Review of Virginia Woolfs Shakespeares Sister - 3106 Words

Review of Virginia Woolf’s shakespeare’s sister By Gabriel Gyamfi University of Cape Coast Department of English INTRODUCTION Virginia Woolf’s ‘Shakespeare’ Sister’ is the third chapter from her literary essay A Room of One’s Own. In this chapter, which is the essay on Shakespeare’s Sister, she considers the question of why no women writers are represented in the canon of Elizabethan drama. To explore the issue, Woolf invents a fictional and mythical sister, Judith, for William Shakespeare and compares the barriers brothers and sisters would have encountered in achieving success as playwright. Imaginatively, Woolf despairs of Judith’s having possessed a genius equal to her brother’s, for her lack of education would have denied its†¦show more content†¦Due to the fact that women were not allowed the vote, this wave sought to take action and win the vote for women. One of the most famous suffrage unions which took course in this action was the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) which was founded in 1903 under the direct ion of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter, Christabel. Other notable feminists of this period include Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Lady Stranton. The second wave was evident in the mid-20th century; that is between the 1960s and 1970s. This wave, which has continued till date, sought to campaign for legal and social equality for women as it was associated with the ideas and actions of The Women’s Liberation Movement. Adrienne Rich is a notable feminist of this period. The third wave extends from the 1990s to the present. This wave sought to alter aspects of Western society ranging from culture and concerns itself with issues such as a womans right of contract and property, a womans right to bodily integrity and autonomy (especially on matters such as reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, access to contraception and quality prenatal care) for protection from domestic violence; against sexual harassment and rape; for workplace rights, including maternity leav e and equal pay; and against other forms of discrimination. As far as the waves of feminism are concerned, four main types of feminists are identified – conservative, liberal, radical and socialist. ConservativeShow MoreRelatedAdrienne Richs Essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence2485 Words   |  10 Pagesdisempowers women† in her 1980 essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (Rich 23). What most see as a traditional way of life, Rich views as a societal mandate that serves as â€Å"a beachhead of male dominance,† (Rich 28). For a woman in Virginia Woolf’s time, â€Å"the one profession that was open to her [was] marriage,† and though females entered the public sphere as the 20th century progressed, â€Å"single women†¦are still viewed as deviant† and somewhat ostracized (Woolf 25 and Rich 30). Compulsory