www.huffpost.com
Open in
urlscan Pro
151.101.66.114
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/virginia-woolf-feminist_n_6534258
Submission Tags: demotag1 demotag2 Search All
Submission: On October 27 via api from IE — Scanned from DE
Submission Tags: demotag1 demotag2 Search All
Submission: On October 27 via api from IE — Scanned from DE
Form analysis 1 forms found in the DOM
<form class="newsletter__input"><input type="email" class="newsletter__input__text" name="email_address" aria-label="Enter your email address" placeholder="address@email.com" value="" aria-describedby="newsletter-error" autocomplete="email"><input
type="submit" class="newsletter__input__submit js-cet-item" aria-label="SIGN UP" value="SUBSCRIBE">
<div id="newsletter-error" class="newsletter__error"></div>
</form>Text Content
Skip to Main Content × MAIN MENU U.S. Edition 2024 ELECTIONS NEWS U.S. NewsWorld NewsBusinessEnvironmentHealthSocial JusticeCrime POLITICS Joe BidenCongressExtremism OPINION ENTERTAINMENT Culture & ArtsMediaCelebrityTV & FilmBooks LIFE Style & BeautyFood & DrinkParentingTravelWellnessRelationshipsMoneyHome & LivingWork/LifeShopping VOICES Black VoicesQueer VoicesLatino VoicesIndigenous VoicesAsian VoicesWomen's Voices HUFFPOST PERSONAL NEW: GAMES HOROSCOPES VIDEO FROM OUR PARTNERS Well TraveledThe Good LifeA New View NEWSLETTERS INTERNATIONAL U.S.U.K.EspañaFranceΕλλάδα (Greece)Italia日本 (Japan)한국 (Korea) FOLLOW US Terms | Privacy Policy Part of HuffPost News. ©2024 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. × WHAT'S HOT Log InSupport Us 2024 ELECTIONSNEWSPOLITICSENTERTAINMENTLIFEPERSONALVOICESSHOPPINGGAMES U.S. EditionOpen editions submenu Booksvirginia woolfFeminism WHY VIRGINIA WOOLF SHOULD BE YOUR FEMINIST ROLE MODEL Why Virginia Woolf Should Be Your Feminist Role Model By Maddie Crum Writer Jan 25, 2015, 10:09 AM EST |Updated Dec 6, 2017 LEAVE A COMMENT Although Virginia Woolf is now accepted as a major writer and an early feminist, her work wasn't embraced or widely anthologized until nearly 50 years after her novels were published. Though many of her stories don't adhere to the informal strictures of modernism -- she often voiced her distaste for James Joyce and other contemporaries who wrote unabashedly about sexuality -- she's championed today for subtly calling attention to women's issues. In her novels and her many letters to her fellow thinkers in the Bloomsbury group, she artfully made clear many double standards of her day. Here's why, in addition to Roxane Gay, Bey and Lena Dunham, Virginia Woolf should be one of your feminist role models: She was chiefly interested in the inner lives of women. Unlike many of her literary predecessors, Woolf aimed to give credence to the unspoken emotions and interpretations we experience daily. She did this not only by placing more traditionally feminine themes at the forefront of her stories, but by penning sentences with a cadence that revealed the inner workings of her characters’ minds. A New Yorker article calls this, “The tragic lack of correspondence between intention and expression; and what these reveal about the nature of love.” Advertisement While this dissonance isn’t only of interest to women, it’s true that such “small” themes have traditionally been the subject of books by female authors, and have lamentably been shunned by critics for their “smallness.” Woolf, however, was too impressive to be ignored. She lived in a time when she was granted few rights -- but turned the setback into a strength. When her contemporaries were authoring stories about the violent events of World War I, Woolf, who hadn’t the opportunity to fight, instead turned her narrative eye towards its impact on domestic life, and wrote Jacob’s Room, which revealed the more personal impact of grief and trauma. She was criticized by female writers of her ilk, such as Katherine Mansfield, for not addressing war and politics more directly, but continued to do the sort of work she believed in. She was progressive in her feminism, and even made the connection between a patriarchal society and militarism. Remember last week's State of the Union address, when Obama called America's still-lacking equal pay for women exactly what it is: embarrassing? Virginia Woolf wrote about the detriments caused by gender-influenced salaries long before moves were made to change legislation. In A Room of One's Own, she famously explains that without financial freedom, women cannot possess full creative or intellectual freedom. While Woolf's essay directly evaluates the role of education -- which was withheld from many women of her time -- she goes on to equate schooling with income and self-sufficiency. In a later book-length essay, Three Guineas, written on the heels of World War II, she responded to a letter from a man asking how war could be prevented. Woolf used this correspondence not only to call attention to her pacifism, but also to the fact that as a