a-room-of-one's-own一个人的房间.docx
VirginiaWoolf(1882-1941)isabrilliantwomanauthorintheEnglishliteraryfieldduringthe19thand20thcentury.Sheisthepioneeramongfeminismcritics.HerrepresentativeworkARoomofOne,sOwniswidelyconsidered“thefirstmoderntextoffeministcriticism.,Itisthefirsttoexposeandcriticizepatriarchyculture.Shecriticizestheinhibitionoffemalesfrompatriarchycultureandaffirmsthefemaleliteraturetraditionrejectedbypatriarchysociety,findingahistoricalsupportingpointforfemalewriting.Sheputsforwardtheideathatfemalesshouldtrytowritefromthedual-sexpointofviewwithoutneglectingtheirownsexfeatures,thusprovidingusgreatervaluethanthosefeministcriticsexcludingmalewriters.Theninmypaper,Iwilltrytoanalyzethisworkfromthefollowingaspects:instructionofARoomofOne,sOwn,feministicthoughtsinARoomofOne'sOwnandtheinfluenceofherfeministicthoughtsintheliteraryfield.Firstandforemost,ARoomofOne'sOwnisbasedonaseriesoflecturesshedeliveredatNewnhamCollegeandGirtonCollege,twowomen'scollegesalCambridgeUniversityin1928.Itistheinspirationalsourceforthefundamentalqueriesofafemaleliterarytraditionandisalsomuchappreciatedin(hepresentpost-modernistorpost-feministtime.Inthisbooktherearesixchapters,ineachsectionVirginiaWoolfdiscussesthedifferentaspectsofthetopic:womenandfiction.InchapteroneVirginiaWoolfpointsoutthatwesternhistorysofarhasbeenthehistoryofthepatriarchy,ahistoywrittenbymenaboutmenandformen.Asdaughters,wife,ormother,womenhavenoequalrightsandnoeconomicindependence.Inchaptertwo,thetopicismen,sanger.Thenarratorofthebook,goestotheBritishMuseumtofindoutaseriesofquestions,suchas”whydidmendrinkwineandwomenwater?,andtheaunt,“MaryBaton"leavesthenarratoralegacyof500poundsayear,andthislegacyhasitsspecialhints.Inchapterthree,thenarratordecidestoinvestigatewomeninElizabethanEngland,puzzledwhytherewerenowomenwritersinthatfertileliteraryperiod.Shebelievesthereisadeepconnectionbetweenlivingconditionsandwriting.Inchapterfour,thenarratormakesupastoryofJudithShakespeare,supposedlythesistertothegreatElizabethanplaywright.Judithisfullofadventurousspiritandrichimagination,butsheisnotsenttoschool,asherbrotheris,tolearngrammarandlogic.Finallyherbrothergoesto1.ondonandbecomesagreatdramatist,whileshediesandisburiedatcrossingroads.Actuallythestoryisaminiatureofthepatheticlifeofwomen,especiallywomenoftalentandambitionintheolddays.Inchapterfive,thenarratorthinksthatthefemalewriters,nowgivenabettereducation,nolongerneednovelsasameansofself-expression.Sheshowsthereadersanenormouschangeinthestateofwriting:anaveragefemalewriterisfinallyabletowritewithoutangerorhatred,withoutastiingawarenessofhergender,withastandard“feminine”sentenceasamodel.Inchaptersix,thenarratoropenswithastoryofamanandwomanmeetingonthestreetandsheputsforwardaterm:androgynousmind.Also,ARoomofOne,sOwnisaclassicworkaboutfeministicthoughts.Fromthisbook,wecangeltoknowthethreemajorthoughtsofVirginiaWoolf:havingaroomofone'sown,havingtheirownwayofwriting,havingtheirownvoiceandandrogyny.Firstly,WoolfthinksthatinthesocietyofpatriarchyduringtheViclorianperiod,womenhavebeenconfinedtotheverylimitedsphereofdomesticlife,tobetrainedafterthetraditionalmodeloffemininity,andtoburythemselvesintheendlesstrivialhousework,withnomoney,norest,noprivatespace,andnochanceforself-realization.Forexample,JaneAustendidnothaveastudyofherown.sosheoftenfinishedherwritingssecretlyinacomerofthelivingroom.Everytimewhensomeonewalkedintothelivingroom.shewouldhidehermanuscriptsimmediatelyasliterarywritingwasnotanhonorablecareerforwomen.Thus,Woolfmakesthemostfamousstatement:"Awomanmusthavemoneyandaroomofherownifsheistowritefiction,"and“thatitisnecessarytohavefivehundredayearandaroomwithalockonthedoorifyouaretowritefictionorpoetry/,Besides,theroomitselfmeansnotonlyaspace;itisametaphoricalreferenceloastateofcompleteindependenceandfreedom,whereawomancanreturntoherrealself.Shecanfeel,think,andactasshelikeswithoutconsideringherownpositionandsex.Onlyinsuchastateofabsoluteindependenceandfreedomcanawomancreatereallygreatliterature.Secondly,inARoomofOne,sOwn,Woolfemploysthefirstnarrator'T'tocommunicatewiththeaudiencethetopic-womenandfiction.However,'T'inthisbookdoesnotrefertoVirginiaWoolf,buttoMary.“Mary”isnotaspecificindividual,butreferstodifferenttypesofwomen.Woolffabricatedanarrator,events,andplacesinordertodiscussthecreativetalentsoffemalewritingandexpressherownpointsofview.InWoolf,sday,ifawomanwantedtoexpressheropinions,shewouldfaceanumberofobstacles.Thus,afictionalnarratorisputintouse.Meanwhile,thisisalsoarevolttothepatriarchyofthesocietywherewomenhadalmostnoopportunitytoexpresstheiropinions.Thirdly,thedefinitionof“Androgyny”isoneoftheimportantthoughtsoffeminismandfeministiccriticism.Woolfdefinestheandrogynousnatureoftheperfecthumanmindastwooppositeandsexedpresidingpowersworkinginharmony.Shedescribestherelationinthefollowingsimplestatements:"Inthenafsbrainthemanpredominatesoverthewomanandinthewoman'sbrainthewomanpredominatesovertheman.Thenormalandcomfortablestateofbeingisthatwhenthetwoliveinharmonytogether,spirituallyco-operating.Ifoneisaman,stillthewomanpartofhis