解析《一間自己的房間》中的女權(quán)主義

PAGEPAGE1解析《一間自己的房間》中的女權(quán)主義內(nèi)容摘要：伍爾夫是蜚身世界文壇的英國女作家，同時(shí)也是西方女權(quán)主義的先驅(qū)者，一位超越時(shí)代的女性主義思想家。一間自己的房間是以作者兩次在劍橋大學(xué)作的以‘婦女與小說’為題的演講為基礎(chǔ)整理而成的，是他主張女權(quán)運(yùn)動的一本名著同時(shí)也是最早在文學(xué)領(lǐng)域展開了對父權(quán)文化的清算的作品，被譽(yù)為西方女權(quán)主義運(yùn)動的宣言，文中她對父權(quán)制文化對女性的壓抑進(jìn)行了嚴(yán)厲的批判，肯定了被父權(quán)社會拒絕的女性文學(xué)傳統(tǒng)的存在，為女性寫作找到了一個(gè)歷史支撐點(diǎn)。本文旨在通過伍爾夫作品的分析，以婦女與小說這兩大主題為線索，解析伍爾夫?qū)ε畽?quán)主義的思想在文中的展現(xiàn)。關(guān)鍵詞：女權(quán)主義雙性同體女性文學(xué)TheFeminisminARoomofOne’sOwnB.Acandidate:JiangJiaqinSupervisor:FengLiAbstract:WoolfisoneoftheauthoressesinGreatBritainwhowasfamousintheworldliteraryworld,atthesametimesheisalsoaprecursorofthefeministinwest,afeministthinkerwhowasinadvanceoftheageinwhichshelived.ThebookARoomofOne’sOwnwasbasedonaseriesoflecturesWoolfhaddeliveredinCambridgeUniversitywhichwereonthetopicofwomenandfiction.It’safamousmasterpieceinwhichsheprotestfeminismaswellasthefirstbookwhichbringthepaternityculturetoaccountinthefiledofliterature.Thebookwasalsobeingpraisedasthedeclarationofwesternfeministmovement.Inthebook,shecriticizedtheoppressionthepaternalismhadgiventowomen,confirmedtheexistenceofwomenliteraturetradition,anddiscoveredahistorysupportpointforwomen’swriting.TheessayisdesignedforabetterunderstandingofWoolf’sfeminismbyanalyzesthebookARoomofOne’sOwnthroughtwomainclues:thewomenandthefiction.Keywords:feminism,Androgyny,femaleliteratureContentsIntroduction……………….………………..1ChapteroneThesocietypositionofwomen……………..2ChaptertwoThebiasagainstwomen’swriting……….…3ChapterthreeThebestwayforwriting-Androgyny…….5Conclusion…………………7Notes……………………….9Bibliography…………………9Acknowledgements…………10IntroductionVirginiaWoolf,(1882~1941),afamousEnglishnovelist,essayist,feminist,andwriterofshortstories,hadmadegreataccomplishmentsinbothfictionwritingandliterarycriticism.Atthesametime,shewasoneofthethreemostfamouswriterswhowriteinstreamofconsciousness,forerunneroffeminismmovement.Bothofherparentshadstrongfamilyassociationwithliterature.Herfatherwasafamouseditor,critic,andbiographer,sothatWoolfwasraisedinanenvironmentfilledwiththeinfluencesofVictorianliterarysociety.HermostfamousworksincludethenovelsMrs.Dalloway,TotheLighthouseandOrlando,andthebook-lengthessayARoomofOne'sOwn,withitsfamousdictum,"Awomanmusthavemoneyandaroomofherownifsheisgoingtowritefiction."ARoomofOne'sOwn,writtenin1929,wasarepresentativeworktoshowVirginia’sthoughtoffeminism,inthisbook,sheexplicitlydemonstratesthesocialrealitiesthatinthetraditionallypaternitysocietythatwomenhadbeenoppressedforsuchalongtime.Theyhadtofacetothesexdiscriminationandalsothetradition-bound.Andshebroughtforwardthehistoryreasonandtherealityreasonofthisphenomenon.shepointedoutthefactorsthatrestrictwomen’screativityinliterature,firstistheabsenceoffinancialindependence,andsecondisthepoorsocialposition,andthenshejumptotheconclusionthatifawomanwanttostartwriting,shemusthaveatleast500poundsincomeayearandaroomofherown.Woolfsaidthatmostworksattheageshelivescreatedbymenwerelargelyidenticalbutwithminordifferences,becausetheirwritingwayswereallgotintoconventionalpatternthatcouldn’tstrikeachordamongthereaders.Forthisreason,Woolfmadeasuggestiontoallthefemalewritersthattheyshouldcreatetheirownuniquewaysofthinkingandcreativitytodemonstratetheexistenceofwomen.Inthework,Woolfencourageswomentobethemselves,tobeanindependentonediffersfrommen,notleechontomenatthesametimegettogetherharmoniouslywithmenandthewholeworld.Shecreativelyputforwardanewwritingconcept,Androgyny,whichmeansbothsexesonebody.Sheclaimsthatandrogynyisthebestsituationbothforwomenandmenwhowanttowrite,andit’salsothebestwaytoeliminatethedifferencesbetweenmenandwomen.Itispreciselybecausetheputforwardofthiscreativeconcept,thisbookisstillbeconsideredasoneofthemostoutstandingmasterpieceinwomen’sliteraturearea.Ontheotherhand,ARoomofOne’sOwnisalsoacontroversialworkinthecritics’eyes.Ithasbeenrepeatedlyreviewed,critiqued,andanalyzedsinceitspublicationin1929.Somecriticstatesthatthisessayisnotafeministworkbutcompletelyapoliticalideologyandreducestheessay’sscopetoacollectionofmusingsonwomenandfiction.Someothercriticenlargesthescopetoawide,universalfeminismbecauseattheperiodinwhichWoolfwaswriting,feminism,bypopulardefinition,meantwantingthevoteforwomen.ThisiscertainlynotWoolf’sbrandoffeminism.Woolf’sownintentioninwritingARoomofOne’sOwnmayhaveactuallybeentocreateaworkthatlaysomewhereinbetweenthesetwoextremes.Butinfact,herfeminismisinactualityquitelimitedinthatsheonlyappliesittoBritish,uppermiddleclasswomenwriters.Heressaywhichtosomeoneseemednon-feministandtosomeothersseemedfeminist-universalistis,byourmoderndefinition,feminist;however,becausethelimitationofculture,class,andprofession,Woolf’sfeminismwasakindofnarrowfeminism.EventhoughtARoomofOne’sOwnissuchacontroversialwork,it’snodoubtthattheessayisalsoamasterpieceinthewomenliteraryworld,andhadmadeagreatcontributiontothelaterfemaleliterature.Chapterone:ThesocietypositionofwomenInthefirstperiodofthebook,Woolffirstdefinesthequestionsofwomenandfictionasbeingthreeinextricablequestions:womenandfiction,that’smaybewomenandwhattheyarelike,oritmightmeanwomenandthefictionthattheywrite;oritmightmeanwomenandthefictionthatiswrittenaboutthemoritmightmeanthatsomehowallthreeareinextricablymixedtogether.①TosolvethesethreedoubtsWoolffirsttalkedinvoiceofanotherperson,aboutherexperiencesinOxbridge,beendroveoutfromthelawnandbeenkeptoutfromthelibraryallbecausesheisafemale.Throughthetwoexperiences,sheilluminatedthelowstationsoffemaleinthehigheducationorganizations.Then,sheturnedtolookbackthewomen’shistorystation.ShewenttotheBritishmuseuminhopesoffindingsomereasonableanswertothethreequestionsbutonlyfinditdifficultybecausemostbookswroteaboutwomenwerewrittenbymen.Shereadsomeofthem,andsummedupthat,women,fromofold,arealwaysbedeemedtobeappendixofmen.Manymeninhistoryhadstatethepointofviewthatwomenarelowerthanmeninmanyaspects,intelligence,moralandalsophysicalforce.Womenhaveservedallthesecenturiesaslooking–glassespossessingthemagicanddeliciouspowerofreflectingthefigureofmanattwiceitsnaturalsize.