESSAYS,literarycommentariesARoomofOne’sOwn,1929《一间自己的房间》MomentsofBeing,1941,《存在的瞬间》AbouttheessayAnextendedessay.Firstpublishedin24October1929,Basedonaseriesoflecturesshedeliveredattwowomen'scollegesatCambridgeUniversityinOctober1928.TitledWomenandFiction”,itisgenerallyseenasafeministtextNotedinitsargumentforwhetherornotawomancouldproduceartofthehighqualityofShakespeare.ARoomofOne’sOwnThemeWomen’spositioninfictionandinreallifeCritiqueofpatriarchalsociety“Awomanmusthavemoneyandaroomofherownifsheistowriteafiction.”--VirginiaWoolfWhatisthesymbolicmeaningofthetitle?Aroom:notonlyspaceforliving,butalsospaceforcreativeactivity.Here,itiscomparedtofreedom.Sheusestheroomasasymbolformanylargerissues,suchasprivacy,leisuretime,andfinancialindependence.MainIdeaSheadvancesthatawomanmusthavearoomofherownifsheistowritesomething.Toillustrateherpointandreconstructtheexistenceofwomen,theauthorproposestheimaginaryfigureofShakespeare’ssister,JudithdescribingherunpleasantsituationandshowingthesocialdiscriminationagainstwomenintheElizabethanEngland.TheNarratorTheunnamedfemalenarratoristheonlymajorcharacterinARoomofOne’sOwn.Inchapteroneofthetext,shetellsthereadertocallher“MaryBeton,MarySeton,MaryCarmichaeloranyothernameyouplease...”Thenarratoremphasizesthatherwordsapplytoallwomen,notjustherself.ThenarratorspendsadayintheBritishLibrary--shefindslittledataabouttheeverydaylivesofwomen--“NowomancanwritetheplaysofShakespeare”--shedecidestoreconstructtheirexistenceimaginatively.--ThefigureofJudithShakespeareisgeneratedasanexampleofthetragicfateahighlyintelligentwomanwouldhavemetwithunderthosecircumstances.StructureAnalysisPartⅠ(1)Thispartintroducesthepositionofwomenin15cand17cindicatedinHistoryofEnglandwrittenbyTrevelyan.PartⅡ(2-3)Thispartshowsthedistinctionbetweenwomeninfictionandwomeninreallifeandanalyzesthereason.PartⅢ(4)ThispartgivesacomparativeanalysisofShakespeareandhissupposedsistertorevealthemiserablefateofhisgiftedsister,whichreflectswomen’slifeandpositionsatthattime.PartⅣ(5)ThispartexplainswhyawomanhavingShakespeare’sgeniusinShakespeare’sdaycan’tgainthesameachievement.PartⅤ(6)ThispartrevealsthetruthoftheimaginedfigureofJudithShakespeare’sstoryandanywomanbornwithagreatgiftinthatageendinginanunfortunatefate.Para1ThepositionofwomenindicatedinHistoryofEnglandbyTrevelyanA.About1470,soonafterChaucer’stimeWife-beatingMarriageObeytheparents’wishBetrothalinthecradleB.The