Lesson 4 Professions for Women

Teaching Aims: The teaching of this lesson aims to enable students to master: 1 20 key words and about 100 other new words 2 20 key phrases and their translations 3 the way of analyzing the usage of metaphor in this lesson 4 the way of dividing the lesson 5 the skills of translation in ten sentences 6 the main idea stated by the author The teaching of this lesson is divided into five parts Part One: Background Information(in one period) In this part, the teacher and the students are working together to offer as much information as possible in one period. Information comes in all directions. In this way , views of the students can be broadened and versions of the world can be easily seen. We follow two procedures: I: The teacher gives a brief introduction about the background information and guides the students to the text by asking some questions. 1 How do you understand the title of the lesson? 2 Which rhetorical speech is repeatedly used in this lesson to achieve the fixed effects? 3 How many sections can you divide the lesson into? 4 Tell the students what difficulties they will face in understanding the lesson. 5 What is the most striking characteristic of the language used by Virginia Woolf in this essay? 6 How does Virginia Woolf begin her discussion of professions for women? Why does she start this way? At what place in the essay does she alert her audience and how does she alert the audience that a woman has to overcome great difficulties in order to have her won profession? II: Some students are asked to introduce some important notes because they have got some relevant information from the internet to help understand the lesson.

1 Note :the author Virginia Adeline Woolf Adeline Virginia Stephen was born in London on January 25, 1882 to Leslie Stephen, statesman and man of letters , and Julia Duckworth Stephen. Virginia was educated at home in her father's library. She was keenly aware that if she had been a boy she would have gone on to Cambridge or Oxford(It was not until 1976 that girls were allowed to enter Oxford). Later, with this sense of injustice, she wrote two feminist works, A Room of One's Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1938). In 1895 Virginia's mother died, and her father went into deep mourning. At the age of 13 Virginia had a mental breakdown. In 1902 Leslie Stephen was knighted. Two years later he died. Virginia had a second mental breakdown and tried to commit suicide by jumping out of a window. She remained in frail health all her life. Virginia and her sisters Vanessa and Adrian and her brother Thoby moved to Bloomsbury. She published her first essays and soon became a regular book reviewer for the Time Literary Supplement . She also taught at an evening college for working men and women. The four Stephens traveled to Greece, where Vanessa and Thoby became ill. Thohy died of typhoid fever at the age of 26. The sudden death of her favorite brother is reflected in the deaths of Percival in The Waves and Jacob in Jacob's Room. Virginia and Vanessa hosted gatherings of artists and writers. The gradual gathering of the "Bloomsbury Group" was comprised of such people as E. M. Foster and John Maynard Keynes. Vanessa married one of the friends, Clive Bell; Virginia married another, Leonard Woolf, a writer on politics and economics. Virginia had a third mental breakdown, which lasted for three years. During this time, she completed the novel The Voyage Out. In 1917, the Woolfs bought a secondhand printing press, and set up the Hogarth Press. Later the Press would publish Foster, Dostoevski, T. S. Eliot, Katherine Mansfield, Freud, Gorki and all of Woolf's novels and writings. Her first two novels The Voyage Out (1915) and Night and Day (1919) are fairly conventional and realistic. These were followed by Jacob's Room (1922), Mrs.

Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927); Orlando (1928), the book-length feminist essay A Room of One's Own, The Waves (193I), The Years (1937), Three Guineas. In 1940 she completed the draft of Between the Acts. Woolf's writing gained not only swift but also persistent and increasing attention and praise. Her name is typically associated with early 20th century modernism in fiction. During the Battle of Britain, bombs destroyed her home in London. At the onset of another mental breakdown, which she feared would be permanent, Virginia Woolf filled her pockets with stones and drowned herself in the River Ouse on March 28, leaving suicide notes for her husband and sister. Her husband Leonard Woolf published various essays, short stories, letters and diaries of hers, as well as several autobiographies, which detail their life together. 2 Note 6 Jane Austen 3 Note 7 George Eliot 4 Note 8 The Angel in the house 5 Note 9 Queen Victoria 6 Extra Background information: Part Two: Detailed study of the text(in five periods) In this part, the teacher finishes the explanation of words, sentences, grammar in six periods. Approaches used in this part: 1 Raising questions to make the students think differently; 2 Explaining some points; 3 Discussing some topics in pairs or with the teacher 4 Communicating with the students by repeating some words, some sentences or some explanations. 5 Asking volunteers to read each paragraph or asking them to read together. 6 Asking them to summarize the main idea in each paragraph and in each section separately 7 Asking them to seek some transitional paragraphs or sentences 8 Asking them to analyze the rhetorical speeches used in some sentences and master

the skills used in organizing the ideas. 9 Asking them to paraphrase as many sentences as possible 10 Making them pay attention to the special usages of some common words Key points in this part Para. 1 1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1? In the profession of literature, the author finds that there are fewer experiences peculiar to women than in other professions because many women writers before her have made the road smooth. 2. your Society= the Women's Service League 3. What professional experiences have I had= A rhetorical question, which the speaker does not expect the audience to answer. 4. My profession is literature.., that are peculiar to women. (1) Why does the author say that in the profession of literature there are fewer experiences for women than in any other professions, with the exception of the stage, that are peculiar to women? The answer is given in the next sentence: The road was cut many years ago by many famous women writers as well as many more unknown and forgotten women writers who have been before her, who have made the path smooth, regulating her steps. The implied meaning is that other professions, such as science, medicine, law, are newer for women, and therefore the road is harder for them, with more experiences peculiar to them. The profession of drama is an exception. Like literature, drama also involves more women than other professions. (2) the stage: With "the" the word means the theater, drama, or acting as a

professions. professions.