②Becauseofthismirror,mengainedsomekindofself-confidencetobelievethattheyareborntobesuperiortohalfofthehumanbeings.Mencan’tbearanycriticizefromwomen,becauseoncewomentellthetruth,men’sshadowinthemirrorwillbeshorter,theywillbemoredoubtfuloftheirsuperiority.ThismaybethereasonwhyNapoleonandMussoliniinsistedtheinferiorityofwomen,andalsomaybethemainreasonwhymenarealwaysinneedofwomen.Tokeepmen’sabsolutesuperiority,womenareforbiddentodothesameworksmencoulddo,andtheirlivesarealmostthesame.Mostfemalesarenotaccesstoafaireducationsincetheirchildhood,andthenlargenumbersofthemgetmarriedattheageof15or16,whichfollowedwithbearingandlifelong’stedioushouseworkathome.Theyhavenowaystogetenoughmoneyforthemselvesandnochancetoownamoment’sfreedom.Womenarereallyliveinthelowestclassofthesocietyatthattimebecausetheabsenceofbothfinancialindependenceandintelligenceindependence.Chaptertwo:Thebiasagainstwomen’swritingInthethirdperiodofthebook,theauthordiscoveredthephenomenathatinElizabethanEra,atimeliteraturedevelopsrapidly,westillcan’tfindanywritingofwomen.Theauthorlistsomeexamplesofwomeninmen’swriting,likeintheworksofShakespeare,findthattheheroinearealwaysfullofpersonalityandhumanity,evenassamegreatasmen,but,theyareonlyimaginary.Thetrueconditionisthatwomenwerelockedandwhippedbytheirhusband,withoutanyfreedom.Therearehardlyanydescribesofwomeninhistory,especiallywomenfrommiddle-class,theydon’tattendanysocietyactivities,theyhavenoautobiographies,nodiaries,andwithoutanyusefulinformation.Someonedeclaredthatitwasimpossibleforanywoman,past,present,ortocome,tohavethegeniusofShakespeare.Buttheauthorthinksthatitwouldhavebeenimpossible,completelyandentirely,foranywomantohavewrittentheplaysofShakespeareintheageofShakespeare.③IntheageofShakespeare,it’stotallyimpossibleforanywomantohavethechancetoexperiencewhatShakespearehadexperienced,whichwerethesourcesofhiswriting.Atthattime,ifawomanhasgreattalentinwriting,butsheabsolutelycan’tgetthesameachievementwithmen,shewillbeexcludebymen,bythesociety,andatlast,becrazy,lonely,distorted.TheauthorsupposedthatShakespearehasasister,whohasthesametalentwithShakespeare,butherlifewillsurelybedifferentwithhisbrotheratthattime,peoplewillexcludeherwriting,andshehadnochoicebuttoliveallherlifeunderhumiliationandoppression.Then,theauthorlookedbacktothedifficultwaywomenenterintheliteraryworld.Inthe16thcentury,fewwomenlikepeershadthechancetowrite,buttheirwritingsareonthepurposetoabreacttheirangryanddiscontenttotheirlowstatusinsociety.MargaretCavendishandDuchess,bothborninhigh-classfamily,withoutchildrenandlovepoems,becamefreakyandscrewyforthesamereason,cynicismfromothers.Dorothy,awomanwhohadgreattalentinwriting,butsaidthat,'ifIshouldnotsleepthisfortnightIshouldnotcometothat’④,afemalewhoactuallylovewritingmadeherselfbelievethatwritingforwomenisfantastic，wecanfeelthestrongagainstfeelingsintheairatthattime.Inthe17thcentury,AphraBehn,awomanlivedinmiddle-class,fullofhumors,energyandcourage,workedlikemensothatshecouldsupportherself,becamethefirstwomanwhoearnmoneybyherwriting.Sincethen,moreandmorefemalerealizedthatwomenalsocouldwriting,andliveabetterlife.Attheendof18thcentury,women’sthoughtsbecameunprecedentedlively,femalecomefrommiddleclassstartedtowrite.Insomesense,wecansayitwasAphraBehnwhowinstherightofwritingforwomen.Inthe19thcentury,morewomenbegantowrite,butmostofthemwrotefictions.Thefourmostfamousfemalewritersare:GeorgeEliot,EmilyBronte,andCharlotteBronte,JaneAustin.Allofthemhavesomepointsincommon,liveinmiddleclassfamily,withouttheirownlivingroomandhavenotheirownprivatetime.Thesemaybealsothereasonswhytheywritefictionsbutnotplays,becausewritefictionsdon’tneedtobesodevotional.Evenso,theycreatedmasterpieceslikeJaneEyre,PrideandPrejudice,WutheringHeightsandsoon.Womenwritersatthattimestillmeetmanydifficulties,notraditiontofollow,noonetoaskforhelpbecausetheirthoughtsaretotallydifferfrommen’s.So,forwomen,it’surgenttodiscoveranewwayofwriting,awayoftheirownfeatures.Onlybythisway,womencouldcreatemoregreatworkswhichcouldlastlongerinthehistory.Chapterthree:Thebestwayforwriting-AndrogynyTheauthorcomparedJaneAustin’sworktoCharlotteBronte’s,andfoundthedifferencebetweenthem.JaneAustinwroteprideandprejudiceinabadenvironment,withalotofinterferences,butwecan’tseeanyinfluencebythisfromherwork.Wecan’tfeelanyabomination,discontent,eerinessorpreachmentfromhiswork.Itseemsthatallobstaclesareremovedfromherbrainwhenshewriting,thatjustthewayhowShakespearewrote.ThenweturntoCharlotteBronte’swriting,JaneEyre,inthisbook,theheroineshowedstrongdesiretoexploretheunknownworldforherevenbeenblamedbyothers.Wecaneasilyfeelsomekindofdiscontentmentindignationtodestiny,forshe’snotonlywritefictionbutalsowriteherownstory.Thismadeherwritingcontortedandnotsoperfect.ThebiggestdifferencebetweenthetwofemalewritersisthatJanewroteasawoman,butCharlottetendstoimitatemen’swayofwritingintentional,whichmadeherworknotsooutstandingamongsomanysimilarworks.Forthisreason,Woolfencouragesallthefemalewriterstowriteintheirownthoughtsandspecialways.Thereisaspotthesizeofashillingatthebackoftheheadwhichonecanneverseeforoneself.Itisoneofthegoodofficesthatsexcandischargeforsex--todescribethatspotthesizeofashillingatthebackofthehead.⑤Andmen,fromtheearliestages,withhumanityandbrilliancy,havepointedouttowomenthatdarkplaceatthebackofthehead.Now,femaleshouldwalkbehindmenandpointoutthespotforthem!Shebelievestherearetwosexesinthemindcorrespondingtothetwosexesinthebody,sometimesthepartofmenworksmore,sometimesthepartofwomenplaythemainrole,butbothofthemarenotstrongenoughtomeetthecomplexworld,andthebestsituationisthatthetwoliveinharmonytogether,andcooperatewitheachotherspiritually.Therefore,Woolfputforwardatotallynewideaofwritingtosolvetheproblemoftheimperfectofbothsexes,that’sandrogyny,Shethinksonlywhenthetwosexesinourmindcooperatewitheachother,ourbrainwillbecomeactiveandproductiveenough,andthenperfectworkwillcomeintobeing.Ahighlydevelopedbrainwon’tthinkaboutsex,soagreatmindmustbeandrogynous,Shakespeareisjustlikethis.Whenweturntothemalewritersofthetime,wewilleasilyfindit’smoredifficultforthemtobeandrogynous.Mensensitivelyfelttheproblemthatwomengotmorerightslikebeallowedtojointhepoliticaleventswhichneverhappenedinthepastthattheyhavestrongerdesiretoholdontheirownopinionsthattheythinkalotofthesexoftheirown.Whenreadreadingtheirwritings,onecaneasilyfindtherepeatingdescribesof“I”,themostimportant“I”,andalltheotherthingswillfadeawayandbefloodedbytheshadowof‘I’.Thismadetheirwritingsdullandtiresomelikesomekindofobstacleshadblockedtheauthors’mind.Forfemale,thesekindsofworksaremeaninglessthattheycan’tdiscoveranythingtheywantfromthem.Anybodywhowantstowritemustforgetthesexatfirst.Onlytheworksdoneundercooperationoftwosexesinthemindcouldlastlong.Atlast,WoolfquotedapassageofArthurQuilter–Couch‘Thepoorpoethasnotinthesedays,norhashadfortwohundredyears,adog’schance...apoorchildinEnglandhaslittlemorehopethanhadthesonofanAthenianslavetobeemancipatedintothatintellectualfreedomofwhichgreatwritingsareborn’⑥thenjumptotheconclusionthatintellectualfreedomdependsuponmaterialthings.Poetrydependsuponintellectualfreedom.Womenarealwayspoorfromthebeginningoftime,soifawomandecidedtostartwriting,shewillmakesureenoughmoneyandfreedominintellectual,that’swhyafemalewriterneeds500poundsincomeayearandaroomofherown.Atlast,Woolfgavesomesuggestionsforthefemaleswhoareinterestedinwriting.Agreatwriter,nomatterwhatbadcharactersheorshemayhas,heorshemustbeakindperson,so,forfemalewriters,theauthorhopesallofthemtobekindpersonsfirst,andneverforgettheresponsibilityofawriter,that’stoseekfortherealityanddeliverittoreaders.Womenhadbeenoppressedforalongtime,nowtheyhavemorerightstochangethewaysoflife,moretimetoread,andmorewaystomakethemselvesbeacceptedbyothers.That’sagreattimeforeveryfemale,soWoolfalsohopesallthefemalewriterscouldworkharder,evenstruggleinpoororobjectionandnevergiveup,thesisterofShakespearemaybeanyoneofthem.ConclusionWoolfisoneoftheforerunnersinfeminism.Herthoughtsarestillbeinghighlypraisednowadays.Intheessay,Woolfexpressedherstrongfeminismthoughtsbyherexaggeratedandironicaldescribewritingways.Herwordsseemfragmentedinthebook,butwecanstilldigoutherfeminismthoughtlively.HercouragetochallengethePatriarchalsocietyandattacktheMalehegemonyhadbecometheguidinginspiritforthelaterfeminism.Intheessay,theauthorfirstnarratedtheproblemthatwomen’sself-awarenesshadbeenoppressedforalongtime.Inthetimesbefore19thcentury,ifawomanwroteabook,shewillsurelybeattackedbyothersincludingotherwomen.Inthepaternityworld,mostwomenhadidentifiedwiththeideathattheywereborntobelowerthanmennotonlyonphysicalforce,moralbutalsoonintelligence.Somefemalesevenagreewiththeideathatwomanisaribfromman.Thiskindofself-denialhadstronglyfurtheredmen’sdiscriminationonwomen.Then,Woolfpointedoutthetruththatwomenarefacingseriouseconomicalproblems.Becausethelackofsteadyincome