A room of one VI.docx

A room of one VI.docx

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AroomofoneVI

VirginiaWoolf

Aroomofone'sown

SIX

NextdaythelightoftheOctobermorningwasfallingindustyshaftsthroughtheuncurtainedwindows,andthehumoftrafficrosefromthestreet.Londonthenwaswindingitselfupagain;thefactorywasastir;themachineswerebeginning.Itwastempting,afterallthisreading,tolookoutofthewindowandseewhatLondonwasdoingonthemorningofthe26thofOctober1928.AndwhatwasLondondoing?

Nobody,itseemed,wasreadingANTONYANDCLEOPATRA.Londonwaswhollyindifferent,itappeared,toShakespeare’splays.Nobodycaredastraw—andIdonotblamethem—forthefutureoffiction,thedeathofpoetryorthedevelopmentbytheaveragewomanofaprosestylecompletelyexpressiveofhermind.Ifopinionsuponanyofthesemattershadbeenchalkedonthepavement,nobodywouldhavestoopedtoreadthem.Thenonchalanceofthehurryingfeetwouldhaverubbedthemoutinhalfanhour.Herecameanerrand-boy;hereawomanwithadogonalead.ThefascinationoftheLondonstreetisthatnotwopeopleareeveralike;eachseemsboundonsomeprivateaffairofhisown.Therewerethebusiness-like,withtheirlittlebags;therewerethedriftersrattlingsticksuponarearailings;therewereaffablecharacterstowhomthestreetsserveforclubroom,hailingmenincartsandgivinginformationwithoutbeingaskedforit.Alsotherewerefuneralstowhichmen,thussuddenlyremindedofthepassingoftheirownbodies,liftedtheirhats.Andthenaverydistinguishedgentlemancameslowlydownadoorstepandpausedtoavoidcollisionwithabustlingladywhohad,bysomemeansorother,acquiredasplendidfurcoatandabunchofParmaviolets.Theyallseemedseparate,selfabsorbed,onbusinessoftheirown.

Atthismoment,assooftenhappensinLondon,therewasacompletelullandsuspensionoftraffic.Nothingcamedownthestreet;nobodypassed.Asingleleafdetacheditselffromtheplanetreeattheendofthestreet,andinthatpauseandsuspensionfell.Somehowitwaslikeasignalfalling,asignalpointingtoaforceinthingswhichonehadoverlooked.Itseemedtopointtoariver,whichflowedpast,invisibly,roundthecorner,downthestreet,andtookpeopleandeddiedthemalong,asthestreamatOxbridgehadtakentheundergraduateinhisboatandthedeadleaves.Nowitwasbringingfromonesideofthestreettotheotherdiagonallyagirlinpatentleatherboots,andthenayoungmaninamaroonovercoat;itwasalsobringingataxi-cab;anditbroughtallthreetogetheratapointdirectlybeneathmywindow;wherethetaxistopped;andthegirlandtheyoungmanstopped;andtheygotintothetaxi;andthenthecabglidedoffasifitweresweptonbythecurrentelsewhere.

Thesightwasordinaryenough;whatwasstrangewastherhythmicalorderwithwhichmyimaginationhadinvestedit;andthefactthattheordinarysightoftwopeoplegettingintoacabhadthepowertocommunicatesomethingoftheirownseemingsatisfaction.Thesightoftwopeoplecomingdownthestreetandmeetingatthecornerseemstoeasethemindofsomestrain,Ithought,watchingthetaxiturnandmakeoff.Perhapstothink,asIhadbeenthinkingthesetwodays,ofonesexasdistinctfromtheotherisaneffort.Itinterfereswiththeunityofthemind.Nowthatefforthadceasedandthatunityhadbeenrestoredbyseeingtwopeoplecometogetherandgetintoataxicab.Themindiscertainlyaverymysteriousorgan,Ireflected,drawingmyheadinfromthewindow,aboutwhichnothingwhateverisknown,thoughwedependuponitsocompletely.WhydoIfeelthatthereareseverancesandoppositionsinthemind,astherearestrainsfromobviouscausesonthebody?

Whatdoesonemeanby‘theunityofthemind’?

Ipondered,forclearlythemindhassogreatapowerofconcentratingatanypointatanymomentthatitseemstohavenosinglestateofbeing.Itcanseparateitselffromthepeopleinthestreet,forexample,andthinkofitselfasapartfromthem,atanupperwindowlookingdownonthem.Oritcanthinkwithotherpeoplespontaneously,as,forinstance,inacrowdwaitingtohearsomepieceofnewsreadout.itcanthinkbackthroughitsfathersorthroughitsmothers,asIhavesaidthatawomanwritingthinksbackthroughhermothers.Againifoneisawomanoneisoftensurprisedbyasuddensplittingoffofconsciousness,sayinwalkingdownWhitehall,whenfrombeingthenaturalinheritorofthatcivilization,shebecomes,onthecontrary,outsideofit,alienandcritical.Clearlythemindisalwaysalteringitsfocus,andbringingtheworldintodifferentperspectives.Butsomeofthesestatesofmindseem.evenifadoptedspontaneously,tobelesscomfortablethanothers.Inordertokeeponeselfcontinuinginthemoneisunconsciouslyholdingsomethingback,andgraduallytherepressionbecomesaneffort.Buttheremaybesomestateofmindinwhichonecouldcontinuewithouteffortbecausenothingisrequiredtobeheldback.Andthisperhaps,Ithought,cominginfromthewindow,isoneofthem.ForcertainlywhenIsawthecouplegetintothetaxicabthemindfeltasif,afterbeingdivided,ithadcometogetheragaininanaturalfusion.Theobviousreasonwouldbethatitisnaturalforthesexestoco-operate.Onehasaprofound,ifirrational,instinctinfavourofthetheorythattheunionofmanandwomanmakesforthegreatestsatisfaction,themostcompletehappiness.Butthesightofthetwopeoplegettingintothetaxiandthesatisfactionitgavememademealsoaskwhethertherearetwosexesinthemindcorrespondingtothetwosexesinthebody,andwhethertheyalsorequiretobeunitedinordertogetcompletesatisfactionandhappiness?