Like literature, the stage involves more women than other

5. the road was cut 6. For Fanny Burney, Aphra Behn, Harriet Martineau, Jane Austen and George Eliot, see Notes 3 to 7. All the women mentioned above are women writers who have made special contributions to English literature in their unique ways. Some lesser known women writers such as Burney, Behn and Martineau are listed here while more famous names such as the Bronte sisters are conspicuously missing. As Virginia Woolf was well acquainted with English literature of four centuries, it was easy for her to make the list longer. But perhaps the author doesn't want to make a long and comprehensive list, but intends to give the idea that early women writers like Burney and Hehn had already made their way into the profession of literature as early as in the 17th century. 7. making the path smooth: paving the way (for) 8. regulating my steps= guiding me as I move forward 9. Thus, when Il came to write.., few material obstacles in my way. (1) Note the word "material". The implied meaning is that there are other obstacles in her way, probably obstacles opposed to material, that is, obstacles of a spiritual, mental or psychological nature. As readers, we naturally expect a discussion of those obstacles in the following parts of the essay. (2) in my way: ( in the way) in a place or position that prevents someone or

something else from moving freely 10. Writing was a reputable and harmless occupation. (1) Why does the author say so? The answer is given in the next few sentences. (2) reputable: in a good repute; having a good reputation; well-thought of; respectable 11. The family peace was not broken by the scratching of a pen. (1) Here the "family peace" has two meanings: first: calm, quiet, tranquility; second: harmony, lack of worry and quarrels. (2) scratching of a pen: the sound made by an old fashioned ink pen when it moves on paper 12. No demand was made upon the family purse. (1) Explain the meaning of the sentence: There was no need for a writer to spend much of the family money in order to write. (2) The word "purse" stands for money, financial conditions, e, g. the family purse:' Here the word "purse" is used figuratively. This kind of figure of speech is called metonymy(A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power. ), in which the name of one thing is used in place of that of another associated with or suggested by it. e.g. "the White House" for "the President", "the crown" for "the king" or "the queen" . More examples The pen is mightier than the sword. (Here the instrument pen or sword is used as the

name of the people wielding it. ) He succeeded by the sweat of his brow. (Sweat of one's brow stands for one's own hard work. ) He is too fond of the bottle. (The container is used as a name of the thing contained-wine, liqueur, or drinking in general. ) 13. if one has a mind that way: A witty remark. The implication is that though everybody can afford the money to buy paper to write all the plays of Shakespeare, who has the kind of intelligence and talent that produced those great plays? 14. Pianos and models, Paris, Vienna and Berlin, masters and mistresses, are not needed by a writer: If you want to be a musician or a painter, you must own a piano or hire models, and you have to visit or even live in cultural centers like Paris, Vienna and Berlin. And also you have to be taught by masters and mistresses. However, if you want to be a writer, you don't need all these. (2) masters and mistresses; teachers or tutors; professional practitioners of music or painting; great artists 15. The cheapness of writing paper is, of course, the reason why.., in the other professions. This sentence has a sarcastic tone. The implied meaning is that in the patriarchal [peitria:kEl]society women have been forced into a lower financial status than men. Para. 2 16. What is the function of Paragraph 2? In this paragraph the author responds to the host's suggestion that she should tell the audience something about her own professional experiences. So she now tells her own story
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--how she became a book reviewer when she was a girl. Paragraphs 1 and 2 can be read together as the beginning part of the whole speech, introducing the topic under discussion. 17. figure: to represent mentally, to imagine 18. from left to right= A set phrase. Note the absence of articles before the words "left" and "right". Other examples: from morning till night from beginning to end from top to tail 19. Then it occurred to her to do what is simple.., into the red box at the corner: Instead of saying straightforwardly that she wrote a book review and mailed it to a journal, the author tells her story by using concrete details of posting a letter. The red box is the mailbox in England. 20 ... and my effort was rewarded.., one pound ten shillings and sixpence. (1) To put this in a straightforward way, she would have said that her article had been accepted by the journal and that she was paid one pound ten shillings and sixpence for the article. (2) shilling: ( )a former monetary unit of the United Kingdom, equal to 1/20 of a pound or 12 pence. 21. But to show you how little I deserve to be called a professional woman.., with my neighbors. (1) The implied meaning is that in the lives of professional women there are usually struggles and difficulties. When they make some money, they would spend it on

bread and butter, rent, shoes and stockings or butcher's bills, all of which are basic daily necessities. (2) bread and butter= This set phrase means food and the most important and basic things. This phrase, when hyphenated, can be used as an adjective before nouns. Examples: bread and-butter issues such as jobs and housing; a bread and butter account a breadand-butter item. Here the words "bread" and "butter" are used figuratively. This figure of speech is called synecdoche by which a part is used for a whole, an individual for a class, a material for a thing, or the reverse of any of these. A good synecdoche is based on an important part of the whole and not a minor part and, usually, the part selected to stand for the whole is the part most directly associated with the subject under discussion. Examples: (a) We need 50 hands for the work. ( Hands rather than feet are used to stand for people. ) (b) It was a fleet of 20 sails. (Sails for ships) (c) Have you got any coppers? (Coppers for pennies, coins made of copper) (d) He is a foot soldier. (Foot for infantry) (3) butcher's bills: Butcher's bills stand for meat bought from a butcher. This is metonymy. (4) a Persian cat: a stocky , domestic cat having long silky fur

