HW 21: Dear Jenny

Hey Jenny,

I know that reading A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf can be hard. It was even hard for me to understand. She has a way of writing where you know what she’s talking about in a sense, but you don’t know exactly what she means. In the first chapter, Woolfe is talking about women and fiction, and that every woman needs a room of her own to write fiction, and money. Woolfe mentions sitting on a riverbank at Oxbridge, this is where she writes her opening statements, and ponders about women and fiction. Throughout the chapter, she seems to be at a luncheon, and believes that “before the war at a luncheon party like this people would have said precisely the same things but they would have sounded different, because in those days they were accompanied by a sort of humming noise, not articulate, but musical, exciting, which changed the value of words themselves.” (p.12) Woolfe then found a poem by Tennyson who she believes does not depict women in a good way. She seems to be a very strong-willed women, and strongly against sexism. That’s what this chapter leads me to believe. Maybe your English teacher believes this is a good book because Woolfe believes that “it is not a matter of importance” (p.5) on who is writing it, but what the subject is about. Women, fiction, money, and I believe sexism. She’s trying to make a statement, and open up doors for women writers in society today. I think it’s really confusing and I don’t fully understand why a sophomore in high school would be reading this, but at least attempt to read it. Maybe it will make more sense as you read through more chapters. As Mom always says, “You can’t say you dislike a book after 25 pages, at least get to page 50.” Good luck Jen! If you need anything else, just let me know.

Love you!

Kelly