Connecting Woolf’s Feminist Principles Essay Example for Free

Connecting Woolf’s Feminist Principles Essay To some Virginia Woolf is a pioneer of feminism, to others she is a mere novelist whose works reflect the position of women within a society whose main discourse was aimed at female suffrage. What is certain is that today Woolf is known more for her literary works than for her essays on the inequalities between the sexes. Woolf, herself, helped found the division between her fiction and non-fiction writings by consistently belittling her political essays as a means to money while she referred to her novels as her true life’s work. Yet, in recent years, her two most well known non-fiction works, A Room of One’s Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1938) have been revived by intellectuals and labeled as inherently feminist works. This in turn has lead authors such as Rachel Bowlby to claim that the past review of Woolf’s work, in which there is a clear demarcation between the fantasy world of her novels and the very real world of her essays, is in fact misleading. Bowlby attempts to bring Woolf’s two worlds more closely together and in doing so supports the claim that the thread of early feminism is woven not only through Woolf’s essays but is in actuality deeply ingrained in her literary work. The aim of this essay is to take Bowlby’s analysis and apply it to two of Woolf’s works, one fiction and the other non-fiction, to determine if they are in fact more parallel than once was thought. By using Bowlby’s theory to discuss the common traits between the novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and the essay A Room of One’s Own (1929) many undeniableconnections will be made, validating that within both texts the determination for artistic creation and female independence that Woolf so idealized can be found. Bowlby’s Feminist Lens Rachel Bowlby in her essay A More than Maternal Tie: Woolf as a Woman Essayist (1997) attempts to characterize Woolf as an early feminist writer. By linking Woolf’s essays with her literary works she refutes the opinions of those intellectuals who see Woolf’s novels as quintessentially non-feminist. For Bowlby Woolf questions the patriarchical structure of society at the time in all of her forms of writing. Although the author does concede that there is a line to be drawn between the two. In her essay Bowlby makes clear first and foremost that Woolf marked her differing attitudes between her two works in multiple outlets, some of which were personal letters and correspondence. In fact, Bowlby claims that upon a first glance Virginia Wolf the essayist and Virginia Woolf the famous novelist appear to have little in common. She states that, â€Å"One is a key figure in the history of modernism, the other was principally a journalist, working to commissions for weeklies and other periodicals. One wrote for art, the other (much of the time) for money. One is Virginia Woolf, the other often published anonymously, in her many reviews for The Times Literary Supplement† (220). Woolf on numerous occasions referred to her essays as less important than her novels, which she often referred to as her life’s work (Bowlby, 1997, 220). Most importantly Woolf asserted on various opportunities that political arguments were well founded in journalistic writing but out of place in literature (Bowlby, 221). Despite this evidence Bowlby notes that Woolf’s writing style in both her essays and her novels shared various traits including the structure, constant deviations from the topic and the passionate undertone of the writing itself (222). Although she is quick to note that we should not â€Å"rush to the other extreme, and claim for the essays artistic value equal or superior to that of the novels† (Bowlby, 224) Apart from stylistic considerations Bowlby also notes other common traits most specifically Woolf’s fascination with literary ties. Central to Woolf’s novels are the ties that bind her characters together, whether they be social or family ties. Within her essays you can find similar ties. The most obvious of those presented in Woolf’s essays are the ties between writer and patron. Woolf uses the analogy of the relationship between mother and child to best describe the importance that a patron has for their writer (Bowlby, 224). Woolf also likened the relationship to that of twins claiming that it was a type of relationship that meant, â€Å"one dying if the other dies, one flourishing if the other flourishes† (qtd Bowlby, 224). Bowlby concludes that, Woolf, â€Å"among others, was interested in what kinds of connections might tie things and people together in new ways. Her essays, like her novels, try some out† (241). Woolf also made a strong paternal connection between her essay writing and the relationship with her father, Leslie Stephen. After her father’s death in 1904 Woolf, to a large extent carried on with his essay writing, publishing within a short time an article in a religious newspaper, The