(5) Which very soon involved me in bitter disputes with my neighbors: A touch of humor,

Paragraph 3 22. What is the main idea of Paragraph 3? This paragraph is an important part of her speech. In this paragraph the speaker focuses on the first obstacle to becoming a professional woman writer. She uses a figure of speech "killing the Angel in the House" in describing her determination to get rid of the conventional role of women in her writing. Now here are a few words about figurative language. Figurative language is a form of writing using comparison to go beyond the literal meanings of words. The two most common types are simile and metaphor. The simile uses the word "as" or "like" to indicate the comparison; for example, "lie is as strong as a horse." The metaphor equates ( ) the objects being compared and does not use a connecting word, as in "He was a lion in battle." "Killing the Angel in the House" is a metaphor. 23. What could be easier than to write articles.., wait a moment. (1) The speaker begins this part with a rhetorical question, which expects no answer. The question implies that writing articles and buying Persian cats with the profits

were very easy. (2) "Wait a moment" calls for a second thought or more attention from the audience, signifying that things may not be as easy as they seem to be, and that something important is coming up. The two sentences serve as a transitional device linking her simple story with a discussion of a more serious nature. 24. Mine, I seem to remember, was about a novel by a famous man: Note the contrast between a girl, who is writing for the first time, and a famous man. The girl's task of writing a review about a novel by a famous man cannot be easy at all. 25. And while I was writing this review.., do battle with a certain phantom . (1i) do battle with: to argue with someone or fight against someone e. g. We had to do
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battle with the authorities over planning permission for the project. (2) phantom: The word "phantom" is well chosen for the discourse. It has a literary meaning and a figurative meaning. The literary meaning of "phantom" is something that seems to appear to the sight but has no physical existence, a specter ( ). The word is used metaphorically, meaning an apparition , , a vision, something feared or dreaded, something that exists only in the mind, an illusion, any mental image or representation. Both meanings suit the context here. In the text, the phantom appears to the sight in the form of an angel, and also it is a mental representation of the stereotyped Victorian woman. 26. I called her after the heroine of a famous poem, The Angel in the House. (1) after: (especially in British English) given the same name as someone else, especially an older member of your family, e. g. Her name is Elizabeth, after her grandmother. (2) heroine: the central female character in a novel, play, etc. , with whom the reader/ audience is supposed to sympathize (3) The Angel in the House: See Note 8 in the textbook. Coventry Patmore, the author of the poem, The Angel in the House, sees his wife Emily as a perfect Victorian wife and head of the home, thus comparing her to an angel. (4) angel: The original meaning of the word "angel" is a messenger of God and supernatural being to whom are attributed greater than human power, intelligence, etc. The conventionalized image of an angel is one of a white-robed figure in human form with wings and a halo[heilou] . When used figuratively, the word means a person regarded being as beautiful, good, innocent, etc. as an angel, especially said of women
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children. Since an angel is supernatural and often female, it is appropriate for the author to call the phantom an angel.

27. It was she who used to come between my paper and me when I was writing reviews. (1) She used to cause arguments or problems between me and what I was writing. Here the word "paper" stands for what she was writing. If something comes between two people (or things), it causes an argument or problems between them. (2) Translate the sentence into Chinese 28. as shortly as I can: as briefly as I can shortly: in a few words, briefly 29. She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. In the three short simple sentences, the author lists three important qualities of a Victorian woman. Short as they are, all the three sentences are effective and powerful. The three adverbs before the three adjectives are all for emphasis. Each of the adverbs suits the adjective it modifies perfectly. "Intensely" means having or showing strong emotion, firm purpose, and great seriousness. If she is intensely sympathetic, her sympathy is firm, serious. "Immensely" means limitless, vast, and huge. "Utterly" means not only totally completely but also unqualified and unconditionally. 30. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life.., sacrificed herself daily. (1) These two sentences list two more qualities of a Victorian ideal woman. All these qualities, at the same time, reveal women's subordinate role and position in the family
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and society. (2) excel: to do something very well 31. If there was chicken, she took the leg: Example One to prove the utter unselfishness and the spirit of sacrifice of the Angel in the House. An interesting thing to note is that while many Chinese may think the chicken leg is juicier and tastier than the other parts of the chicken, most Westerners prefer the chicken breast to other parts of the chicken. Certainly they dont eat the chicken's head or feet. Differences in eating habits are to be noted here. 32 ... if there was a draught she sat in it: Example Two to prove the utter

unselfishness and the spirit of sacrifice of the Angel in the House. "Draught" (chiefly British spelling for draft here means a current of air in a room. As the English weather is typically chilly, it is not pleasant to sit in the draught. The most comfortable place in an English house is by the fireplace. 33. She was so constituted that she never had a mind or wish of her own: She was made up, formed or designed in such a way that she never had an opinion or wish of her own. By the word "constituted" the author does not mean physically she was built that way, but the traditional values that were so deeply planted in her mind deprived her of a mind of her own. The word "mind" has multiple meanings. In this sentence it means what one thinks; opinion, as in "Speak your mind."
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34.

