A Room of One.docx
- 文档编号:23383538
- 上传时间:2023-05-16
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:12
- 大小:26.55KB
A Room of One.docx
《A Room of One.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《A Room of One.docx(12页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
ARoomofOne
ARoomofOne'sOwn
VirginiaWoolf
chapter3Shakespeare’ssister
Itwasdisappointingnottohavebroughtbackintheeveningsomeimportantstatement,someauthenticfact.Womenarepoorerthanmenbecause—thisorthat.Perhapsnowitwouldbebettertogiveupseekingforthetruth,andreceivingonone’sheadanavalancheofopinionhotaslava,discolouredasdish-water.Itwouldbebettertodrawthecurtains;toshutoutdistractions;tolightthelamp;tonarrowtheenquiryandtoaskthehistorian,whorecordsnotopinionsbutfacts,todescribeunderwhatconditionswomenlived,notthroughouttheages,butinEngland,say,inthetimeofElizabeth.
Foritisaperennialpuzzlewhynowomanwroteawordofthatextraordinaryliteraturewheneveryotherman,itseemed,wascapableofsongorsonnet.Whatweretheconditionsinwhichwomenlived?
Iaskedmyself;forfiction,imaginativeworkthatis,isnotdroppedlikeapebbleupontheground,assciencemaybe;fictionislikeaspider’sweb,attachedeversolightlyperhaps,butstillattachedtolifeatallfourcorners.Oftentheattachmentisscarcelyperceptible;Shakespeare’splays,forinstance,seemtohangtherecompletebythemselves.Butwhenthewebispulledaskew,hookedupattheedge,torninthemiddle,oneremembersthatthesewebsarenotspuninmid-airbyincorporealcreatures,butaretheworkofsufferinghumanbeings,andareattachedtogrosslymaterialthings,likehealthandmoneyandthehouseswelivein.
Iwent,therefore,totheshelfwherethehistoriesstandandtookdownoneofthelatest,ProfessorTrevelyan’sHISTORYOFENGLAND.OncemoreIlookedupWomen,found‘positionof’andturnedtothepagesindicated.‘Wife-beating’,Iread,‘wasarecognizedrightofman,andwaspractisedwithoutshamebyhighaswellaslow....Similarly,’thehistoriangoeson,‘thedaughterwhorefusedtomarrythegentlemanofherparents’choicewasliabletobelockedup,beatenandflungabouttheroom,withoutanyshockbeinginflictedonpublicopinion.Marriagewasnotanaffairofpersonalaffection,butoffamilyavarice,particularlyinthe“chivalrous”upperclasses....Betrothaloftentookplacewhileoneorbothofthepartieswasinthecradle,andmarriagewhentheywerescarcelyoutofthenurses’charge.’Thatwasabout1470,soonafterChaucer’stime.Thenextreferencetothepositionofwomenissometwohundredyearslater,inthetimeoftheStuarts.‘Itwasstilltheexceptionforwomenoftheupperandmiddleclasstochoosetheirownhusbands,andwhenthehusbandhadbeenassigned,hewaslordandmaster,sofaratleastaslawandcustomcouldmakehim.Yetevenso,’ProfessorTrevelyanconcludes,‘neitherShakespeare’swomennorthoseofauthenticseventeenth-centurymemoirs,liketheVerneysandtheHutchinsons,seemwantinginpersonalityandcharacter.’Certainly,ifweconsiderit,Cleopatramusthavehadawaywithher;LadyMacbeth,onewouldsuppose,hadawillofherown;Rosalind,onemightconclude,wasanattractivegirl.ProfessorTrevelyanisspeakingnomorethanthetruthwhenheremarksthatShakespeare’swomendonotseemwantinginpersonalityandcharacter.Notbeingahistorian,onemightgoevenfurtherandsaythatwomenhaveburntlikebeaconsinalltheworksofallthepoetsfromthebeginningoftime—Clytemnestra,Antigone,Cleopatra,LadyMacbeth,Phedre,Cressida,Rosalind,Desdemona,theDuchessofMalfi,amongthedramatists;thenamongtheprosewriters:
Millamant,Clarissa,BeckySharp,AnnaKarenina,EmmaBovary,MadamedeGuermantes—thenamesflocktomind,nordotheyrecallwomen‘lackinginpersonalityandcharacter.’Indeed,ifwomanhadnoexistencesaveinthefictionwrittenbymen,onewouldimagineherapersonoftheutmostimportance;veryvarious;heroicandmean;splendidandsordid;infinitelybeautifulandhideousintheextreme;asgreatasaman,somethinkevengreater.5Butthisiswomaninfiction.Infact,asProfessorTrevelyanpointsout,shewaslockedup,beatenandflungabouttheroom.
5‘ItremainsastrangeandalmostinexplicablefactthatinAthena’scity,wherewomenwerekeptinalmostOrientalsup.pressionasodalisquesordrudges,thestageshouldyethaveproducedfigureslikeClytemnestraandCassandraAtossaandAntigone,PhedreandMedea,andalltheotherheroineswhodominateplayafterplayofthe“misogynist”Euripides.Buttheparadoxofthisworldwhereinreallifearespectablewomancouldhardlyshowherfacealoneinthestreet,andyetonthestagewomanequalsorsurpassesman,hasneverbeensatisfactorilyexplained.Inmoderntragedythesamepredominanceexists.Atallevents,averycursorysurveyofShakespeare’swork(similarlywithWebster,thoughnotwithMarloweorJonson)sufficestorevealhowthisdominance,thisinitiativeofwomen,persistsfromRosalindtoLadyMacbeth.SotooinRacine;sixofhistragediesbeartheirheroines’names;andwhatmalecharactersofhisshallwesetagainstHermioneandAndromaque,BereniceandRoxane,PhedreandAthalie?
