The exploration of gender in Virginia Woolf's "Orlando"

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction.
• The Concept of Gender and Feminism.
• Virginia Woolf
• Virginia Woolf as a Feminist.
• Orlando: A Biography.
• Summary
• Background Information
• The Role of the Biographer
• The Concept of Time
• Representations of Gender in Orlando.
• Identity and Society.
• The Truth.
• Love.
• The Russian Princess
• First Crisis
• Archduchess Harriet / Archduke Harry
• Second Crisis
• Marmaduke Bonthrop Shelmerdine
• The Oak Tree.
• The Gypsy Community.
• Looks.

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to analyze the portrayal of gender in Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando, published in 1928. The work examines how Woolf challenges traditional gender roles and explores the complexities of identity through the character's transformation from man to woman.

• Gender and Androgyny
• Feminist Critique of Society
• The Role of Time and Identity
• The Concept of the Biographer as Narrator
• Symbolic Representations of Gender

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: The introduction presents Virginia Woolf as a prominent feminist writer and explores the significance of Orlando's gender transformation in the context of 20th-century literature.
• The Concept of Gender and Feminism: This chapter introduces Judith Butler's theory on the performativity of gender and its relevance to understanding Woolf's approach.
• Virginia Woolf as a Feminist: This chapter examines Woolf's feminist activism and her contributions to the movement, particularly through her work A Room of One's Own.
• Orlando: A Biography: This chapter provides an overview of the novel, including its background, the role of the biographer, and the concept of time within the narrative.
• Representations of Gender in Orlando: This chapter delves into the various themes related to gender in the novel, examining how Orlando's identity and social circumstances, their experiences with love, and their interactions with symbolic elements such as the oak tree contribute to the exploration of gender.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Key terms and topics explored in the text include gender, androgyny, feminism, Judith Butler, Virginia Woolf, Orlando: A Biography, identity, society, love, the biographer, time, and symbolic representation.