but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others: but preferred to think and act in harmony with other people's minds and wishes sympathize: (rare) to be in harmony or accord

35. Above all-- I need not say it she was pure; Of all the qualities, purity was the most important one. The word "pure" means virgin, chaste , and virtuous. 36. In those days -- the last days of Queen Victoria -- every house had its Angel. (1) For Queen Victoria, see Note 9 in the textbook. (2) Explain the implied meaning of the sentence: This sentence can be interpreted on two levels. On the first level, in the last days of Queen Victoria, every house had a woman like that, who was sympathetic, charming, unselfish and above all pure. On a deeper level, in the last period of the reign of Queen Victoria, the belief that every woman should be sympathetic, charming, unselfish, and above all, pure was prevalent in English society. 37. Directly, that is to say, I took my pen in hand.., and whispered: As soon as I began to review that novel by a famous man, she slipped behind me and whispered. Here "directly" is a conjunction (in British English), meaning "as soon as'. Example: She hurried to the hospital directly when she got the message. 38. Be sympathetic~ Be tender; flatter; deceive;... (1) These words said by the Angel in the House reflect the traditional Victorian values about gender roles. As soon as the author began to write her review, she seemed to hear a voice telling her what to do. (2) To be sympathetic means to understand the mind of men and not to disagree with them. (3) To Be tender means she must not be too harsh in her criticism.

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(4) To flatter, she must praise the book in an insincere way in order to please the reading public. (5) To deceive indicates that she could not write what she really thought; she would have to tell lies instead of telling the truth. 39. all the arts and wiles ( A trick intended to deceive ) of our sex: Look up an English- English dictionary and note the different meanings of the word "art". Here the word "arts" (in the plural form) is a synonym of the word "wiles", both meaning sly, cunning tricks. The meaning of the word "arts" in this sentence is different from that of "art" in Paragraph 3, which is ability, skill or application of a skill. The author is urged to use tricks of the female sex because a woman has to do so in order to be successful in a men-dominated profession. Although the author does not mention what tricks of the female sex should be used, we can infer from her later remarks that charm is one of them when she says, "... it was not necessary for me to depend solely on charm for my living." 40. And she made as if to guide my pen: She moved in a way that made it seem that she was going to guide my writing. make as if to do something: to move in a way that makes it seem that you are going to do something. Example: Fred, still grinning, made as if to hit me. 41. I now record the one act for which I take some credit to myself.., for my living. (1) Translate the sentence into Chinese: -- --- (2) credit: praise; approval for an act, ability or a quality Example: You should at least give him some credit for all the efforts he's put in. (3) five hundred pounds a year: Back in the early years of the 20th century, this was a good
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sum of money. 42. I turned upon her and caught her by the throat. (1) I turned upon her: Suddenly I attacked her violently. turn upon: to suddenly attack someone or treat them badly, using physical violence or unpleasant words (2) caught her by the throat: Note "catch somebody by the throat", not catch somebody's throat. Other examples: to slap somebody on the face; to lead somebody by the nose; to hit somebody on the head 43. if I were to be had up in a court of law: if I were to be taken to court have somebody up: (British- English) an informal set phrase, meaning to take someone to court, especially to prove they are guilty of a crime. Example: Last year he was had up for drunken driving. 44. Had I not killed her she would have killed me: The inversion is used in the subjunctive mood. If I had not killed her she would have killed me. Remember that the phantom and the angel are used metaphorically, applied to a stereotyped Victorian woman, or rather, the traditional role of a Victorian woman and the traditional values about such a stereotype. So by killing the angel, the author means getting rid of these Victorian attitudes completely. If she had not done so, these conventional ideas would have destroyed her. It is a lifeand -death struggle. 45. She would have plucked the heart out of my writing. (1) The author is using the metaphor of killing the Angel in the House in an

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extended way. The implied meaning of the sentence is that those conventional attitudes would have taken away the most important part of her writing, that is, the essence of her writing, which is, as explained in the next sentence, having a mind of your own, expressing what you think to be the truth about human relations, morality, and sex. (2) pluck : to remove by picking or pulling out or away 46. For, as I found, directly I put pen to paper.., about human relations, morality, sex. (1) Explain the meaning of the sentence; For, I found that as soon as I began writing, one must have an ability of independent thinking and have the courage to express what one thinks to be the truth about human relationsmorality and sex. (2) put pen to paper: a set phrase, to write something 47. All these questions, according to the Angel in the House, cannot be dealt with.., to succeed: According to the Victorian attitudes, women are not supposed to discuss and explore these questions freely and openly. They must use their feminine charm to gain recognition from men; they must make concessions in their arguments; they must tell lies in order to succeed in the profession of writing. 48. Thus, whenever I felt the shadow of her wing or the radiance of her halo.., flung it at her. (1) Explain the implied meaning of the sentence in your own words: Thus, whenever I felt the influence of the Victorian attitudes on my writing, I fought back with all my

