So Long As She Writes Little Notes: Orlando and the Female Artist
Date
April 2020
Description
Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando centers on an immortal protagonist who switches genders from male to female by fantastic means. In the realms of this transformation, Woolf is able to explore the impact of both gender and history on multiple areas, including the artistic profession. I will argue that Orlando represents the spiritual and material constrictions placed upon the female artist in reading it as a fictionalized manifestation of the arguments made by Woolf in "A Room of One’s Own" and “Modern Fiction.” I focus specifically on the portrayal of the Victorian era in the novel, and the degree to which the fantastical manifestations of its restrictive social norms, in addition to the character of Nick Greene, act as a social commentary concurrent with that of Woolf’s nonfiction works.
Presentation Type
Presentation
So Long As She Writes Little Notes: Orlando and the Female Artist
Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando centers on an immortal protagonist who switches genders from male to female by fantastic means. In the realms of this transformation, Woolf is able to explore the impact of both gender and history on multiple areas, including the artistic profession. I will argue that Orlando represents the spiritual and material constrictions placed upon the female artist in reading it as a fictionalized manifestation of the arguments made by Woolf in "A Room of One’s Own" and “Modern Fiction.” I focus specifically on the portrayal of the Victorian era in the novel, and the degree to which the fantastical manifestations of its restrictive social norms, in addition to the character of Nick Greene, act as a social commentary concurrent with that of Woolf’s nonfiction works.
Comments
This oral presentation is based on an individual research project.