Guardian. Bowlby claims that Woolf saw the essay along paternal lines (228). She claims that, â€Å"If novels, as opposed to non-fiction, seem to be the area where Woolf more freely departed from paternal standards of writing, this is related also to the fact that the essay was her fathers genre: a man of letters par excellence, Leslie Stephen did not write creative literature† (233). This may have been a reason for which Woolf so clearly demarcated between the two. In fact we could claim that Woolf wrote her essays with patriarchy and masculinity taking the forefront, while in her novels they were merely the omnipresent backdrop to the feminine world she wrote within. Mrs. Dalloway Needed a Room of Her Own: Testing Bowlby While Bowlby provides ample examples of Woolf’s writing to back up her thesis the further investigation of two of Woolf’s most renowned texts, Mrs. Dalloway (1924) and A Room of One’s Own (1929) will serve to highlight some of the feminist traits shared in her essays and her literary works. A Room of One’s Own highlights the position of women writers and intellectuals within a system where men held the purse strings of education. The essay is based on Woolf’s lectures at the women’s college of Cambridge University in 1928 and woman artists and their financial struggle are at the core of the essay. Woolf questions whether it is possible for a woman to produce a quality of art as high as Shakespear’s. She contends that the limited financial means of women artists are to blame for women’s poor artistic record throughout history. In fact Woolf placed such importance on financial independence and women having a room of their own that she wrote, â€Å"of the two-the vote and the money-the money, I own, seemed infinitely more important† (Woolf, 1929, 37). At the heart of the essay is the belief that the artistic tendencies in women are as strong as they are in men. Given the right atmosphere they can only flourish. We can see this untapped potential in Mrs. Dalloway whose love of life and art are constantly referred to in the novel. The very nature of Clarissa’s social gatherings present the deviation of her artistic nature into acceptable pursuits. Littleton (1995) claims that Clarissa’s artistry are key to understanding her character. He states that, â€Å"Woolf is concerned, before anything else, with the absolutely private mental world of a woman who, according to the patriarchal ideology of the day as well as her own figure in the world, was not imagined to have any artistic feeling at all†(37). Clarissa’s very enjoyment of the world around her shows her artistic sensibility. At the opening of the novel Clarissa goes to buy flowers and her intense enjoyment of the busy world around her shows a sensibility to life in all its forms (Woolf, 1924, 4). Her irritation for Miss Kilman is instantly forgotten as she enters the flower shop and appreciates the beauty, scents and colors around her (13). It was enough to, â€Å"surmount that hatred, that monster, surmount it all; and it lifted her up and up† (13). It would be useful to use a quote from A Room of One’s Own to describe what is happening to Clarissa: â€Å"Who can measure the heat and passion of a poets heart when it is caught and tangled in a womans body? † (83). Indeed, to Woolf, Clarissa is an artist in her own manner and her natural artistic intuition can not be smothered by societies expectations. Nourishment of the female artist, or the lack there of, is clearly present in Woolf’s literary and non-literary works. While Clarissa’s proper artistic ambitions are well nourished in her organization of social gatherings where delicious food is in abundance it is interesting to note that the physical nourishment given to female intellectuals at female colleges is commented upon in Woolf’s essay. Upon describing the poor fare at female colleges Woolf asks, â€Å"Why did men drink wine and women water? Why was one sex so prosperous and the other so poor? † (25). The possibility and the danger of a reversal of the sexes is evident in the relationship between Clarissa and Septimus Smith. While Clarissa does the unacceptable and does not show her grief as is expected in a woman, Septimus takes on distinctly feminine traits of the time and lets his grief overwhelm him, eventually committing suicide, whereby the doctor chastises him for being a â€Å"coward† (105). Woolf clearly shows the possibilities of a female taking on a masculine trait, thereby showing the possibility of a reversal of roles. As Septimus hallucinates on his dead friend he is reduced to tears and great emotion in his mourning. He raises his hand, â€Å"like some colossal figure who has lamented the fate of man for ages in the desert alone . . . and with legions of men prostrate behind him he, the giant mourner, receives for one moment on his face the whole† (105). These types of emotions were more suited to female mourning supporting Woolf’s view that the roles of men and women within society could be crossed over.

Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Love in the Time of Cholera :: Essays Papers

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of Love in the Time of Cholera, depicts his characters by having them act in certain ways, in ways of love and care towards others. Each character acts certain ways to certain people, either to gain respect, love, friendship or hatred. Marquez’s character Florentino Ariza, is desperately in love with Fermina Daza, a beautiful young lady (early in the novel), who promises him her hand in marriage then breaks that promise by marrying Dr. Juvenal Urbino. Although heartbroken Ariza’s love for Fermina would still continue over many long years, thus showing how much he was in love with her. Over the years Ariza would do many things to attempt to woo Fermina back into his arms, none that would prosper. All of the acts he committed, he committed for the love he had for her. Most of the actions she would never know of, for he would never show nor tell her about such things. It seemed almost daily Marquez had Ariza writing Fermina a poem, a song or some sort of letter. Most which would never make it into her hands. Florentino Ariza’s love for Fermina Daza went beyond just loving her. He was truly IN love with her. People can love many people, but I believe that there can truly only be one person you are IN love with. Ariza would sacrifice so much throughout his life to attempt to have her attention. He would quit jobs, and move to be near her or to even just see her for a split second, like he would do when he went to the park to see her walk past. Ariza would finally work hard and become prosperous and wealthy, again trying to impress Fermina. Ariza’s love went beyond the childish love that most of us have endured. He waited fifty-one years to be with the woman that he considered his soul mate. This truly shows a great deal of self-determination and love for another human.

Dumb Martian Essay Essay

This essay will discuss how the use of irony expresses the theme of revenge in the story â€Å"Dumb Martian† written by John Wyndham. This short story is categorized as science fiction, however John Wyndham classifies his series of short stories as logical fantasy. â€Å"Dumb Martian† was written after the Second World War, where John Wyndham served as a censor in the Ministry of Information. Mr. Wyndham was inspired by his brother’s success in the writing industry and resurrected his writing career in 1951, producing dozens of science fiction short stories as well as novels. â€Å"Dumb Martian† is the story of Duncan Weaver, a middle-aged Earthman, as he takes up the job of a â€Å"way-load station supervisor† on Jupiter IV/II, a sub-moon of Callisto (itself a moon of Jupiter), his home for the next 5 years. It is little more than a small asteroid, with featureless and formidable rocks and two domes. The larger dome was for living space, while the smaller dome was for storage. As a precaution against the possible insanity caused by the sheer isolation and loneliness of his 5-year stint, Duncan decides to take a Martian woman along with him. As well as â€Å"company- of a sort†, he wants someone to cook and deal with domestic chores. Duncan constantly moans about her inability to express emotions and her intellect, and soon turns violent towards her. Alan Whint, a scientist stationed on the same asteroid to conduct a geological survey over the period of 12 months, soon discovers Duncan’s behavior and quarrels for Lellie’s, the Martian and her rights. Duncan sabotages one of Alan’s excursions, leading to his death. But Ellie did not react to Alan’s death or suspect Duncan until the final days of the 5-year stint and avenges Alan’s death. Lellie’s revenge is a major plot twist in the story, accentuated by irony. Duncan had a feeble impression of Lellie, first shown when he offers a pathetic sum of 700 pounds for her services when â€Å"Marts† were priced lowest at 1500 pounds. Duncan also refers to her as â€Å"Dumb† and â€Å"the very look of her irritated him intensely†. Duncan clearly regards her as inferior; nothing but a possession, which he intends on selling for a high price at the end of his spell on Jupiter IV/II. The author captured Lellie’s revenge by making it remarkable, remarkable enough to cost a man’s life. Lellie endured much of Duncan’s abuse, both physically and verbally. â€Å"His hand slapped her face harder than he had intended† and â€Å"sent her sailing across the room in a spin of arms and legs† highlights the horrible treatment of Lellie by Duncan. This abusive behaviour of Duncan, together with the death of Alan Whint which the author had faintly mentioned how Duncan murdered him, sparked a change in Lellie. Lellie wanted to express her anger and prove that she was not dumb in the cruelest way. Lellie fooled Duncan into believing she forgot about Alan and that she did not know what caused his death, and left Duncan outside the dome to slowly die in the emptiness of space. She let him know about her suspicions after she locked him out of the dome by holding Alan’s book in her hands while Duncan stared at her from behind the impermeable membrane of the dome. The use of irony comes up when the reader finds that Lellie had a sharp contrast from Duncan’s views of her. Lellie seemed innocent, weak and dumb from Duncan and other’s point of views. She could not pronounce proper English and her eyes gave her a permanent â€Å"expression of innocence†. It would be easy to believe that Duncan’s perspective of her was true, making the plot twist astonish the reader as much as it had. The author manipulates us into believing Lellie was dumb by the frequent use of the word. Plus, most of the story is told from Duncan’s point of view so Lellie’s deep thoughts were not expressed at all in the story. All the descriptions of Lellie’s naà ¯ve personality lead up to the moment of revenge to create dramatic irony. The irony has a dramatic flair as it shows that at that moment when Duncan realized he was about o die, Lellie was portrayed not as his slave but the master of his faith. The use of dramatic irony emphasizes the extent of Lellie’s revenge on Duncan to create the theme of revenge.

