A Room of One's Own - ELTE

1 A room of One's OwnWoolf, VirginiaPublished:1929 Categorie(s):Non-Fiction, Literary essay, Social science,Feminism & Feminist TheorySource: Woolf:VirginiaWoolf(January25,1882 March28,1941) , (1925),TotheLighthouse(1927),andOrlando( 1928),andthebook-lengthessayARoomofOne's Own(1929)withitsfamousdictum,"awomanmust havemoneyandaroomofherownifsheistowrite fiction".Also available on Feedbooks for Woolf: To the Lighthouse(1927) Mrs. Dalloway(1925) A Haunted House(1921) The Waves(1931) Orlando(1928) Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street(1923) Between the Acts(1941) The Duchess and the Jeweller(1938) The New Dress(1927) The Mark on the Wall(1917)Copyright:This work is available for countries where copy-right isLife+ :This book is brought to you by for personal use, do not use this file for [* ,andhave since been altered and expanded.]

2 ]3 OneBut,youmaysay,weaskedyoutospeakaboutw omenandfic-tion what,hasthatgottodowitharoomofone'sown? ;afewmoreaboutJaneAusten;atributetotheBr ont sandasketchofHaworthParsonageundersnow;s omewitticismsifpossibleaboutMissMitford; arespectfulal-lusiontoGeorgeEliot; ,andyoumayhavemeantittomean,womenandwhat theyarelike,oritmightmeanwomenandthefict ionthattheywrite;oritmightmeanwomenandth efictionthatiswrittenaboutthem, ,whichseemedthemostinteresting, ,Iunderstand,thefirstdutyofalecturertoha ndyouafteranhour' awomanmusthavemoneyandaroomofherownifshe istowritefiction.

3 Andthat,asyouwillsee, womenandfictionremain,sofarasIamcon-cern ed, ,theprejudices, ,whenasubjectishighlycontroversial andanyquestionaboutsexisthat 'saudiencethechanceofdrawingtheirownconc lusionsastheyobservethelimita-tions,thep rejudices, ,makinguseofallthelibertiesandlicencesof anovelist,totellyouthestoryofthetwodayst hatprecededmycominghere how,boweddownbytheweightofthesubjectwhic hyouhavelaiduponmyshoulders,Iponderedit, ;Oxbridgeisaninvention;soisFernham;'I' ,buttheremayper-hapsbesometruthmixedupwi ththem.

4 ,youwillofcoursethrowthewholeofitintothe waste-paper basket and forget all about (callmeMaryBeton,MarySeton,MaryCarmichae lorbyanynameyouplease itisnotamatterofanyimportance)sittingont hebanksofariveraweekortwoagoinfineOctobe rweather, ,womenandfiction,theneedofcomingtosomeco n-clusiononasubjectthatraisesallsortsofp rejudicesandpas-sions, ,goldenandcrimson,glowedwiththecol-our,e venitseemedburntwiththeheat, , ,andwhentheundergraduatehadoaredhisboatt hroughthereflectionstheyclosedagain,comp letely, tocallitbyaproudernamethanitdeserved ,minuteafterminute,hitherandthitheramong thereflectionsandtheweeds.

5 Lettingthewaterliftitandsinkituntil youknowthelittletug thesuddenconglom-erationofanideaattheend ofone'sline:andthenthecau-tioushaulingof itin,andthecarefullayingofitout?Alas,lai donthegrasshowsmall,howinsignificantthis thoughtofminelooked; ,thoughifyoulookcarefullyyoumayfinditfor yourselvesin the course of what I am going to ,ithad,nevertheless,themysteri-ousproper tyofitskind putbackintothemind,itbecameatonceveryexc iting,andimportant;andasitdartedandsank, andflashedhitherandthither, ' ,inacut-awaycoatandeveningshirt, ,hewasaBeadle.

6 ,hisfaceassumeditsusualrepose,andthought urfisbetterwalkingthangravel, ,whichhasbeenrolledfor300 years in succession they had sent my little fish into ,forifthespiritofpeacedwellsanywhere, ;thebodyseemedcontainedinamiraculousglas scabinetthroughwhichnosoundcouldpenetrat e,andthemind,freedfromanycontactwithfact s(unlessonetrespassedontheturfagain), ,somestraymemoryofsomeoldessayaboutrevis itingOxbridgeinthelongvacationbroughtCha rlesLambtomind SaintCharles,saidThackeray,puttingalette rofLamb' ,amongallthedead(Igiveyoumythoughtsasthe ycametome),Lambisoneofthemost6congenial; onetowhomonewouldhavelikedtosay,Tellmeth enhowyouwroteyouressays?