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power. Note that this sentence is part of her extended metaphor of killing the Angel in the House. (2) halo, a circle of light, radiance surrounding the head of an angel (or a sacred person) (3) flung: To fling something is to throw something quickly with a lot of force. 49. She died hard: She didn't die easily. She had to be killed. The implied meaning is that one had to fight against the Victorian traditions bravely and resolutely in order to get rid of them. 50. Her fictitious nature was of great assistance to her.., than a reality; (1) The phantom or the Angel in the House is not a real person. The author is only personifying it. It does not have a physical form. In fact it is a mental image and has an imaginary nature. It is far more difficult to deal with a phantom than a reality. The reason is explained in the next sentence. (2) fictitious: referring to that which is invented by the imagination and is therefore not real, true, or actually existent 51. She was always creeping back... I had dispatched her; The implied meaning is that it is hard to overcome those prejudices once and for all. When you think that you have done away with them, you will find they are back again. So the struggle takes a long time, as explained in the next sentence. 52. Though I flatter myself that I killed her in the end.., in search of adventures: (1) Although l made myself believe that I killed her in the end, the struggle was

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severe and it took so much more time than had been expected that one would rather spend all that time on learning Greek grammar or traveling in the world in search of adventures. (2) flattered myself: If you flatter yourself that something is true about your abilities or achievements, you made yourself believe it is true, although it is not. So when the author says that she flattered herself that she had killed the phantom in the end, she implies that actually she had not really put an end to the existence of the phantom, it may come back again. 53. But it was a real experience.., the occupation of a woman writer. The last two sentences of this paragraph sum up the main idea of her first experience as a woman writer: killing the Angel in the House. To put it in a nonfigurative way, all women writers had to make continuous efforts to fight against the strong influence of the Victorian attitudes about the traditional role of women. To be bound to : (to be determined to do)He's bound to go, and nothing will stop him. To befall: to happen to; Evil befell him. Para. 4 54. What is the main idea of Paragraph 4? After the Angel was dead, the question which remains to be answered is "What is a woman?" It is a transitional link between the author's first and second experiences.

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55. She had rid of herself of falsehood... (1) Explain the meaning of the sentence: She had got rid of those wrong ideas and stopped telling lies. (2) falsehood: the practice of telling lies 56. I mean, what is a woman: I mean, what is the identity of a woman? The seemingly simple question of what is a woman addresses the very basic questions about the identity and the role of a woman in society. When traditional values are criticized, it takes time for new values to be shaped and accepted. This is a long process. 57. I do not believe that anybody can know.., human skill. (1) Explain the meaning of this sentence: I believe that to know what is a woman, we women have to participate in all the arts and professions open to human knowledge and understanding and to give expressions to our feelings in creative forms. (2) Translate the sentence into Chinese: (3) expressed herself: to express oneself means to state one's thoughts; to give expression to one's feelings, imagination, etc., in creative or artistic activity (4) human skill: Here the word "skill" means knowledge, understanding, judgment. This definition is no longer in use. Para. 5 58. What is the main idea of Paragraph 5? In this paragraph the author talks about her second experience in her profession of

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literature, As a novelist, she wished to remain "as unconscious as possible" so that nothing might disturb or disquiet the imagination. But she was faced with the conflict between her own approach to art and the conventional approach expected of her by male critics. She believed that sex-consciousness was a great hindrance to women's writing. To illustrate this point, she employs a second figure of speech, "the image of a fisherman lying sunk in dreams on the verge of a deep lake." 59. proceeds: (plural) the money or profit derived from a sale, business venture, etc. 60. a still stranger thing: Here the word "still" is an adverb, meaning used as an intensifier with a comparative form. Example: It was cold yesterday, but it is still colder today. 61.I hope I am not giving away professional secrets.., as possible. (1) Translate the sentence into Chinese: ; (2) giving away: To give away is colloquial, meaning to expose, reveal, or betray. (3) unconscious: "Unconscious" means not aware of one's existence, not conscious of one's self. "The unconscious (or somebody's unconscious)" is a term of psychoanalysis, referring to the sum of all thoughts, memories, impulses, desires, feelings, etc. of which the individual is not conscious but which influence the emotions and behavior; that part of one's psyche which comprises repressed material of this nature. (4) Why does the author say that a novelist's chief desire is to be as unconscious as possible? It's a difficult question to answer. First, Woolf's use of "unconscious" seems to

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have at least two levels of interpretation. She could be thinking in Freudian terms, that is, expressing a desire to have the subjects of her unconsciousness, which may reflect ancient angers and anxieties, rise up into her authorial perspective. Also she may be reacting against the notion expressed by Henry James (1843 1916) in "The Art of Fiction", which explicitly expresses his sense that an author should above all attempt to be fully conscious. In this latter sense, Woolf would seem to be taking a "modernist" point of view. Dissatisfied with realistic fiction, she explored the psychological nature of consciousness. In her psychological novels, the emphasis is not on plot or action but on the psychological realm occupied by her characters. For Woolf, the description of the immediate flow of her characters' thoughts and their feelings of the moment was more important than the realistic depiction of their physical behavior. Basically she conceives of the imagination as shy and hidden so that the writer can only draw the deepest inspiration by suspending everyday rational consciousness in order to liberate an imaginative expression of their deepest creativity. So, the "unconscious" state would allow her to bring her imagination into the fullest play, to see and express her reality in stream of consciousness, fragmentation, or to develop her feminine writing. 62. He has to induce in himself a state of perpetual lethargy. (1) Explain the meaning of the sentence: He has to cause in himself a particular condition in

