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neilrcoulter's review against another edition
2.0
A Room of One's Own review
This is the first I’ve read of Woolf (so far as I can remember), and I was looking forward to finally reading this essay that is so often referenced. Woolf makes some good observations, and her general plea for space for people to be who they are made to be, even who they most want to be, is of course always apt. But I found the contradictions, the constant back-and-forth of what it is that she truly seeks, to be distracting and confusing. It often seems that she wants all women to be able to have an income (“500 pounds of her own” being the rather obsessively specific sum), a quiet, lockable room for writing, sufficient leisure time to be able to pursue the art life, and proper recognition of the writer’s genius among the loftiest literary circles of Oxbridge and London. She sometimes writes as though such a goal is within the grasp of any man who even mildly desires it, but really: how many people in each generation will attain that kind of lifestyle? Perhaps many men aspired to that during Shakespeare’s lifetime, but they weren’t all Shakespeare (nor was Shakespeare’s life ideal in many ways).
But are those elements actually what’s necessary and in focus? In chapter 4, Woolf writes about Lady Winchilsea, whose “husband was of the kindest” and whose “married life perfection” (70). Surely she had a room of her own, and income and leisure to write—and in fact she did write poems that Woolf quotes. But those poems are full of bitterness about her position in life. And Lady Winchilsea didn’t achieve the international superstardom that was later enjoyed by Austen, Eliot, and the Brontës. Austen, as Woolf explains, didn’t have a room of her own, and she felt she had to keep her novel manuscripts hidden as she was writing them. But this non-ideal situation certainly didn’t hinder the quality of the novels or their ongoing popularity. So, did Austen need the independent life of leisure that Woolf seems to be advocating for? I’m confused.
A lot of Woolf’s argument demands the support of a particular kind of concept of greatness or genius that I find entirely uninteresting. It’s a product of her time, I know, and the literary criticism that was starting to be set in motion at the time she wrote A Room of One’s Own (phenomenology, semiotics, reader-response, deconstruction, and all the rest) so changed our perception of the arts, Woolf’s essay now feels very dated, even if still vibrant and energetically committed to its argument. Woolf’s Oxbridge/London life feels to me really narrow, and that affects her perspective and concerns. She sees her world as the world, and responds to that, but doesn’t question whether that society is the only way the world could be.
It was interesting to read this right after reading Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, which in many ways is a fictionalized novel version of many of Woolf’s points. Where Rhys is more successful (for me, at least) is in bringing in intercultural complexities that remove the “room of one’s own” discussion from the confines of elite Oxbridge literati. Reading Woolf made me more eager to read some of the other authors Woolf mentions (there are occasional moments where she cites an author who isn’t Shakespeare or Austen), but not very excited about reading more Woolf. Sometime I’ll pick this up again and read her novel The Voyage Out, which I expect I’ll enjoy it more than I did the essay. For now, I have a stack of books that I need to attend to for work, so I'll set this one aside.
This is the first I’ve read of Woolf (so far as I can remember), and I was looking forward to finally reading this essay that is so often referenced. Woolf makes some good observations, and her general plea for space for people to be who they are made to be, even who they most want to be, is of course always apt. But I found the contradictions, the constant back-and-forth of what it is that she truly seeks, to be distracting and confusing. It often seems that she wants all women to be able to have an income (“500 pounds of her own” being the rather obsessively specific sum), a quiet, lockable room for writing, sufficient leisure time to be able to pursue the art life, and proper recognition of the writer’s genius among the loftiest literary circles of Oxbridge and London. She sometimes writes as though such a goal is within the grasp of any man who even mildly desires it, but really: how many people in each generation will attain that kind of lifestyle? Perhaps many men aspired to that during Shakespeare’s lifetime, but they weren’t all Shakespeare (nor was Shakespeare’s life ideal in many ways).
But are those elements actually what’s necessary and in focus? In chapter 4, Woolf writes about Lady Winchilsea, whose “husband was of the kindest” and whose “married life perfection” (70). Surely she had a room of her own, and income and leisure to write—and in fact she did write poems that Woolf quotes. But those poems are full of bitterness about her position in life. And Lady Winchilsea didn’t achieve the international superstardom that was later enjoyed by Austen, Eliot, and the Brontës. Austen, as Woolf explains, didn’t have a room of her own, and she felt she had to keep her novel manuscripts hidden as she was writing them. But this non-ideal situation certainly didn’t hinder the quality of the novels or their ongoing popularity. So, did Austen need the independent life of leisure that Woolf seems to be advocating for? I’m confused.
