Part 3 Introduction (p. 472-477)
Summary:
The readings from this section of the book are going to shift from moral crusaders to radicals and reformers. There will also be a larger perspective on feminism and class issues. For instance, there will be urban, cosmopolitan, and industrial focuses. These women will also raise questions about social institutions imposing on personal liberties. Another difference in these writings is that they are no longer involved in the church and theology. Finally, there is a shift to focusing on the rights of working class women.
Florence Kelly is given as an example of a feminist that wrote about developing industry and its impact on women and children. She was very concerned for the “human element” (p. 474). Her specialty was legislative reform instead of “political organizer and pamphleteer” (p. 475). She also translated the first English edition of Friedrich Engels’ The Condition of the Working Class in England.
Part three of The Feminist Papers is divided into two perspectives. The first is the radical perspective that critiques the links of marriage and property. This perspective includes the following women: August Bebel, Emma Goldman, and Suzanne La Follette. The second perspective is the reform perspective, which was focused on amelioration and sociologist principles. Texts have been chosen from the following women: Charlotte Gilman, Margaret Sanger, and Jane Addams.
Response/Critique
I am excited to talk about these readings in class this week. Although, they are not completely contemporary I feel that I will be more easily able to relate to the subject matters. Particularly, today I think that the socialist ideology is becoming more important in the U.S. I also believe that women could benefit greatly from a more socialistic perspective in the government. Having just lived in Europe, the improvement in quality of life for everyone is evident. This would just be one more way to level the playing field between men and women. For example, women’s health issues are much more expansive under France’s socialistic government. Also, France is a much more liberal country and I feel that the women have greatly improved rights because of it. The examples that come immediately to mind are child care and the right to an abortion covered by the government health care policy. Women do not have to choose between having a child and a career. The government pays for day care starting at age 2 or 3 and also provides the family a stipend to take care of child expenses. Also, if a woman chooses an abortion, it is not only affordable, but the French use different methods that make the process less traumatic for the woman. Overall, I think that single motherhood would be much more tolerable and comfortable for the mother and child in France.
Guineas and Locks: Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) (p. 622-626)/Virginia Woolf: A Room of One’s Own (p. 627-652)
Summary:
Virginia Woolf published A Room of One’s Own in 1929 after reworking an article entitled “Women and Fiction.” Woolf’s focus was less on political causes and more on her writing. She discussed the difficulties women faced in working creatively: “One was that a young woman must conceal the fact that she ‘had a mind of her own, so that no man should be shocked or offended,’ and the second that there are many things a woman may not freely say about what she physically feels or she will arouse severe masculine disapproval” (p. 622). In Three Guineas she also discussed the social roles of middle-class women, the education of women, professions of women, and women in a war economy (very contemporary).
A Room of One’s Own was written in a very conversational style that allowed Woolf to communicate with and engage the reader. It is very effective because you feel as if you are hearing her voice. She also includes observations about the social roles of men and women. For instance, she provides examples of ridicule and contempt men show towards women and the humiliations that women face in daily interactions. Overall, she argues that women need money (economic independence) and a room of her own (a space to allow contemplation and self reflection).
This excerpt includes texts from chapters two, three, and six of A Room of One’s Own. In chapter two Woolf poses questions directly to the reader and raises important questions. She begins: “Have you any notion how many books are written about women in the course of one year? Have you any notion how many are written by men? Are you aware that you are, perhaps, the most discussed animal in the universe?” (p. 627). She continues to provide examples of how writing represents patriarchy. For example, she discusses the opinions and stories within newspapers. It seems that men control everything, except for the weather in the local news. She continues her explanation that woman’s only purpose seems to be to bolster men’s confidence. Finally, she discusses the importance of money for women. If women are not dependent on men for money, they are freer to express themselves creatively. She argues: “I need not hate any man; he cannot hurt me. I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me” (p. 634). Money can represent liberation for women.
In chapter three, Woolf discusses the elevated status of women in fiction versus history or reality. She provides examples, such as, “Clytemnestra, Antigone, Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, Phèdre, Cressida, Rosalind, Desdemona, and the Duchess of Malfi” (p. 637). She argues that women are viewed here as strong or independent, but historically women did not have the rights that would allow them to make history or even be included in history. At the end of this chapter she discusses the importance for a woman to have her own space or a “room of one’s own.” She also explains that it would be very difficult for most women to attain, but if it were possible, economic freedom and a personal space would better allow woman to thrive creatively and personally.
Finally, in chapter six, Woolf talks about women poets that have lived and died without ever having the chance to become poets. She attests: “She lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here to-night, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh” (p. 652). She is arguing that with economic freedom and a private space, women could become the great poets, but at this time, it wasn’t always possible to have this luxury.
Response/Critique:
I really enjoyed the last quote from chapter six of A Room of One’s Own. It reminded me of a quote I found last week by Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell. They stated: “For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes, by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women” (p. 355). This idea of the woman poet that lives on and the woman doctor that makes way for other women doctors, makes me see how the theme of connectedness and womanhood runs through these articles. The Blackwell sisters and Woolf are urging women to become a part of something larger and lasting.
I also liked the way Woolf explained the status of women in society. Since she did have the two things she thought all women should have (money and personal space) she was able to speak authoritatively on the subject. She presented both types of women, she knew what is was like to not have these things and how her life was greatly improved after obtaining them. Her style also made the reading flow. I felt like she was really talking to me and I think that’s what is great about women writers. You can really feel like a part of the text. Again, I think this contributes to the idea of common womanhood and “the property of all women.” I feel implicated in the writing, and as a result, I feel like I am also contributing to this idea of our property.
No comments:
Post a Comment