Infamous writer Virginia Woolf lived and responded to one of the most socially contentious eras to date. Women’s rights and feminism were at the center of attention in Britain throughout the early 20th century. Female universities and higher education institutes were beginning to gain more traction and influence, largely due to the guidance of figures such as Woolf who traveled to these universities to further ignite women’s movements. Her essay “A Room of One’s Own” is based on various lectures she gave at Newnham and Girton College. Throughout the piece she uses language to persuade her audience of the feminnist agenda. This style, according to those such as Lloyd F. Bitzer, constitutes a response to a rhetorical situation.
More precisely, Bitzer determines a rhetorical situation to be a syndicate of factors including individuals, locations, occurrences, and connections that can be manipulated to alter human decision (Bitzer 6). Many factors contribute to adequate rhetoric, namely “there are three constituents of any rhetorical situation” (Bitzer 6). Exigence represents the set of events, coincidence, or circumstance that is responsible for the rhetorical situation in question. However, factors such as death, winter, or natural disasters cannot be considered exigence according to Bitzer because they cannot be changed with any amount of rhetoric, limiting exigence to variable factors (Bitzer 6).
In addition to exigence, the factor audience is also considered by Bitzen to be a key component of rhetorical situations (Bitzen 6). He argues that there can be no rhetoric without an audience to hear or be influenced by the discourse (Bitzen 7). Poetry and scientific writing for example, lack the qualifications of rhetoric because they do not require an audience to impact to serve their intended purpose (Bitzen 7).
Thirdly, constraints make up the final constituent of Bitzer’s rhetorical situation. This category includes “persons, events, objects, and relations to which are parts of the situation because they have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence” (Bitzen 8). Any means of logic such as “beliefs, attitudes, documents, facts, traditions, images, interests, motives, and the like” (Bitzen 8) have the tendency to enact changes on rhetoric.
Exigence, audience, and constraints can be found throughout Virginia Woolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own”. She uses rhetoric to inspire women to participate in feminist movements and take action towards sexist standards. The exigence present in this piece is the discriminatory and patriarchal views held in 19th century Britain. It was rare for a woman to escape a painfully youthful marriage and life of domestic servitude even in the off chance that they had access to a fundamental education. In Woolf’s time, women lacked the right to vote, divorce, have possessions, or custody of their children (Murray).This constitutes as exigence because sexism is considered to be “changeable by discourse” (Bitzen 8) as Woolf showed via her work against these beliefs. Despite her fortune of being born into both a privileged and free-thinking family, these laws and social norms limited Woolf’s abilities to participate and contribute to society as well as to act on her own volition (“A Room of One’s Own.”). These oppressive philosophies that women were subjected to regarding equality of the sexes provided the exigence for the author to construct and share her rhetoric with the goal of furthering the feminist movement.
This objective of heightening femimist morale required the proper audience. Woolf’s audience at the time of “The Room of One’s Own” construction was largely wealthier and more educated women that had the liberty to participate in the women’s rights movements (Bimberg). University education was not accessible to the general public, especially to most women (“Women’s Rights .”). Woolf utilized this fact to deliver lectures and introduce her philosophy to a demographic that had a more substantial chance to make the societal changes that she wished to see. Apart from the initiative of inspiring action within her audience, the author also chose an audience that would listen to what she had to say. Men, particularly in powerful positions, were not apt to accept or take the feminist movement seriously and certainly not at face value (Stetson). Therefore, had Woolf not directed her attention towards a female audience, the influence of her work would have been limited.
Limitations in the form of constraints are of abundance within this Virginia Woolf essay as they are throughout many feminist works. The era in which this piece came to fruition is itself a constraint. The audience, the polarizing themes, the media, motives, and widely held societal beliefs and norms all curtail Woolf’s rhetoric. As a result of the common thought regarding gender roles in this time, the audience that Woolf could successfully appeal to was fairly minimal. She tended to acknowledge this and even preface her work with the admittance that “[a]t any rate, when a subject is highly controversial–and any question about sex is that–one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one’s audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker. “ (Woolf, A Room of One’s Own). The medial representation of Woolf’s ideas in the format of lectures at female colleges, books, poems, and other means of literature also offer a constraint on her rhetoric. People, namely male British politicians, would have to voluntarily expose themselves to Woolf’s femimist ideology which is not an action that was taken often. Yet, those who tried to avoid her influence ultimately had the most power regarding women’s liberation.
