5 reasons why Virginia Woolf should be your feminist role model

Virginia Woolf also played a major role in the contemporary women's movement. Photo Courtesy: Facebook/VirginiaWoolf

She was a fierce feminist, a well published author, and a deft experimenter of literary tools. Virginia Woolf is truly one of the greatest modernist writers we've ever had. Not only did she write about women empowerment long before the second wave of feminism, but she also argued that women's experience could be the basis for transformative social change.

Woolf, who suffered from bouts of mental illness and ended her life by drowning herself, is famous for her dark and morbid style of writing that often focused on women's issues. The writer's work on feminism has given her a special place in women's studies programs across the world.

On her 134th birth anniversary we bring to you five reasons why she should be your feminist role model.

She Was Essentially Interested In The Lives Of Women

Woolf was a firm believer of the unspoken emotions and interpretations we experience daily. She did so by not only placing more traditionally feminine themes, but also by revealing the inner workings of her character's minds.

Despite Living In A Time When Women Had Fewer Rights, She Never Let It Stop Her

While her literary contemporaries were writing tales about World War I, Woolf was writing about the impact of the war on domestic life. In her novel Jacob's Room, she wrote about grief and trauma. Although she was criticized by other female writers for not addressing the war and its politics, the author never let it stop her. Instead, she continued to do exactly what she believed in.

Her Feminism was Progressive

Woolf made the connection between a patriarchal society and militarism, which at that time was completely unheard of. She even wrote about the detriments caused by gender-influenced salaries long before the legislation came into place. In her most famous essay A Room Of One's Own, Woolf pointed out that without financial liberty, women cannot possess full creative or intellectual freedom. While this essay evaluated the role of education, she went on to equate schooling with income and self-sufficiency.

She Kept Challenging The Notion That Women Can't be Political

In her book-essay Three Guineas, Woolf responded to a letter from a man who asked her how war could be prevented. She used this opportunity to emphasise on pacifism and to the fact that the society at that time didn't value a woman's political ideas. In the book, which was written on the heels of World War II, she wrote: "Behind us lies the patriarchal system; the private house, with it nullity, its immorality, its hypocrisy, its servility. Before us lies the public world, the professional system, with its possessiveness, its jealousy, its pugnacity, its greed."

She Was Way Ahead Of Her Time With Her Views On Gender and Sexuality

You'd be surprised to know that long before queer studies debated the fluidity of gender and sexuality, Woolf was already talking about it. In a letter that she wrote in late 30s, she not only acknowledged that gender-specific traits are socialized, but also implied that gendered desires are often a source of violence. She tried to explore themes involving gender and sexuality through her fictional works.

It's no surprise that writers and artists like Simone de Beauvoir and Michael Cunningham considered her a feminist role model. And she wasn't just one of those who only believed in talking the talk. Woolf was also involved with the contemporary women's movement, including suffragism and the working-class Women's Co-operative Guild. Though years after passed since her demise, her work continues to be relevant even now.

We don't know about you, but we are definitely going to sit down with a cup of tea and re-read one of our favourite books by her.