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which he will remain abnormally drowsy and sluggish for a long time. (2) induce: (formal) to cause a particular physical condition may induce drowsiness. (3) lethargy: a condition of abnormal drowsiness; a great lack of energy; sluggishness;' dullness, apathy . This word is similar to the word "trance" used later in the same paragraph. 63. He wants life to proceed with the utmost quiet and regularity.., that very shy and illusive spirit, the imagination. (1) Why does he want life to proceed with the utmost quiet and regularity? Why does he want to do the same things day after day and month after month? To respond to this question, we have to use some Freudian terms: the ego and the id In Freudian theory, the division of the psyche that is totally unconscious and serves as the source of instinctual impulses and demands for immediate satisfaction of primitive needs. . Freud postulated the existence of three internal forces that govern a person's psychic life (1) the id, the instinctual force of life---unconscious, uncontrollable, and isolated; (2) the ego ,the external force that has contact with the real world; (3) the superego ( ), the governing force, or moral conscience, that seeks to control and direct the ego into socially acceptable patterns of behavior. In the Freudian sense, Woolf is asking that the ego manage the external factors of her life -- the routine, the predictable social events, etc. --- so that the id (or unconscious) would be unrestrained. In other words, she seeks tranquility in her surroundings in order not to distract
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Example: this drug

her imagination/unconscious away from the creative task. Disturbances would involuntarily draw her attention and her inner energy to relatively trivial and mundane , concerns. She believes that beneath the appearance of change and disorder that marks daily life is a timeless reality that becomes apparent only during pure "moments of being". 2) Meeting people, reading books and doing things are some of the external factors of the author's life, the routine, and the predictable social events. Wanting to see the same people, to read the same books and do the same things further explains her idea about life with the utmost quiet and regularity. Reducing everyday life to unchanging routines avoids having to pay much attention to the people or the events. This orientation has led to the establishment of some writers' colonies or retreat centers where for a time writers do not have to worry about meals, children or housecleaning but only write. 3) Translate the sentence into Chinese, 4) the illusion in which he is living= Here the illusion is the fictional world a writer is creating in words and living in his imagination. The fictional world refers to the developing of the unconscious flow of the narrative, of the expression. If the author is deeply involved in listening to the unconscious and responding to it through language new words and sentences, new images and characters ---he does not want the routines
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of his ordinary life to interfere, and yet he needs these routines to maintain his life. 5) disquiet: To disquiet means to disturb. The author uses two synonyms for emphasis. 6) nosing: To nose means to look closely and inquisitively. "Nosings about" is similar in meaning to the following phrase "feelings round". 7) darts: A dart is a sudden, quick movement in a particular direction. 8) dashes: A dash is a sudden, swift movement, similar to a dart. Alliteration and synonyms are used for emphasis. 9) The author uses these words and phrases metaphorically, indicating that a modernist novelist has to search new and experimental ways of expressing himself and to discover his imagination, which is a shy and illusive spirit. 64. Be that as it may, I want you to imagine me writing a novel in a state of trance. 1) Translate the sentence into Chinese 2) be that as it may: (formal) This phrase [s used to say that even though you accept that something is true it does not change a situation, despite the fact that it may be so. 3) trance: a state in which you behave as if you were asleep but are still able to hear and understand what is said to you, similar to the unconscious state 65. The image that comes to my mind when I think of this girl.., out over the water. (1) Translate the sentence into Chinese: (2) Both "trance" and "dreams" echo the idea expressed earlier in the paragraph that a novelist's chief desire is to be as unconscious as possible. (3) The image of a fisherman is the second metaphor the author uses in describing her

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professional experiences. 56. She was letting her imagination sweep unchecked.., our unconscious being. (1) Explain the meaning of the sentence in non-figurative English: She was letting her imagination explore freely every corner of her inner world that lies hidden in the deepest parts of our unconscious existence. (2) cranny: crack (3) submerged: covered with water, suppressed, hidden (4) the depths of our unconscious being: being: state or fact of existing or living, existence, life; fundamental or essential nature 67. Now came the experience~ the experience that I believe to be... than with men. (1) What was the experience? The answer is found in her following remarks: Her imagination no longer worked, as the consciousness of what men will say of a woman who speaks tlhe truth about her passions bad roused her from her artist's state of unconsciousness. (2) Why does the author believe that this experience was far commoner with women writers than with men? Again the author gives the answer later in the paragraph: For though men sensibly allow themselves great freedom in these respects (such as speaking the truth about their passions), the author doubts that they realize or can control the extreme severity with which they condemn such freedom in women. 68. The line raced through her fingers.., dashed against something hard. (1) In these sentences the author goes on with her metaphor of the fisherman. The fisherman (a "fisherwoman", in this case) intended to seek the pools, the depths and the dark

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places where the largest fish would be. But suddenly, the line slipped through her fingers because it had hit upon something hard. As a result there was an explosion, foam (from the disturbed water) and confusion. Her fishing was interrupted, and she was roused from her dreams. The process of fishing is compared to the process of creative writing. That means the writer's imagination freely explored and examined the depths of the unconscious being, where hidden thoughts, feelings and impulses were to be found. Then suddenly the writer's imagination came across a big obstacle, and she was roused from her artist's state of unconsciousness. (2) slumber: to sleep (3) smash: a hard, heavy hit or blow; a violent collision (4) dash; to strike (against. on) acute: extremely sharp or severe; intense: acute pain; acute relief. distress: Severe strain resulting from exhaustion or an accident. 69. To speak without figure she had thought of something.., would be shocked. (1) to speak without figure: figure, figure of speech. Up to now, she has been talking about her second experience in a figurative way, comparing the novelist to a fisherman lying sunk in dreams on the verge of a deep lake with a rod held out over the water. At this point she turns to nonfigurative, plain language. (2) Explain the meaning of the sentence: Her imagination was exploring freely until she thought of something, something about the body, about the passions. But she realized