Constraints exist in an alternate form than just limitations within this essay. The analogy “two sides to every coin” can easily be applied to the factor of audience as well as polarizing themes utilized by Woolf. The predominantly female audience that the author appealed to may have not have always encompassed influential male figures, however, Woolf was able to inspire great actions of change amongst the women lectured. The media of lecture enabled women to be exposed to her ideals, regardless of whether they had adequate access to her literature. There were certainly motives against her, but she was able to fuel the flames of extreme feminist sentiment and determination throughout Britain which ultimately motivated her work. Women across Britain who idolized Woolf and her beliefs provided a constraint by initiating her agenda, thereby heightening the impact of her work. The same exigence that infringed upon women’s lives were the same ones that sparked outrage and resulted in movements of change. Woolf’s ability to resonate with this attitude was one of her greatest rhetorical constraints.
Analysis of constraints, exigence and audience provides an effective way to access the success of Virginia Woolf’s rhetoric within “A Room of One’s Own”. She often mentions elaborate but relatable situations such as when she discusses a rather poor dinner at an older woman’s house and then juxtaposes the situation with an alternative given that women lacked suppression. The reasoning behind the poor dinner is the woman’s lack of a way to provide for herself and the lack of opportunities in her youth. Woolf argues that “[n]ow if she had gone into business; had become a manufacturer of artificial silk or a magnate on the Stock Exchange; if she had left two or three hundred thousand pounds to Fernham, we could have been sitting at our ease to-night and the subject of our talk might have been archaeology, botany, anthropology, physics, the nature of the atom, mathematics, astronomy, relativity, geography. If only Mrs Seton and her mother and her mother before her had learnt the great art of making money and had left their money, like their fathers and their grandfathers before them, to found fellowships and lectureships and prizes and scholarships appropriated to the use of their own sex, we might have dined very tolerably up here alone off a bird and a bottle of wine; we might have looked forward without undue confidence to a pleasant and honourable lifetime spent in the shelter of one of the liberally endowed professions” (Woolf). Rhetoric of this kind is especially impactful to Woolf’s largely female audience of “A Room of One’s Own” who have found themselves in or are seemingly destined to live out the first scenario. This then allows Woolf to insert a far better situation given that changes to the exigence are fought for and made. The image above of a suffragette group at Newnham College which is where one of the lectures that inspired “A Room of One’s Own” was given. Woolf’s rhetoric was remarkably effective regarding the suffrage movement, in fact women were granted equal right to the ballet a year after this lecture was given (“Women’s Rights .”).
The rhetoric in a “Room of One’s Own” was able to outlive the suffrage movement and its influence provided a continuity from 20th century to present day. As shown, she was granted a TIMES cover in 1937. This edition actually portrayed Woolf in a negative light. Disdain was expressed upon her lack of children, “careless” dress, and weathered appearance (“Time Magazine Cover: Virginia Woolf – Apr. 12, 1937.” ). Although she was portrayed poorly, this was a result of her successful rhetoric and influence concerning women’s equality to which male editors of Time were providing commentary on. Woolf often called out highly regarded men on their sexist statements. In “A Room of One’s Own” she mentions how the Pope stated that “most women have no character at all” (Woolf) and how Napoleon “thought them to be incapable” (Woolf). She occasionally went further such as in the case of Professor von X who wrote the “work entitled THE MENTAL, MORAL, AND PHYSICAL INFERIORITY OF THE FEMALE SEX” (Woolf). Woolf’s response within “A Room of One’s Own” was an inquisition as to what made him regard women so lowly. She considered that maybe it was because he was unattractive, or maybe his wife was cheating, or maybe because he was bullied as a child for his unsightly appearance (Woolf). While this rhetoric successfully appealed to the suffragette and feminist portion of her audience, men in power felt threatened by women’s rights advances and this language resulting in pieces such as this magazine. Fast forward to almost a century later where Woolf was granted another Time cover. This time as one of 2020s one-hundred women of the year. This time luxurious descriptions of her work and importance to women’s equality accompanied a youthful image of the writer. Now recognized as a “political visionary” and “one of the boldest novelists of the 20th century” (Wittman), her quotes and ideas act as constraints and often make their way into contemporary feminist movements. She has places in the works of characters from Toni Morrison to Samuel Beckett. Morrison in particular has metamorphosed Woolf’s rhetoric and continued to apply them to women’s struggles (Le Guin). Virginia Woolf’s formal legacy lives on as a result of her incredibly successful rhetoric within “A Room of One’s Own” and critical influence on what she believed in.