7 ForhisessaysaresuperioreventoMaxBeerbohm 's,Ithought,withalltheirperfection,becau seofthatwildflashofimagination,thatlight ningcrackofgeniusinthemiddleofthemwhichl eavesthemflawedandimperfect, thenameescapesme aboutthemanuscriptofoneofMilton' , , ,sothatonecouldfollowLamb' ,Irecol-lected,asIputthisplanintoexecuti on,itisinthisfamouslib-rarythatthemanusc riptofThackeray' ' ,withitsimitationoftheeighteenthcentury, hampersone,sofarasIcanremem-ber;unlessin deedtheeighteenth-centurystylewasnatural toThackeray ,aquestionwhich ,forinstantlythereissued,likeaguardianan gelbarringthewaywithaflutterofblackgowni nsteadofwhitewings,adeprecating,silvery, kindlygen-tleman,whoregrettedinalowvoice ashewavedmebackthatladiesareonlyadmitted tothelibraryifaccompaniedbyaFel-low of the College or furnished with a letter of ,withallitstreasuressafelockedwithinitsb reast,itsleepscomplacentlyandwill,sofara sIamconcerned, ,neverwillIaskforthathospitalityagain.

8 Andwhatwasonetodo?Strollonthemeadows?sit bytheriver?Certainlyitwasalovelyautumnmo rning;theleaveswereflutteringredtothegro und; ; ,andthistimethevergermighthavestoppedme, demandingperhapsmybaptismalcertificate, ,itwasamusingenoughtowatchthecongregatio nassembling,cominginandgoingoutagain, ;somehadtuftsoffurontheirshoulders;other swerewheeledinbath-chairs;others,thoughn otpastmiddleage, ,butbeforeIhadsummonedupcouragetowhistle itusedtobesaidthatatthesoundofawhistleol dProfessor instantlybrokeintoagal-lop ,itshighdomesandpin-naclescanbeseen,like asailing-shipalwaysvoyagingneverarriving ,litupatnightandvisibleformiles, ,presumably,thisquadranglewithitssmoothl awns,itsmassivebuildingsandthechapelitse lfwasmarshtoo, ,Ithought,musthavehauledthestoneinwag-on sfromfarcountries, ,andthemasonswerebusyforcenturiesupontha troofwithputtyandcement, , ,Ithought.

9 Musthaveflowedintothiscourtper-petuallyt okeepthestonescomingandthemasonsworking; tolevel,toditch, ,andmoneywaspouredliberallytosetthesesto nesonadeepfoundation,andwhenthestoneswer eraised, ; ,stillthesameflowofgoldandsilverwenton;f ellow-shipswerefounded;lectureshipsendow ed;onlythegoldandsilverflowednow, ,fromthepursesofmenwhohadmade,say,afortu nefromindustry,andreturned,intheirwills, abounteousshareofittoendowmorechairs,mor electureships, ;theobservatories;thesplendidequipmentof costlyanddelicateinstrumentswhichnowstan dsonglassshelves, ,asIstrolledroundthecourt,thefoundationo fgoldandsilverseemeddeepenough.

10 Time to find One's way to , 'sconventionnottomentionsoupandsalmonand ducklings,asifsoupandsalmonand9ducklings wereofnoimportancewhatsoever, ,however,Ishalltakethelibertytodefythatc onventionandtotellyouthatthelunchonthiso ccasionbeganwithsoles,sunkinadeepdish,ov erwhichthecollegecookhadspreadacounterpa neofthewhitestcream, ,butifthissuggestsacoupleofbald, ,manyandvarious,camewithalltheirretinueo fsaucesandsalads,thesharpandthesweet,eac hinitsorder;theirpotatoes,thinascoinsbut notsohard;theirsprouts, ,theBeadlehimselfperhapsinamildermanifes tation,setbeforeus,wreathedinnapkins, ;hadbeenemptied.