Virginia Woolfs A Room of Ones Own Essay -- Virginia Woolf Room One

Virginia Woolfs A Room of Ones OwnMissing works citedIn A Room of Ones Own, Virginia Woolf ponders the plight of womenthroughout history. Woolf reads the lives of women and concludes that if a womanwere to have written she would have had to overcome enormous circumstances (Woolfxi). Woolfs initial thesis is that a woman must have money and a room of her suffer ifshe is to issue fiction (Woolf 4). Throughout the book, however, she develops early(a)important conditions for delicious creation. Woolf comments many nineteenth century egg-producing(prenominal) writers in order to explain these conditions, but she does not mention MaryShelley. Woolf most likely excludes the author of Frankenstein because her writingcontains considerable male influence. The circumstances of Shelleys life, however,meet Virginia Woolfs basic requirements for the production of good fiction. MaryShelley possesses a comprehensive education, encouragement, and an androgynous andincandescent mind (Woolf 98).I n A Room of One?s Own, Virginia Woolf suggests women produce so littleliterature because of the tremendous discouragement and criticism that female writersface. She discusses the set up of opposition and disapproval upon the artistic mind. Theopinions of others greatly affect artists, and it is those of genius who are most sensitive tocriticism. Woolf proposes that it was literally impossible for a talented woman to writewell during the sixteenth century ?A highly gifted girl who had tried to use her giftwould have been so thwarted and hindered by other people, so tortured and pulledasunder by her own contrary instincts, that she must have lost her health and sanity to acertainty? (Woolf 49). To further flesh out her poin... ...tial thesis is that ?a woman must havemoney and a room of her own if she is to write fiction? (Woolf 4). Throughout the book,however, she develops other important conditions for artistic creation such as a wellroundededucation, encouragement, and an ?incan descent and androgynous? mind(Woolf 98). Although Virginia Woolf does not mention Mary Shelley in A Room ofOne?s Own, probably because of the strong male influence in Shelley?s writing, thecircumstances of her life meet Woolf?s basic criteria for the production of good fiction.Mary Shelley?s excellent literary education, stimulating life experiences, encouragementfrom family, and lack of anger, bitterness, and fear in her writing grant her the status ofone of the most famous female writers of the nineteenth century.Works CitedWoolf, Virginia. A Room of Ones Own. New York Harcourt, 1989.