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that it was unfitting for her as a woman to tell the truth about the body and about the passions because men would be shocked. (3) something about the body: In the next paragraph Woolf sums up her second professional experience as "telling the truth about my own experiences as a body". This is something that D. H. Lawrence was also seeking to do with more directness and success, particularly in his novel Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928). Of course he was writing from a male body perspective. Woolf wants to talk about a woman's sense of her sexuality. She is expressing her sense of the need for an original feminine writing. This issue goes back to her central concern with women in this piece. Getting rid of the Angel in the House helps clear the decks for inner exploration, but it does not guarantee access to the somatic dimension of womanhood, which had been repressed in the process of socialization. She is not satisfied with the acknowledgement that she as woman has a body, which is different from that of a man; she wants to find an imaginative means (in words, in fiction) whereby that body can express itself. One of her experiments along these lines is her novel Orlando. In this fantastic novel the main character Orlando begins as a young Elizabethan nobleman and ends, three hundred years later, as a contemporary young woman. One of the interpretations of this novel is the inner history of England as being sexually described at one period as masculine and then changing to
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feminine. The novel reflects the author's idea of androgyny : being both male and female in one, a blend of male and female characteristics and roles. (4) The word "passion" implies a strong emotion that has an overpowering or compelling effect. It also means strong love or affection, sexual drive or desire, and lust. 70.The consciousness of what men will say of a woman.., her artist's state of unconsciousness. (1) Explain the meaning of this sentence: She realized that men didn't approve of a woman daring to tell the truth about the body and her passions. They would surely say bad things about such a woman. This realization interrupted her imagination and roused her from the state of unconsciousness, in which an artist desired to be. (2) Translate the sentence into Chinese: 71.they were impeded (hinder)by the extreme conventionality of the other sex: The progress of women writers was hindered by men's extremely conventional thoughts and behaviors. 72. For though men sensibly allow themselves great freedom in these respects.., in women. (1) Explain the meaning of the sentences: It was a sensible thing for men to give themselves great freedom to talk about the body and their passions. But if women want to have the same freedom, men condemn such freedom in women. And I do not believe that they realize how severely they condemn such freedom in women, nor do I believe that they can control their extremely severe condemnation of such freedom in women.
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(2) doubt: The verb "doubt" is not to be mixed up with "suspect". To doubt means to question, to feel distrust to be inclined to disbelieve. While to suspect means to think it probable or likely; to guess or to surmise~ to suppose. Compare the following sentences: (a) I doubt that any woman has solved it yet. (Para. 6) (I don't think that any woman has solved this problem yet. ) (b) 1 suspect that this state is the same both for men and women. (Para. 5) (I suppose that this state is the same both for men and women ) (3) severity: the quality or condition of being severe; strictness; harshness. The adjective "severe" applies to a person or thing that is strict and uncompromising, and connotes a total absence of softness, laxity, etc. Para. 6 73. What is the main idea of Paragraph 6? (1) This paragraph sums up the author's two experiences, pointing out that the second obstacle is more difficult to overcome than the first. Women have many prejudices to overcome in the profession of literature and especially in new professions that women are entering. (2) Why is the second obstacle more difficult to solve? The first has to do with the conscious way of thinking, one's education, social attitudes and traditional values, etc. The second experience has to do with one's unconscious, the depths of the unconscious being. Thus it is more difficult to define, to examine and certainly harder to deal with. 74. telling the truth about my own experiences as a body: telling the truth about my

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body and passions as a woman 75. Outwardly, what is simpler than.., rather than for a man? The author is making a contrast between the outward and the inward. Here "outward" means clearly apparent, observable, and visible while "inward" is situated within, on the inside, of or belonging to the inner nature of a person, mental and spiritual. 76. Inwardly, I think, the case is very different; she has still many ghosts to fight, many prejudices to overcome. (D The word "ghosts" is similar to the word "phantom" used in Paragraph 3. (2) Translate the sentence into Chinese 77. Indeed it will be a long time still.., a rock to be dashed against. It will take a long time for women to rid themselves of false values and attitudes and to overcome the obstacle to telling the truth about their body and passions. Para. 7 78. What is the main idea of Paragraph 7? In this last paragraph Woolf concludes her speech by raising some important questions concerning the new role of women and the new relationship between men and women. 79. Those are the questions that I should like.., yours also. These two sentences link up the author as an individual woman with the other women as a group, making her personal experiences common to all women. 80. Even when the path is nominally open.., looming in her way. (1) Explain the meaning of the sentence: Even when the path is open to women in name

