Women and Writing
by Virginia Woolf
On This Page
Description
This collection of essays and other writings does justice to Virginia Woolf's reputation as a major essayist and critic, offering appraisals of Aphra Behn, Mary Wollestonecraft, the Duchess of Newcastle, Dorothy Richardson, Charlotte Bronte and Katherine Mansfield among others. Gathered too are her timeless commentaries on subjects ranging from The Intellectual Status of Women and Professions for Women to Indiscretions.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
Comments: This book is an absolute gem. Part one covers essays where Woolf discusses women and writing as a whole, part two covers essays about particular women authors (inc. George Eliot, Christina Rossetti, Katherine Mansfield and of course Jane Austen and the Brontes). There is also an excellent 39 page introduction. Woolf covers many of the same themes and topics as she does in A Room of One's Own, but from a slightly different angle.
My very favourite essay is "Professions for Women" (which is also published in the collection The Death of the Moth). In it, the narrator brilliantly describes how she had to kill the Angel in the House: "I turned upon her and caught her by the throat ..." This is Woolf at her most vigorous, taking show more agency in her life. I also really enjoyed her essays on Jane Austen and the Brontes, and also one titled "Royalty." Great stuff!
Recommended for: This is a must-read for fans of A Room of One's Own and anyone interested in the issues that women novelists face, and also anyone interested in women writers in general.
Rating: 4/5 stars. I would have given this a full 5 stars, but there were several essays that I didn't care for, mostly because I had no knowledge of the authors Woolf discussed. That doesn't take away from how fabulous some of the other essays were, however. show less
My very favourite essay is "Professions for Women" (which is also published in the collection The Death of the Moth). In it, the narrator brilliantly describes how she had to kill the Angel in the House: "I turned upon her and caught her by the throat ..." This is Woolf at her most vigorous, taking show more agency in her life. I also really enjoyed her essays on Jane Austen and the Brontes, and also one titled "Royalty." Great stuff!
Recommended for: This is a must-read for fans of A Room of One's Own and anyone interested in the issues that women novelists face, and also anyone interested in women writers in general.
Rating: 4/5 stars. I would have given this a full 5 stars, but there were several essays that I didn't care for, mostly because I had no knowledge of the authors Woolf discussed. That doesn't take away from how fabulous some of the other essays were, however. show less
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
In Our Time books
4,934 works; 2 members
Author Information
646+ Works 118,765 Members
Virginia Woolf was born in London, England on January 25, 1882. She was the daughter of the prominent literary critic Leslie Stephen. Her early education was obtained at home through her parents and governesses. After death of her father in 1904, her family moved to Bloomsbury, where they formed the nucleus of the Bloomsbury Group, a circle of show more philosophers, writers, and artists. During her lifetime, she wrote both fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels included Jacob's Room, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and Between the Acts. Her non-fiction books included The Common Reader, A Room of One's Own, Three Guineas, The Captain's Death Bed and Other Essays, and The Death of the Moth and Other Essays. Having had periods of depression throughout her life and fearing a final mental breakdown from which she might not recover, Woolf drowned herself on March 28, 1941 at the age of 59. Her husband published part of her farewell letter to deny that she had taken her life because she could not face the terrible times of war. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Women and Writing
- Original title
- Women and Writing
- Original publication date
- 1979
- People/Characters
- Christina Rossetti; Katherine Mansfield; George Eliot; Jane Austen; Charlotte Brontë; Emily Brontë
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Literature Studies and Criticism, Sexuality and Gender Studies
- DDC/MDS
- 820.9 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English and Old English (Anglo-Saxon) literatures History, description, critical appraisal of works in more than one form
- LCC
- PR111 .W66 — Language and Literature English English Literature Women authors
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 385
- Popularity
- 80,868
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.13)
- Languages
- 6 — Chinese, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 4