Essay about Martin Luthers Impact on the Catholic Church

Introduction Martin Luther was a Monk, Priest and Theologian born in late 1483 in the German town of Eisleben. His father owned a copper mine and had always wished for his son to go into civil service. When Luther was seventeen he arrived at the University of Erfurt. By 1502, Luther had already received his bachelor’s degree and by 1505 he had a Master’s degree. The same year, while returning to University, he was caught in a tremendous thunderstorm. A lightening bolt struck near him and terrified, he cried out, Help, St. Anne! Ill become a monk!†. Luther lived, and keeping to his promise, he dropped out of university and entered the monastery. Religious issues the person responded to. Martin Luther responded to the†¦show more content†¦Despite his situation, he continued to he preach his philosophies and as a result, converted many people from Catholicism to what was now commonly referred to as Protestant. This is known as the Protestant Reformation. Important Social and Political Issues of the Time Social In the 1400s, Europe had been left in devastation from the aftermath of the black plague. This had left Europe in major religious, social and economic upheavals. Orphans, theft, intoxication, prostitution, brutality and misuse of powerful by important figures were very common. Education was unavailable to anyone without enough money to pay for it, creating an extremely large gap and social division between the classes. Church services and the bible were spoken and written in Latin, resulting in the majority of the common people being unable to understand the true meaning behind the words. As People were unable to read the bible, the only way to connect with God was through church services. Priests and Monks had several different jobs and often refused to help peasants when they asked for it, generating mistrust between the clergy and lay people. Political Just 30 years before Luther was born, Gutenberg invented the printing press, generating an ability to mass-produce information and documents. Countries such as Spain and Portugal were still in a race to secure more land. The Italian Renaissance had spanned three centuriesShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther And The Catholic1550 Words   |  7 Pagestransformation, but Martin Luther is one of the more significant figures. This paper is about how Martin Luther, a catholic German Monk, played a substantial role in influencing the religion of that time and initiated the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther affected the Catholic Church, which was the major religion in Europe at the time, with his deep-seated beliefs on indulgences and how you can find your own salvation without aid of the Catholic Church or the Pope. After Martin Luther was triedRead MoreThe Reform of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe Essay930 Words   |  4 Pagesof the Roman Catholic Church. 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Therefore, although years apart, these two documents leadRead MoreCriteria For A Nobel Prize996 Words   |  4 PagesInfluence and Impact Explanation of the First Nobel Laureate As Lutheran Pastor, it should not be a surprise that I have chosen the 16th Century Reformer Martin Luther as the first Nobel Laureate in Pauline Leadership. Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk and priest, who received a doctorate in theology and was ultimately given a post as a professor at the University of Wittenberg (Bishop, n.d.). â€Å"It was at Wittenberg that Luther began to question several of the doctrines of the Roman Church. His ideas