A Room of One's Own (Macmillan Popular Classics) [Paperback] Virginia Woolf

An important book by Virginia Woolf..Is the chairwoman who has brought up eight children of less value to the world than, the barrister who has made a hundred thousand pounds?

On time delivery original book

There are quite a few printing errors in this book.

1) That should be reason enough for anyone to pick this book but if it isn't, let me tell you what it's about and maybe you'll change your mind. Woolf in this collection of essays/speech (es) emphasizes the 'right'( in quotes because these rights were not considered to be the rights of a woman )of a woman to have at her disposal all the luxuries that a man does- a steady source of income, a quiet place to mull and write in. Two of the most important requirements for anybody to be a good writer.And she does this with all the grace of an intelligent, smart woman who backs her claims with facts. That, my friends, is the recipe for intellectual arguments.2) Read it for the pleasure of knowing her writing.

The 1960s movie I have watched several times on my comp-called "Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf" got me interested in this author.

Wow. Just wow. Where do I start... If you need the ultimate guide to feminist thinking, this is the one. The mother of all. Virginia Woolf is brilliant. The book manages to outline the struggles of women authors back in the 1950s, yet it holds the strong potential to resonate amongst today’s women. The mannerism in which her thoughts are conveyed is dispassionate and logical in a beautiful way. Apart from stating that a woman needs her own room and space to write better, she also argues that her mind’s vitality is lowered when she constantly protests against unfairness and injustice. The lowered vitality and constant inner conflict reflect a great deal in their writing. Virginia Woolf cites various examples of authors and their writing styles to back her points, and one can see that a great deal of research has gone into this one. It resonated with me so much that I penned down a blog article on the same with a more detailed review.

I’m amazed at the quality✨

A Room Of One's Own by Virginia Woolf is an extended version of essays based on lectures she gave on Women and Fiction. It's straight, cut through feminists and so accurate.Woolf has talked about Women in Literature from the time of Shakespeare and how a women couldn't write a play like he did but what's interesting, laughable and disturbing is that 21st century is not much different from 18th or 19th century in terms of women education as a whole. They are still not "required" to become an artist or an astronaut or a scholar. They don't "need" this in their life but only depend on their father or husband because women are defined by men. I mean it has been almost 200 years and we are still stuck in somewhat same situation in many parts of the world where men are still walking with their ego and exploiting women because they want to feel superior.She clearly points this out, which is true to its core that not being dependent on a man for the basis needs opens up a whole new world with the liberty of asking questions without any second thoughts and being subjected.Also, the last two pages just blew my mind. Woolf asks women to do something for themselves, make money, get a room of their own and stop making any kind of excuses because it is now the time to rise and stand for themselves.Truth be told, I could have just highlighted the whole book. It might take a little time to adjust to her writing style but definitely go for this.