A lot of Woolf’s argument demands the support of a particular kind of concept of greatness or genius that I find entirely uninteresting. It’s a product of her time, I know, and the literary criticism that was starting to be set in motion at the time she wrote A Room of One’s Own (phenomenology, semiotics, reader-response, deconstruction, and all the rest) so changed our perception of the arts, Woolf’s essay now feels very dated, even if still vibrant and energetically committed to its argument. Woolf’s Oxbridge/London life feels to me really narrow, and that affects her perspective and concerns. She sees her world as the world, and responds to that, but doesn’t question whether that society is the only way the world could be.
It was interesting to read this right after reading Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, which in many ways is a fictionalized novel version of many of Woolf’s points. Where Rhys is more successful (for me, at least) is in bringing in intercultural complexities that remove the “room of one’s own” discussion from the confines of elite Oxbridge literati. Reading Woolf made me more eager to read some of the other authors Woolf mentions (there are occasional moments where she cites an author who isn’t Shakespeare or Austen), but not very excited about reading more Woolf. Sometime I’ll pick this up again and read her novel The Voyage Out, which I expect I’ll enjoy it more than I did the essay. For now, I have a stack of books that I need to attend to for work, so I'll set this one aside.
jodiecorcoran's review
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
louisabooks's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
ketaminekidneybean's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
carlq's review
3.0
“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
A Room of Ones own is a fantastic exploration exploring the history of Women authors in literature and how social and political differences between the genders has impacted their ability to write and explore works of fiction. Written in the form of an extended essay, Woolf writes about her own experiences and encompasses them in some delightful examples that both emphasise and make the point of her writings much more obvious and real. A very informative and interesting read that offers valuable insight and though provocation for both genders.
In contrast, I found The Voyage out to be a rather dull read. Exploring the story of Rachel Vinrace as she grows up into Womanhood and learns who she is and how she fits within the world. Perhaps I am not the intended audience for this book because for the most part I found it to be full of characters who I had very little interest in or connection to and stories that did not appeal to me, however as I approached the end of the book I found myself becoming much more engaged with the characters and what the story was trying to tell me. I feel this is the sort of book that is easily dismissed on the first read but offers much more on a repeat reading.
Overall, an exciting and interesting read, perhaps intended much more for a female audience but offers a valuable message to all.
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
A Room of Ones own is a fantastic exploration exploring the history of Women authors in literature and how social and political differences between the genders has impacted their ability to write and explore works of fiction. Written in the form of an extended essay, Woolf writes about her own experiences and encompasses them in some delightful examples that both emphasise and make the point of her writings much more obvious and real. A very informative and interesting read that offers valuable insight and though provocation for both genders.
In contrast, I found The Voyage out to be a rather dull read. Exploring the story of Rachel Vinrace as she grows up into Womanhood and learns who she is and how she fits within the world. Perhaps I am not the intended audience for this book because for the most part I found it to be full of characters who I had very little interest in or connection to and stories that did not appeal to me, however as I approached the end of the book I found myself becoming much more engaged with the characters and what the story was trying to tell me. I feel this is the sort of book that is easily dismissed on the first read but offers much more on a repeat reading.
Overall, an exciting and interesting read, perhaps intended much more for a female audience but offers a valuable message to all.
stargazer_1010's review against another edition
4.0
—— A Room of One’s Own ——
I had a certain image of A Room of One’s Own going into it, thinking these are essays on women and their place in society but this was not so much the case. Woolf more so focuses on Woman in the context of fiction, as a writer and artist. Of course, she does describe parts of this societal position which she needs to support her arguments and observations. Because these were so enjoyable to read, it would’ve been interesting if she had delved deeper. But that was not the point of this book.
Nonetheless, with each page it got more interesting. Clear yet symbolical. Elegantly written with parts that are relevant still. Except for, or especially because of, a sentence here or there that raised a couple of questions (isn’t this racist? isn’t this hypocritical?), definitely food for thought.
I had a certain image of A Room of One’s Own going into it, thinking these are essays on women and their place in society but this was not so much the case. Woolf more so focuses on Woman in the context of fiction, as a writer and artist. Of course, she does describe parts of this societal position which she needs to support her arguments and observations. Because these were so enjoyable to read, it would’ve been interesting if she had delved deeper. But that was not the point of this book.
Nonetheless, with each page it got more interesting. Clear yet symbolical. Elegantly written with parts that are relevant still. Except for, or especially because of, a sentence here or there that raised a couple of questions (isn’t this racist? isn’t this hypocritical?), definitely food for thought.
hunterlovesneilperry's review
challenging
slow-paced
3.75
writing a little more complicated than necessary. i get that she's a "stream of conscientious " writer, but half the time i didnt understand anything