Feministic study of Mrs. Ramsey and Lily Briscoe

Name: Jinal B. Parmar

Roll no:11

Paper no:09 the modernist

literature

M. A. Semester:3

Year:2014-15

PG Enrolment no: PG13101025

Email ID:

jinal.parmar989883@gmail.com

Submitted to: Department of

English

Smt. S. B. Gardi

M. K. Bhavnagar University

Dt.:1/10/2014

Feministic study of Mrs. Ramsey and

Lily Briscoe

Introduction of Virginia Woolf

•Woolf was a English writer and one

of the modernist female writer of the

20th century

• Central figure of the Bloomsbury

Group of intellectual

• In her essay “A room of one’s own”

in which there she gave famous dictum:

• “A woman must have money and a

room of her own if she is to write

fiction”

“Man is defined as a human

being and a woman as a

female- whenever she behaves

as a human being she is said

to imitate the male”

-Simone de Beauvoir

Definition of Feminism

“The movement of feminism

aimed to establishing and

defending equal political,

social and economic rights

and equal opportunities for

women”

Introduction: To the Lighthouse

• Published in, 1927

• Divided into three parts

• To the Lighthouse centers on the

family of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey

• To the Lighthouse take on some

elements of Woolf’s own life

• Woolf describe strong male dominated

society through the character of Mr.

Ramsey and Charles Tansley

• Virginia Woolf wrote about this novel

that – “I suppose that I did this work

for myself.”

Quotes of Virginia Woolf

Character of Mrs. Ramsey

• Mrs. Ramsey is the central character

• Mrs. Ramsey, a woman belonging to the

Victorian age

• Mrs. Ramsey portrayed in image of

fertility and softness

• Mrs. Ramsey is totally different from the

character of Lily Briscoe

• She is a match maker and gives much

importance to the marriage

• According to her all men and all women

should definitely be married

Character of Lily Briscoe

• Lily also a centre character of the

novel

• In the novel Lily is portray as a “New

Woman”

• Lily is inspired by Woolf’s sister

Vanessa Bell to be a painter

• Lily is totally oppose from Mrs.

Ramsey but in someway she wants to be

like Mrs. Ramsey

Feministic study of Mrs. Ramsey and Lily

•In this novel Virginia reflects these two

characters reflects transparently the era and

procure a clear understanding of social

condition of women in that time

• Woolf describe such woman as utterly

unselfish who sacrifices herself daily

• Mrs. Ramsey pays attention her role as

house wife

• Mrs. Ramsey is a anti-hero of Woolf

• Mrs. Ramsey is the idealized woman type

according to Victorian values

Continue……

• Woolf represents Lily as a role model for

women she defies the patriarcal society

• Lily ignores the patriarcal rules and she

aims to take her social role with her with

becoming an artist

• Lily is the struggling female artist

• Tansley is very self centered character

• According to him, “Women can’t paint

and Write”

• Lily thinks that, women in traditional

marriage of that time is in fact kind of

‘SLAVE’ and considered as “SELF

ABASEMENT”

Vanessa Bell

Lily Briscoe

Lily is inspired by Woolf’s sister Vanessa Bell to be a painter

Woolf reflects her own life in the

character of Lily as modern woman

Woolf reflects her own pain in the

character of Mrs. Ramsey

• In the novel Woolf’s concept of women’s role

in life is crystallized in the character of Mrs.

Ramsey whose attributes are those of major

female figures in Pagan myth

• If Mrs. Ramsey resembles Rhea, she appears

almost an incarnation of Demeter

• Woolf has connected these myths with the

character of Mrs. Ramsey.

• To explain the role of Mrs. Ramsey as

mother, and as wife Woolf compares with the

myth with the character of Mrs. Ramsey

Continue…

•Woolf in the Feministic criticism

Considering women’s ability and necessity in

male-dominated society,

•“An important precursor in Feminism was

Virginia

Woolf… on the culture, economic, and

educational

disability within what she called a

‘patriarchal’

society have hindered or prevented from

realizing

their productive and creative possibilities.”

Continue…..

•Lily is idealized woman for Woolf

• Lily is one of the few characters who

maintains their existence by the end of

novel

• Mrs. Ramsey is totally contrast to the

Lily

• Woolf’s application of Stream of

Consciousness technique gives the reader a

chance to observe mind of women of that

period

Conclusion

Thank You …