SoagainwithIbsen;whatmenshallwematchwithSolveigandNora,HedaandHildaWangelandRebeccaWest?
’—F.L.LUCAS,TRAGEDY,pp.114-15.
Averyqueer,compositebeingthusemerges.Imaginativelysheisofthehighestimportance;practicallysheiscompletelyinsignificant.Shepervadespoetryfromcovertocover;sheisallbutabsentfromhistory.Shedominatesthelivesofkingsandconquerorsinfiction;infactshewastheslaveofanyboywhoseparentsforcedaringuponherfinger.Someofthemostinspiredwords,someofthemostprofoundthoughtsinliteraturefallfromherlips;inreallifeshecouldhardlyread,couldscarcelyspell,andwasthepropertyofherhusband.
Itwascertainlyanoddmonsterthatonemadeupbyreadingthehistoriansfirstandthepoetsafterwardsawormwingedlikeaneagle;thespiritoflifeandbeautyinakitchenchoppingupsuet.Butthesemonsters,howeveramusingtotheimagination,havenoexistenceinfact.Whatonemustdotobringhertolifewastothinkpoeticallyandprosaicallyatoneandthesamemoment,thuskeepingintouchwithfact—thatsheisMrsMartin,agedthirty-six,dressedinblue,wearingablackhatandbrownshoes;butnotlosingsightoffictioneither—thatsheisavesselinwhichallsortsofspiritsandforcesarecoursingandflashingperpetually.Themoment,however,thatonetriesthismethodwiththeElizabethanwoman,onebranchofilluminationfails;oneisheldupbythescarcityoffacts.Oneknowsnothingdetailed,nothingperfectlytrueandsubstantialabouther.Historyscarcelymentionsher.AndIturnedtoProfessorTrevelyanagaintoseewhathistorymeanttohim.Ifoundbylookingathischapterheadingsthatitmeant——
‘TheManorCourtandtheMethodsofOpen-fieldAgriculture...TheCisterciansandSheep-farming...TheCrusades...TheUniversity...TheHouseofCommons...TheHundredYears’War...TheWarsoftheRoses...TheRenaissanceScholars...TheDissolutionoftheMonasteries...AgrarianandReligiousStrife...TheOriginofEnglishSea-power...TheArmada...’andsoon.Occasionallyanindividualwomanismentioned,anElizabeth,oraMary;aqueenoragreatlady.Butbynopossiblemeanscouldmiddle-classwomenwithnothingbutbrainsandcharacterattheircommandhavetakenpartinanyoneofthegreatmovementswhich,broughttogether,constitutethehistorian’sviewofthepast.Norshallwefindherincollectionofanecdotes.Aubreyhardlymentionsher.anySheneverwritesherownlifeandscarcelykeepsadiary;thereareonlyahandfulofherlettersinexistence.Sheleftnoplaysorpoemsbywhichwecanjudgeher.Whatonewants,Ithought—andwhydoesnotsomebrilliantstudentatNewnhamorGirtonsupplyit?
—isamassofinformation;atwhatagedidshemarry;howmanychildrenhadsheasarule;whatwasherhouselike,hadshearoomtoherself;didshedothecooking;wouldshebelikelytohaveaservant?
Allthesefactsliesomewhere,presumably,inparishregistersandaccountbooks;thelifeoftheaverageElizabethanwomanmustbescatteredaboutsomewhere,couldonecollectitandmakeabookofit.Itwouldbeambitiousbeyondmydaring,Ithought,lookingabouttheshelvesforbooksthatwerenotthere,tosuggesttothestudentsofthosefamouscollegesthattheyshouldrewritehistory,thoughIownthatitoftenseemsalittlequeerasitis,unreal,lop-sided;butwhyshouldtheynotaddasupplementtohistory,callingit,ofcourse,bysomeinconspicuousnamesothatwomenmightfiguretherewithoutimpropriety?
Foroneoftencatchesaglimpseoftheminthelivesofthegreat,whiskingawayintothebackground,concealing,Isometimesthink,awink,alaugh,perhapsatear.And,afterall,wehavelivesenoughofJaneAusten;itscarcelyseemsnecessarytoconsideragaintheinfluenceofthetragediesofJoannaBaillieuponthepoetryofEdgarAllanPoe;asformyself,IshouldnotmindifthehomesandhauntsofMaryRussellMitfordwereclosedtothepublicforacenturyatleast.ButwhatIfinddeplorable,Icontinued,lookingaboutthebookshelvesagain,isthatnothingisknownaboutwomenbeforetheeighteenthcentury.Ihavenomodelinmymindtoturnaboutthiswayandthat.HereamIaskingwhywomendidnotwritepoetryintheElizabethanage,andIamnotsurehowtheywereeducated;whethertheyweretaughttowrite;whethertheyhadsitting-roomstothemselves;howmanywomenhadchildrenbeforetheyweretwenty-one;what,inshort,theydidfromeightinthemorningtilleightatnight.Theyhadnomoneyevidently;accordingtoProfessorTrevelyantheyweremarriedwhethertheylikeditornotbeforetheywereoutofthenu
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- Room of One