Woolf herself was even denied the right to situate alongside a riverbed, allowing her to concentrate on writing. Whereas, her male contemporaries were meanwhile indulging in their scholarly endeavors, cushioned by the lavish nature of their lifestyles as intellectuals. She symbolizes the unfairness concerning male to female academic resources of her time by illustrating the differences in dining at two universities. After noting the extravagance of a luncheon at a men's college, Woolf depicts the inadequate dining at Fernham, a college for women, presenting a drab meal consisting mainly of aplain gravy soup.? (24) Supportive of Woolf and sharing similar views, is an anonymous article from Cultural Conversations entitledTimes Literary Supplement,? in which the author explains thatWomen in her day were certainly allowed to write, but the assumptions and values were all against them.? (61).
Bell Hooks, author ofFeminism,? took a different approach in addressing the issue of women's liberation. While Woolf provided a first-hand account of women's deprivation, Hooks? writing was more analytical and observed the modern movement against sexual oppression, and did not seem to hold as many implications regarding education. But through the mastery of language, she clearly demonstrates equality among authors of both sexes. Hooks also does a good job of maintaining readability for either gender by restraining from holding a stereotypical feminist view and repelling her male audience, saying that,When we cease to focus on the simplistic stancemen are the enemy,? we are compelled to examine systems of domination and our role in their maintenance and perpetuation.? (71).
In spite of the social circumstances hindering women from success in the fields of literature, the collective willpower of the gender would eventually begin to break the seams of what was once a purely male-dominated profession.