AndIwentonamateurishlytosketchaplanofthesoulsothatineachofustwopowerspreside,onemale,onefemale;andintheman’sbrainthemanpredominatesoverthewoman,andinthewoman’sbrainthewomanpredominatesovertheman.Thenormalandcomfortablestateofbeingisthatwhenthetwoliveinharmonytogether,spirituallyco-operating.Ifoneisaman,stillthewomanpartofhisbrainmusthaveeffect;andawomanalsomusthaveintercoursewiththemaninher.Coleridgeperhapsmeantthiswhenhesaidthatagreatmindisandrogynous.Itiswhenthisfusiontakesplacethatthemindisfullyfertilizedandusesallitsfaculties.Perhapsamindthatispurelymasculinecannotcreate,anymorethanamindthatispurelyfeminine,Ithought.Butitwouldhewelltotestwhatonemeantbymanwomanly,andconverselybywoman-manly,bypausingandlookingatabookortwo.

Coleridgecertainlydidnotmean,whenhesaidthatagreatmindisandrogynous,thatitisamindthathasanyspecialsympathywithwomen;amindthattakesuptheircauseordevotesitselftotheirinterpretation.Perhapstheandrogynousmindislessapttomakethesedistinctionsthanthesingle-sexedmind.Hemeant,perhaps,thattheandrogynousmindisresonantandporous;thatittransmitsemotionwithoutimpediment;thatitisnaturallycreative,incandescentandundivided.InfactonegoesbacktoShakespeare’smindasthetypeoftheandrogynous,ofthemanwomanlymind,thoughitwouldbeimpossibletosaywhatShakespearethoughtofwomen.Andifitbetruethatitisoneofthetokensofthefullydevelopedmindthatitdoesnotthinkspeciallyorseparatelyofsex,howmuchharderitistoattainthatconditionnowthaneverbefore.HereIcametothebooksbylivingwriters,andtherepausedandwonderedifthisfactwerenotattherootofsomethingthathadlongpuzzledme.Noagecaneverhavebeenasstridentlysex-consciousasourown;thoseinnumerablebooksbymenaboutwomenintheBritishMuseumareaproofofit.TheSuffragecampaignwasnodoubttoblame.Itmusthaverousedinmenanextraordinarydesireforselfassertion;itmusthavemadethemlayanemphasisupontheirownsexanditscharacteristicswhichtheywouldnothavetroubledtothinkabouthadtheynotbeenchallenged.Andwhenoneischallenged,evenbyafewwomeninblackbonnets,oneretaliates,ifonehasneverbeenchallengedbefore,ratherexcessively.ThatperhapsaccountsforsomeofthecharacteristicsthatIremembertohavefoundhere,Ithought,takingdownanewnovelbyMrA,whoisintheprimeoflifeandverywellthoughtof,apparently,bythereviewers.Iopenedit.Indeed,itwasdelightfultoreadaman’swritingagain.Itwassodirect,sostraightforwardafterthewritingofwomen.Itindicatedsuchfreedomofmind,suchlibertyofperson,suchconfidenceinhimself.Onehadasenseofphysicalwell-beinginthepresenceofthiswell-nourished,well-educated,freemind,whichhadneverbeenthwartedoropposed,buthadhadfulllibertyfrombirthtostretchitselfinwhateverwayitliked.Allthiswasadmirable.Butafterreadingachapterortwoashadowseemedtolieacrossthepage.itwasastraightdarkbar,ashadowshapedsomethingliketheletter‘I’.Onebegandodgingthiswayandthattocatchaglimpseofthelandscapebehindit.WhetherthatwasindeedatreeorawomanwalkingIwasnotquitesure.Backonewasalwayshailedtotheletter‘I’.Onebegantobetiredof‘I’.Notbutwhatthis‘I’wasamostrespectable‘I’;honestandlogical;ashardasanut,andpolishedforcenturiesbygoodteachingandgoodfeeding.Irespectandadmirethat‘I’fromthebottomofmyheart.But—hereIturnedapageortwo,lookingforsomethingorothertheworstofitisthatintheshadowoftheletter‘I’allisshapelessasmist.Isthatatree?

No,itisawoman.But...shehasnotaboneinherbody,Ithought,watchingPhoebe,forthatwashername,comingacrossthebeach.ThenAlangotupandtheshadowofAlanatonceobliteratedPhoebe.ForAlanhad