I first read this book early in college in a Women Writer's class (an elective of course). At the time I was a good little conservative complementarian who thought any argument for women's rights was feminist and therefore evil. The irony of the fact that I was a woman getting an education and therefore benefiting from the rights people like Woolf fought for completely eluded me. I was more than willing to accept the gifts of the early feminists (the right to vote, have a job, own property, have a bank account, get an education) while condemning the very philosophy that granted me those rights. I read the book with very different eyes a decade later. I understood Woolf arguments and frustrations better, and I marveled at how her dreams and predictions for the future have played out.
But before we delve into the content of the book, I would like to hear about your experiences with early feminist writers. Have you encountered Woolf before? In what contexts and mindsets? Have you ever studied the lives of the women who fought for basic rights for women? Have such stories been encouraged in your life or hidden?
Labels: A Room of One's Own, Book Discussions, Gender Issues
ooohhh, i remember when i read that book. it was awesome and took me a long time because i'd read a few paragraphs and then put the book down and let the contents roll around in my brain for a few days.
the book was like opening a window onto a world inside my own head only to find that others were there, waiting for me.
awesome book. i will pick through my library and re-read.