Interrogating Gender Constructs: A Feminist Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’

In this presentation, I have presented analysis of Virginia Woolf’s novel ‘Orlando’ from a feminist perspective.

1. Interrogating Gender Constructs: A Feminist Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’ Presented by- Bhumiba Gohil

2. Academic Information Semester - 2 Roll no - 4 Paper no - 106 Paper - The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to World War II Submitted to - Smt. S. B. Gardi, Department of English Email id - [email protected]

3. About the author - Virginia Woolf Occupation: Writer, Essayist, Feminist Notable Works: “Mrs. Dalloway,” “To the Lighthouse,” “Orlando,” “A Room of One’s Own” Key Themes: Modernism, Feminism, Stream of Consciousness Legacy: Renowned for her innovative narrative techniques, exploration of gender and identity, and contributions to feminist literature. ( 1882–1941) “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” (Reid)

4. Introduction to ‘Orlando’ Setting: Spanning over several centuries, from the Elizabethan era to the early 20th century Plot Summary: Follows the fantastical journey of Orlando, a young nobleman who lives for centuries and undergoes a mysterious transformation from male to female. The novel explores themes of gender identity, love, history, and the passage of time. Style: Experimental narrative techniques, including stream of consciousness and metafiction. Genre: Novel, Fantasy, Satire Publication Year: 1928 (Woolf)

5. Representation of Gender Gender switching protagonist subverting gender norms Maintains the essence of the character Idea of Gender Performativity by Judith Butler - gender is not an inherent quality linked to biological sex, but something that is continuously created through actions and behaviours It’s not binary but it’s a spectrum Questioning and deconstructing the rigid gender roles imposed by society (Sadjadi and Hojabri) (Butler)

6. Challenging Gender Roles Through Other Characters Russian Princess Sasha Archduke Harry/ Archduchess Henrietta Breaking stereotypical gender roles through side characters Cross dressing and disguises Homosexuality and Gender Fluidity ( Sadjadi and Hojabri )

7. Critique of Patriarchal Society Problems faced by Orlando after the gender change and different treatment in society. “ And I shall never be able to crack a man over the head, or tell him he lies in his teeth, or draw my sword and run him through the body, or sit among my peers, or wear a coronet, or walk in procession, or sentence a man to death, or lead an army, or prance down Whitehall on a charger, or wear seventy-two different medals on my breast. All I can do, once I set foot on English soil, is to pour out tea and ask my lords how they like it. ” (Woolf) Orlando breaking rules and becoming an independent figure

8. Establishing Equality ( Pernas Parapar) Not trying to prove superiority Both possess different natures and different characteristics “Orlando followed being a man and being a woman. For her/him, there were not limits between both sexes. It was a question of the essence of being, equal in both sexes. Orlando behaved politely with the rest of people but not thinking if she was a man or a woman, she did not need a man to get engaged with and she/he wears the clothes that she/he liked or enjoyed wearing at that moment.”

9. Celebrating Women’s Creativity Attempt to "rewrite history" by tracing a lineage for a 20th century woman writer back to the liberating spirit of the Renaissance era. “Thinking back through our mothers” Gender-changing protagonist, living over 350 years explores how gender affected the experiences and conditions for writers across different periods. (De Gay)

10. Conclusion Feminist principles of Gender Inclusivity, Social Justice and Equality are reflected in this novel. The amplification of marginalised voices is seen. ‘Orlando’ serves as a feminist text that challenges, traditional gender norms, critics the oppressive power structures and reimagine history from a feminist perspective. The impact of ‘Orlando’ is not limited to the literary sphere and influences perceptions of gender and identity in broader societal context.

11. References - Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity . Routledge, 2006. DE GAY, JANE. “Virginia Woolf's Feminist Historiography in "Orlando."” Critical Survey , vol. 19, no. 1, 2007, pp. 62-72. JSTOR , https://www.jstor.org/stable/41556201 . Accessed 5 April 2024. Pernas Parapar, Laura. “A Feminist Approach to the Work of Virginia Woolf: Orlando and A Room of One’s Own.” University of A Coruña , 2014, https://ruc.udc.es/dspace/bitstream/handle/2183/15703/Pernas_Parapar_Laura_2014_enfoque_feminista_virginia_wollf2.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y . Accessed 5 April 2024. Reid, Panthea. “Virginia Woolf | Biography, Books, Death, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 24 March 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virginia-Woolf . Accessed 5 April 2024. Sadjadi, Bakhtiar, and Sirwe Hojabri. “Gender, Performativity, and Agency in Virginia Woolf: A Butlerian Reading of Orlando.” Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences , vol. 22, 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication / 339085287_Gender_Performativity_and_Agency_in_Virginia_Woolf_A_Butlerian_Reading_of_Orlando . Accessed 5 April 2024. Woolf, Virginia. Orlando . Penguin UK, 2021.

12. Thank you!