Rejection is not new, as John Keats, had he lived today, could verify. Stung by harsh criticism of his work during his short lifetime of only 25 years, the following words (not even his name) are etched on his tombstone in Rome's Protestant cemetery:'This grave contains all that was mortal of a young English poet, who on his deathbed in the bitterness of his heart at the malicious power of his enemies, desired these words to be engraven on his tombstone: Here lies one whose name was writ in water. February 24th 1821.'I only discovered this whilst reading Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own', which are essays containing the speeches she gave to students at Girton College, Cambridge in the 1920s. The main subject matter of these essays is Women and Fiction, but as you can see she does deviate somewhat...Virginia Woolf stated that for a woman to be able to write fiction, she must have a room of her own and £500 per year, which of course was a lot of money in her time. Her aunt had left her this selfsame legacy and she had a room of her own, but she bewailed the fate of females from a lesser social class. These women were poor and controlled by men, reduced to being mere servants and childminders and had no time whatsoever to themselves and no chance of ever writing a poem, let alone a novel.The middle classes fared rather better, although Jane Austen had no room of her own and had to hide the manuscript of Pride and Prejudice under a blotter for fear of being ridiculed. Charlotte Bronte complained of having to mend stockings when she wanted to travel all over the world. Female authors such as these met much criticism in their lifetimes and the Bronte sisters even had to publish their work using male pseudonyms to have their writing taken seriously.Noblewomen had the time and money to write poetry, but even Lady Winchilsea was not happy writing poetry, controlled by men stopping her from doing what she wanted to do, and knowing she would be laughed at and satirised as a 'blue-stocking' if her poetry came to light. Noblewomen were expected just to write letters, not novels.The essays are quite fascinating, and the book, a classic, was actually free on Amazon. The lives of women have improved now to the extent where many female authors do have their writing taken seriously, but still many are passed off as lightweight for writing about what they know... family sagas, relationships and romance.I would agree with Ms Woolf that women do need a good income and a space for them to write in peace, ideally without domestic interruptions. Wordsworth was notorious for entering his house by the back door to avoid 'domestic issues'. Quite often these days women, like myself, earn an income by working and writing novels in their spare time. However, women today will write whatever their circumstances if the urge takes them. Yes, many might be rejected by agents and publishers, but at least they have the strength of mind to carry on regardless.Did a room of her own and an income of £500 per year make Virginia Woolf happy? No it didn't; she drowned herself in 1941 after suffering another bout of mental illness. However, she left a wonderful body of work that will be read for decades to come. Do have a read of her Girton essays if you have some peace in a room of your own! A recommended 5 star read.

I really enjoyed reading this! I found it a very interesting and intriguing read, especially from the viewpoint of nearly 100 years later on the attitudes and predictions of the future. Virginia Woolf argues that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" (hence the title of this essay), and it is split into six chapters, progressing towards her overall viewpoint. A highly recommended read! Some of my favourite/interesting quotes...- "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well"- "Why are women, judging from this catalogue, so much more interesting to men than men are to women?"- "There is no gate, no lock, no bolt, that you can set upon the freedom of my mind"- "It is fatal for anyone who writes to think of their sex"- "Women have always been poor, not for 200 years, but from the beginning of time"

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this book; I should have read it years ago. Woolf examines the dearth of famous women in the field of literature – this was written in 1928 – and explains why cultural and socioeconomic factors are the primary cause, illustrated by the reality, or lack thereof, of having both a room of one's own in which to be able to work undisturbed plus the financial security that enables one to focus on the work rather than having to contend with the endless sea of tribulations that are, for most women, a part of everyday life.

What an important, stirring and inspirational book! A must-read.A major irritation with this edition is the appalling absence of any sort of proofreading!! There are typos, misspellings and punctuation errors on almost every page. I don't know what the publishers were thinking when they released it. It's embarrassing.

Virginia Woolf was asked to give a talk about Women and Fiction in 1928. The talk eventually became this book. Woolf shows very convincingly how women have found it difficult to be taken seriously in the world of literature. Her famous suggestion that women can only play a full part in writing if they have an income of five hundred year and a room of their own - with a lock on the door still holds good today though the amount of money needed would be larger. She provides some examples of how women's talents were just not taken seriously and they were regarded as totally inferior to even the most mediocre man.I found it interesting that she thought the best writing is androgynous and could have been written by either men or women. She accepts that women may write differently from men because they are aware of different aspects of life because of the way society is organised. Jane Austen wrote about what she knew as did George Eliot. They are disparaged because they deal with everyday life whereas men write about the outside world because that is what they know. Could Tolstoy have written `War and Peace' if he had been female? Woolf thinks not.Woolf's overall thesis is that the world of literature needs both masculine qualities and feminine qualities. She does not want to downgrade the achievements of men because she believes the world needs both. The example of Shakespeare's sister is a telling one even though Shakespeare's writing is androgynous. Writers need to use both sides of their brains and personalities which echoes Jung's ideas that men have a feminine side just as women have a masculine side - wholeness comes from using both sides.This book is well worth reading for its writing style alone and for its humour. This is not a feminist tract by any means but it does make some very valid points about how women were still treated in the nineteen twenties even though they had the right to vote.