Time articles and existing in the veins of some of the most prolific writers to date are clearly monumental displays of successful rhetoric. However, Woolf’s rhetorical success is probably more commonly found and utilized by the average citizen. Although her original audience and aim of influence was white, wealthy, and educated women, her message now lacks many of the constraints that accompanied older literature. People no longer need to attend her lectures or be able to afford books to be exposed to her message. Academic resources have largely publicly published her works. The result has been an expansion of her rhetoric throughout continents, sexes, races, ages, and economic classes. Pictured is a protester in a contemporary women’s march in response to the inauguration of ex-President Donald Trump. Powerful women, including Virginia Woolf are present on the poster. Although women in America now have the right to vote, the exigence sexism persists. As does Woolf’s rhetoric. Her messages of untapped potential that are so often referenced in discussions pertaining to immigrants, under-education, and poverty can be seen as derivatives from this particular essay. Woolf presents the character of Shakespeare’s sister who surpassed his own brilliance but was unable to pursue her potential and ultimately killed herself, depriving the world of her contributions (Woolf). Parallel logic such as this example, reference to her rhetoric, and evolution of the three rhetorical constituents reinforce the efficacy of Woolf.
“A Room of One’s Own” has its own place in both history and the contemporary. The piece as analyzed with rhetorical situation constituents in mind has demonstrated compelling influence upon feminist mindsets and movements. Virginia Woolf’s utilization of her audience, understanding of her exigence, and manipulation of her constraints have resulted in consistency of her image and legacy in regards to literature and women’s rights movements. From inspiring the suffragettes to the women protesting restrictive healthcare, the women advocating for racial equality, the women going to bat against powerful men and corrupt systems, Virginia Woolf’s rhetoric has stayed strong for a century and promises another.
Works Cited
Bimberg, Christiane. “The Poetics of Conversation in Virginia Woolf’s a Room of One’s Own.” Connotations, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.connotations.de/article/christiane-bimberg-the-poetics-of-conversation-in-virginia-woolfs-a-room-of-ones-own/.
Bitzer , Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.” Philosophy and Rhetoric , vol. 25, 1992, pp. 1–14.
Le Guin , Ursula K. “On Virginia Woolf’s Enduring Influence.” Medium, The Paris Review , 3 Nov. 2020, https://thebookquarium.medium.com/on-virginia-woolfs-enduring-influence-e5ef41bb5399.
Murray, Jenni. “History – British History in Depth: 20th Century Britain: The Woman’s Hour.” BBC, BBC, 3 Mar. 2011, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/jmurray_01.shtml.
“A Room of One’s Own.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Room-of-Ones-Own.
Schneir, Miriam. “Feminism: the Essential Historical Writings .” Pascal, 1972, https://pascal-cofc.library.cofc.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991002521729705613&context=L&vid=01PASCAL_COFC%3ACOFC&lang=en&search_scope=Books_Articles_and_More&adaptor=Local+Search+Engine&tab=Books_Articles_and_More&query=any%2Ccontains%2CA+room+of+ones+own&mode=basic.
Stetson, Dorothy. “The Limits of Movement in Politics: The Case of British Feminism .” ProQuest, Sept. 1977, https://www.proquest.com/docview/63827131/DCC772F5C10744ECPQ/1.
“Time Magazine Cover: Virginia Woolf – Apr. 12, 1937.” Time, Time Inc., http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19370412,00.html.
“Virginia Woolf.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virginia-Woolf.
Wittman, Lucas. “Virginia Woolf: 100 Women of the Year.” Time, Time, 5 Mar. 2020, https://time.com/5792713/virginia-woolf-100-women-of-the-year/.
“Women’s Rights .” The National Archives, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/brave_new_world/women.htm.
Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. First ed., Hogarth Press , 1929.