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only, when outwardly there is nothing to prevent a woman from being a doctor, a lawyer, a civil servant, inwardly there are still false ideas and obstacles impeding a woman's progress. (2) looming: To loom is to appear, take shape, or come in sight indistinctly as through a mist in a large, threatening form. Example: The peak loomed up before us. The word is also used figuratively. Example: The specter of war loomed ahead. 81. To discuss and define them is I think of great value and importance; for thus only can the labor be shared, the difficulties be solved. 82. But besides this, it is necessary also to discuss the ends and the aims.., obstacles. (1) ends: The word "end" ( usually plural) means an outcome, result, and consequence; aim. (2) formidable: causing fear or dread; hard to handle or overcome 83. Those aims cannot be taken for granted: they must be perpetually questioned and examined. 84. You have won rooms of your own in the house hitherto exclusively owned by men. (1) "A room of one's own" is the third metaphor Woolf uses in this piece. A room is a space, not only space for living, but also space for creative activity. Here a room is compared to freedom, while the house is compared to the whole society. The implied meaning of the sentence is that through fighting against the Angel in the House, through great labor and effort, some women have gained a position or certain freedom in a society

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which has been up to now dominated by men. (2) hitherto: adv. (formal) until this time; up to now; so far; Example: The Internet has made large quantities of information available to people hitherto unable to obtain them. 85. You are able, though not without great labour and effort, to pay the rent. "Not without" is double negative. The sentence may be explained like this: You are able ;0 pay the rent, though you have to do this through great labour and effort. You are earning five hundred dollars a year: you are economically independent 86. But this freedom is only a beginning: the room is your own.., it has to be shared. only a beginning: only a basic necessity for a living; a basic condition for creative writing; it is still bare: it needs improving, hence, furnished and decorated (1) Here Woolf is continuing with her metaphor of a room of one's own. She is saying that when women are able to pay the rent or earn five hundred pounds a year, they have won financial independence to a certain extent. She thinks that this freedom is only a beginning, and that women still have a long way to go. For when the old ideas, attitudes and values have been done away with, a void , is left. And that void has to be filled with new ideas, attitudes and values. (2) bare: empty, not covered by anything, or not having any decoration Example: This room looks very bare-- you need some pictures on the walls. Here the words "bare", "furnished", "decorated" and "shared" are all part of the metaphor. How are you going to furnish it, how are you going to decorate it... upon what terms?

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(1) terms: (plural) conditions of a contract, agreement, etc.; mutual relationship between or among persons; footing Examples: Under the terms of the agreement, Hong Kong returned to China in 1997. I bought this car on reasonable terms. If I agree to do this it will be on my own terms. We are on good terms with all our neighbors. They were barely on speaking terms. Chinese companies want to be able to compete on equal terms with their overseas rivals. (2) By these questions, which are phrased figuratively, Woolf alerts her audience that women are now faced with a set of new questions such as "What is the new role of a woman?" "What should be the relationship between men and women?" She only raises these questions in her concluding remarks of this piece~ without attempting to answer them. These issues are fully explored in her famous feminist critical work A Room of One's Own. A Room of One's Own: Considered to be the most persuasive of all feminist literary manifestos, this work deals with the status of women, the difficulties of a woman artist, the future of fiction and woman's part in it. In his article "Habits of Thought" John Burt outlines the main ideas of the book in this way: A Room of One's Own is primarily about the effects of women's poverty upon their art, but it is also about growing uneasiness between sexes... The central argument of the book might be summarized in five theses :

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1) Patriarchal society imposes economic and social restrictions upon women on account of its own need for psychological support 2) These restriction limit the experience upon which art depends, causing creative women to suffer and depriving the general culture of their contributions. 3) As the material condition of women has improved, women writers have emerged, and the integrity of their work, its freedom from the scars and kinks of personal limitations, has risen in proportion to their status, 4) The rise of women has deprived the patriarchy of its psychological support, causing uncomfortable relations between the sexes that reflect themselves in the limitations of contemporary art. 5) When the emancipation of women is complete, a more adequate sexuality and a more adequate imagination, marked by androgyny or sexual openness, must emerge. In reviewing this critical book, V. Sackville-West, who was a very close friend of Virginia Woolf and whose life and family history formed the basis of Orlando, makes the following comments: "Mrs. Woolf, as you probably know, is a critic as well as a novelist; but this little book, which is not a novel, is not pure criticism either. In so far as it is about anything at all, it is a study of women, their circumstances (especially in the past), and the effect of those circumstances upon their writing. The burden of Mrs. Woolf's exhortation , to women is that they should be themselves, and should

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exploit their own peculiar gifts instead of trying to emulate( ) the gifts proper to the masculine mind... Mrs. Woolf is too sensible to be a thoroughgoing feminist. There is no such thing as a masculinist , she seems to say, so why a feminist? And she goes on to wonder (amateurishly, she says) whether there are two sexes in the mind corresponding to the two sexes in the body, and whether they also require to be united in order to get complete satisfaction and happiness? I know of no writer who fulfils this condition more thoroughly than Mrs. Woolf herself. She enjoys the feminine qualities of, let us say, fantasy and irresponsibility, allied to all the masculine qualities that go with a strong, authoritative brain and it is precisely this combination added to her profound knowledge of literature which fits her so admirably to discuss women in general, and women who write in particular." Part Three: Summary of the whole lesson and the discussion of the questions ( in two periods) In this part , the teacher is summarizing the whole lesson to make the students aware of the thoughts and ideas offered by the author and make the students know what we should learn from the lesson. Part four: Assignments In this part, all the assignments will be listed , the teacher will assign them to the students after each two periods. 1 seek out some information about each note on the internet and hand them in to the teacher 2 read the whole lesson 3 memorize the new words 4 prepare for the discussions 5 do the exercises 6 pre-review of the next lesson 7 write a composition

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