A Room of One's Own
Virginia Woolf's famous 1928 essay, which argues that women must have 'money and a room of their own' in order to write, opens with her sitting deep in thought on a riverbank in Cambridge...
To the right and left bushes of some sort, golden and crimson, glowed with the colour, even it seemed burnt with the heat, of fire. On the further bank the willows wept in perpetual lamentation, their hair about their shoulders. The river reflected whatever it chose of sky and bridge and burning tree, and when the undergraduate had oared his boat through the reflections they closed again, completely, as if he had never been. There one might have sat the clock round lost in thought. Thought--to call it by a prouder name than it deserved--had let its line down into the stream. It swayed, minute after minute, hither and thither among the reflections and the weeds, letting the water lift it and sink it, until--you know the little tug--the sudden conglomeration of an idea at the end of one's line: and then the cautious hauling of it in, and the careful laying of it out? Alas, laid on the grass how small, how insignificant this thought of mine looked; the sort of fish that a good fisherman puts back into the water so that it may grow fatter and be one day worth cooking and eating. I will not trouble you with that thought now, though if you look carefully you may find it for yourselves in the course of what I am going to say.
But however small it was, it had, nevertheless, the mysterious property of its kind--put back into the mind, it became at once very exciting, and important; and as it darted and sank, and flashed hither and thither, set up such a wash and tumult of ideas that it was impossible to sit still. It was thus that I found myself walking with extreme rapidity across a grass plot. Instantly a man's figure rose to intercept me. Nor did I at first understand that the gesticulations of a curious-looking object, in a cut-away coat and evening shirt, were aimed at me. His face expressed horror and indignation. Instinct rather than reason came to my help; he was a Beadle*; I was a woman. This was the turf; there was the path. Only the Fellows and Scholars are allowed here; the gravel is the place for me. Such thoughts were the work of a moment. As I regained the path the arms of the Beadle sank, his face assumed its usual repose, and though turf is better walking than gravel, no very great harm was done. The only charge I could bring against the Fellows and Scholars of whatever the college might happen to be was that in protection of their turf, which has been rolled for 300 years in succession, they had sent my little fish into hiding.
*an official (sometimes called a porter) at colleges in Oxford and Cambridge
What we love about this passage…
How do you describe the experience of thinking? How about as a fish at the end of a fishing line? Woolf describes pulling in the line and being at first disappointed at the size of the fish she has caught, only to find that it is exciting in its own right. She seems to be describing the experience of an intense daydream — yet she does not tell us what it is! Before she can, a man appears who reminds her that she is a woman, and so trespassing on college property.
Woolf’s celebrated essay originated as lectures given in October 1928 at Girton and Newnham, two of the women’s colleges at Cambridge, established in 1869 and 1871 respectively. Not until 1972 were the first women admitted to Cambridge’s men’s colleges.
About the Author
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) is one of the best-known modernist authors for novels such as Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), as well as many volumes of essays, short stories, and even a biography of the influential artist and critic Roger Fry, who painted the portrait of her above.
Her father, Leslie Stephen, encouraged her to read from his extensive library. Her literary appetite shocked him, causing him to eventually tell her: ‘Gracious child, how you gobble!’ She studied classics and history at the Ladies' Department of King's College London from 1897 to 1901.
You can read the ‘A Room of One’s Own’ in full here
To read alongside…
In ‘A Room of One’s Own’ Woolf aims to ‘think back through our mothers’—that is, she tries to think of women who have come before her in the long struggle for equal opportunities. If you would like to follow her path, you might look at past newsletters dedicated to some of the women she names, including George Sand, George Eliot, and Aphra Behn. We are also reminded of another writer who has tried to think through past feminist figures: Caryl Churchill, whose play Top Girls celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and opens with the main character throwing a dinner party for famous women from across history to help her celebrate her own promotion at work. The play asks what progress has been made in the fight for women’s rights and, most importantly, what sacrifices the fight has required.
Happy International Women’s Day (coming up on 8 March)!
Suggest a LitHit!
Tell us your own favourites from literature you've read, and we can feature you as a Guest Curator. Just email us with the following information:
Your full name
The title of the book you're suggesting
The location of the excerpt within the book (e.g., "in the middle of chapter 5"), or the excerpt itself copied into the email or attached to it (in Word)
Why you love it, in just a few sentences
About LitHits
LitHits helps you make time for reading by bringing you unabridged excerpts from brilliant literature that you can read on the go, anytime or any place. Our curators carefully select and frame each excerpt so that you can dive right in. We are more than a book recommendation site: we connect you with a powerful, enduring piece of literature, served directly to your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
You might also enjoy...
Feedback
We'd love to hear your thoughts on our newsletter:
kshepherdb@yahoo.co.uk
Graphic design by Sara Azmy
All curation content © 2023 LitHits. All rights reserved.