woman her political ideas aren't valued. She wrote, "behind us lies the patriarchal system; the private house, with it nullity, its immorality, its hypocrisy, its servility. Before us lies the public world, the professional system, with its possessiveness, its jealousy, its pugnacity, its greed." Advertisement She believed deeply in the power of the individual. Virginia Woolf's advice on reading may be every high school English teacher's nightmare, but it's hugely empowering nonetheless. She writes, "take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions... After all, what laws can be laid down about books? The battle of Waterloo was certainly fought on a certain day; but is Hamlet a better play than Lear? Nobody can say. Each must decide that question for himself." Asserting that there's no one correct way of interpreting a text may be controversial, but Woolf herself, who never received a university degree, was often forced to challenge conventions in order to succeed. She saw sexuality -- and gender -- as fluid. In a letter written around the same time as Three Guineas, Woolf not only acknowledges that gender-specific traits are socialized, but implies that gendered desires are often a source of violence. Such themes are explored thoroughly in her fiction, including her first novel, A Voyage Out, which mirrors her personal voyage from a more traditional upbringing to the intellectually stimulating Bloomsbury group she became a regular fixture of. She's already been a feminist role model for countless artists and thinkers Including Simone de Beauvoir and Michael Cunningham, to name a few! SUPPORT FREE JOURNALISM Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone. The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor? Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone. The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more. Support HuffPost Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. RELATED booksvirginia woolfFeminism Go to Homepage LEAVE A COMMENT Suggest a correction | Submit a tip Advertisement Skip Ads by FROM OUR PARTNER Empfohlen von FROM OUR PARTNER Empfohlen von HUFFPOST SHOPPING'S BEST FINDS REVIEWERS REALLY, REALLY LOVE THESE TARGET SWEATPANTS THESE ARE MAKEUP ARTISTS' SECRETS TO LOOKING YOUNGER ALL OF MY BEST AND MOST-COMPLIMENTED SWEATERS CAME FROM THIS AFFORDABLE STORE DERMATOLOGISTS SAY YOUR WASH CLOTH IS GROSS. HERE'S THE GENTLE PRODUCT YOU COULD BE USING INSTEAD. I’VE DISCOVERED THE 18 BEST THINGS AT TARGET RIGHT NOW — AND YOU’LL LOVE THEM TOO Newsletter Sign Up BOOKS Get book recommendations, author interviews and info on new releases. Successfully Subscribed! Realness delivered to your inbox By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Close WHAT'S HOT MORE IN BOOKS R.F. KUANG HOPES CHANGE WILL COME TO A 'GRIM' PUBLISHING INDUSTRY LUCY YU IS REDEFINING WHAT A BOOKSTORE CAN BE MARTHA STEWART SHARES EASY RECIPE FOR KEEPING HER AFFAIR A SECRET FOR 30 YEARS LISA MARIE PRESLEY'S MEMOIR REVEALS SHOCKING MICHAEL JACKSON SEX SECRET SOCIAL MEDIA REACTS TO MELANIA TRUMP'S 'MY BODY, MY CHOICE' VIDEO REVIEWERS CALL THIS HANDS-FREE LIGHT THE 'BEST PURCHASE THEY’VE EVER MADE' 35 FUNNY AND RELATABLE TWEETS ABOUT THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR AMAZON KINDLES ARE FINALLY ON SALE FOR THE LOWEST PRICE OF THE YEAR EMILY HENRY DOESN’T REALLY CARE IF YOU DON’T LIKE HER BOOKS AMAZON KINDLES ARE FINALLY ON SALE FOR THE LOWEST PRICE OF THE YEAR GRAMMAR NERDS ENGAGED IN HARRIS-WALZ APOSTROPHE BATTLE ‘IT ENDS WITH US’ IS A GREAT BOOK-TO-FILM ADAPTATION — BUT THERE’S SOMETHING MISSING JAMES BALDWIN BOOKS TO CELEBRATE THE INFLUENTIAL AUTHOR'S BIRTHDAY A MEMBER OF DONALD TRUMP'S FAMILY ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT BOOKS THAT HONOR PALESTINIAN AUTHORS AND STORIES NEWSPOLITICSENTERTAINMENTLIFEVOICESHUFFPOST PERSONALSHOPPINGNEWSLETTERS About UsAdvertiseContact UsRSSFAQCareersUser AgreementComment PolicyDMCA PolicyHuffPost Press RoomAccessibility StatementPrivacy PolicyConsent PreferencesManage Preferences Part of HuffPost News. ©2024 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The Huffington Post WE CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY We and our 854 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting "I Accept" enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under "we and our partners process data to provide," whereas selecting "Reject All" or withdrawing your consent will disable them. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the ["privacy preferences"] link on the bottom of the webpage [or the floating icon on the bottom-left of the webpage, if applicable]. Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy. WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS DATA TO PROVIDE: Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development. List of Partners (vendors) I Accept Reject All Show Purposes ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent and legitimate interest. You may exercise your right to consent or object to a legitimate interest, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework. More information Allow All MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES STORE AND/OR ACCESS INFORMATION ON A DEVICE 689 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Store and/or access information on a device Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here. List of IAB Vendors | View Illustrations PERSONALISED ADVERTISING AND CONTENT, ADVERTISING AND CONTENT MEASUREMENT, AUDIENCE RESEARCH AND SERVICES DEVELOPMENT 820 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development * USE LIMITED DATA TO SELECT ADVERTISING 632 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you). View Illustrations Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection * CREATE PROFILES FOR PERSONALISED ADVERTISING 508 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities. View Illustrations * USE PROFILES TO SELECT PERSONALISED ADVERTISING 502 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. View Illustrations * CREATE PROFILES TO PERSONALISE CONTENT 223 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests. View Illustrations * USE PROFILES TO SELECT PERSONALISED CONTENT 197 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests. View Illustrations * MEASURE ADVERTISING PERFORMANCE 737 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns. View Illustrations Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection * MEASURE CONTENT PERFORMANCE 367 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you. View Illustrations Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection * UNDERSTAND AUDIENCES THROUGH STATISTICS OR COMBINATIONS OF DATA FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES 460 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents). View Illustrations Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection * DEVELOP AND IMPROVE SERVICES 551 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers. View Illustrations Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection * USE LIMITED DATA TO SELECT CONTENT 133 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS PURPOSE Switch Label Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you). View Illustrations Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection List of IAB Vendors USE PRECISE GEOLOCATION DATA 261 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS SPECIAL FEATURE Use precise geolocation data With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice. List of IAB Vendors ACTIVELY SCAN DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS FOR IDENTIFICATION 129 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS SPECIAL FEATURE Actively scan device characteristics for identification With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice. List of IAB Vendors ENSURE SECURITY, PREVENT AND DETECT FRAUD, AND FIX ERRORS 522 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS SPECIAL PURPOSE Always Active Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them. List of IAB Vendors | View Illustrations DELIVER AND PRESENT ADVERTISING AND CONTENT 524 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS SPECIAL PURPOSE Always Active Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device. List of IAB Vendors | View Illustrations MATCH AND COMBINE DATA FROM OTHER DATA SOURCES 364 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS FEATURE Always Active Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice. List of IAB Vendors LINK DIFFERENT DEVICES 331 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS FEATURE Always Active In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices). List of IAB Vendors IDENTIFY DEVICES BASED ON INFORMATION TRANSMITTED AUTOMATICALLY 501 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS FEATURE Always Active Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice. List of IAB Vendors STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES Always Active These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. FUNCTIONAL COOKIES Functional Cookies These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly. PERFORMANCE COOKIES Performance Cookies These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. TARGETING COOKIES Targeting Cookies These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. SOCIAL MEDIA COOKIES Social Media Cookies These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools. SAVE AND COMMUNICATE PRIVACY CHOICES 330 PARTNERS CAN USE THIS SPECIAL PURPOSE Always Active The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices. List of IAB Vendors | View Illustrations Back Button COOKIE LIST Search Icon Filter Icon Clear checkbox label label Apply Cancel Consent Leg.Interest checkbox label label checkbox label label checkbox label label Reject All Confirm My Choices