Dear Nicholas,
let me start off by saying I feel bad for you or anyone that has to read this book. This book is unbelievably boring. How anyone can sit and read this book all the way through without falling asleep is a mystery to me. If anyone can succeed in doing this they deserve a medal. In the first chapter the narrator is introduced (I believe she said that her name was Mary, but that part wasn't exactly clear to me.) Mary is a college student living in England. The chapter starts off with Mary contemplating the connection between women and fiction. She thoroughly contemplates how the two involve each other. Her strongest first statement is, "A Woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."(p.4) Pay attention to this statement. This is her opinion on the subject matter. The narrator also believes that both women and fiction are "unsolved problems" (p.4) During the chapter Mary attends an important luncheon at the University. At this luncheon a guest hums a song under his breath. One that depicts women a certain way during the war. Apparently this song does not depict women in a positive way. Mary begins quoting famous women poets that support her feelings against the song. Know this. This gives me and should give you the impression that Mary is a strong willed woman and strongly believes in not distinguishing a woman's distinct place or "role" in society. Mary then retreats back to her own thoughts. Deciding what she herself should write about, each of her thoughts lead her on different tangents. These tangents are extremely difficult to follow, so pay close attention.I feel as if I should be able to tell you more. I'm having a hard time summarizing the book myself. As hard as this book may be to read it is a significant piece of literature. In my opinion this book is distinguishing women writers and making room for them in a male society. It is important to see how their writings do effect opinions today on female writers. Hang in there and keep reading!
Kate
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2 comments:
The chapter does begin with a discussion of women and fiction, and goes on to show how Woolf arrived at her conclusion that a woman must have money and a room of her own to write. The comparison between Oxbridge (the men's university) and Fernham (the women's college) and the meal the narrator eats on each campus demonstrates that women do not have the same access to education, tradition, and money that men do.
I think you've misinterpreted the section on Tennyson. The narrator (Woolf or "Mary") greatly admires the poetry and uses it to illustrate the hopefulness and romance that she feels has been lost in WWI.
No HW 22?
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