Brothers Judd review of A Room [Archive] - Literature Network Forums

Spanky

02-10-2010, 04:23 AM

This was interesting:

"When conservatives speak of moral relativism or the death of outrage or the decline of the West, they speak with particular reference to these Modernist intellectuals and to the tremendous influence they have had on the culture. But it is hard to see how these androgynists differ much from women in general. The fundamental mission of both is to replace a culture based on freedom, morality and justice, with one based on security, egalitarianism, anti-heroism, and sameness--a sort of dictatorship of the lowest common denominator. "

The author was a bit confused in some places, for instance assigning morality as one of Woolf's concerns and then suggesting she was amoral in the next sentence.

One thing that fascinates me about Woolf is how contemporary 'A Room' is. I don't think this is a compliment to her essay so much as evidence that the ideas within that essay have become heavily guarded dogma...yes, you could say a 'sort of dictatorship of the lowest common denominator".

For instance, suggesting reasons for women's under-achievement besides the quotidian accusations of oppression by men is simply unacceptable in most environments -- at least in the U.S.. Women cannot possibly be responsible for their own lack of achievement so that it MUST be the fault of men. If you disagree, the air could start smelling bad real quick.

The ideas in A Room of One's Own have become enshrouded in militancy in western society and have been for quite some time. Can we move on to a different idea? Maybe add some different insights? Nope. It's all about men oppressing us. Don't rock the boat.