A writer par excellence. Her views revolutionary. Her language unique. Her major works, ‘The voyage out’, ‘Night & day’,’Jacob’s room’, “Mrs. Dalloway’,’To the lighthouse’,’Orlando”The Waves’ with a collection of short stories of Virginia Woolf.
‘A room of one’s own’ 1929 a book length essay is considered a key work of feminist literary criticism. ‘A woman must have money & a room of her own if she is to write fiction’ Much of the argument is developed through the ‘unsolved problems of women & fiction writing to arrive at a conclusion.
She examines where women failed , examining the experiences of the Brontes , George Elliot, George Sand Along with fictional character of Shakespeare’s sister equipped with same genius but not position, because of lack of resources & opportunities.
She also contrasted these women with women who accepted a deferential status with Jane Austen who wrote entirely as a woman.
‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ read the headline emphasising her hold in her writings. A template created by her body of work. Her words being true & undisguised.
Throughout her life she was troubled by mental illness. She was institutionalised several times & attempted suicide at least twice. According to Dalsimer (2004 ) her illness would be diagnosed as bipolar Disorder, for which there was no medical intervention at that time.
In 1941, at the age of 59, Woolf died by drowning herself in the river Ouse at Lewes. We lost one of the finest writers ever.
Asian Entertainment 