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11/4/2020 HUM-200 - Page 2.2.3 - Woolf

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Applied Humanities

Themes in Literature Woolf By Eric Steineger 2 Module Two: Introduction to the Humanities, continued / Page 2.2.3 Woolf On this page: 0 of 3 attempted (0%) Objective: Analyze a speech by Virginia Woolf to identify its theme.

In this speech given in 1931, Virginia Woolf describes what it was like to be a female writer. At the time, women were just getting the right to vote in many countries, and they enjoyed fewer freedoms than men—freedom to pursue their interests, make a living, and lead an independent lifestyle. And yet Woolf had at this point attained these freedoms for herself as a writer. She states, “The cheapness of writing paper is, of course, the reason why women have succeeded as writers before they have succeeded in the other professions.”

However, Woolf also credits previous authors (Austen, Behn, Burney) for “making the path smooth” and “regulating [her] steps.” And she notes that not only is she able to write, but her profession in literature enables her to earn a living by writing.

Professions for Women

Short-Answer Question

After your first reading, what themes do you see in this speech?

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List some of the barriers of entry for women writers.

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Woolf says she had to kill “the Angel in the House” in order to become her own writer (and person). This Angel is described as selfless to a fault. Woolf killed her because the Angel was a serious impediment to her writing, but eliminating her was a struggle: “It is

11/4/2020 HUM-200 - Page 2.2.3 - Woolf

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far harder to kill a phantom than a reality.” So, the Angel was an ideal that real women tried to live up to.

Think about the two impediments to writing that Woolf mentions: (1) the Angel of the House, and (2) “telling the truth about my own experiences as a body.” Consider what it took for women to submit work to a literary journal during that era—not in terms of having to “flatter” or “deceive” a man when reviewing his work, but the actual process of sending out their own work.

Short-Answer Question

Describe your understanding of what Woolf means by “the Angel in the House.”

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