2 Matching Annotations
  1. Feb 2022
  2. Apr 2018
    1. Asshewroteshefeltsomepower(rememberwearedealingwiththemostobscuremanifestationsofthehumanspirit)readingoverhershoulder,andwhenshehadwritten'Egyptiangirls',thepowertoldhertostop.Grass,thepowerseemedtosay,goingbackwitharulersuchasgovernessesusetothebeginning,isallright;thehangingcupsoffritillaries--admirable;thesnakyflower--athought,strongfromalady'spen,perhaps,butWordsworthnodoubt,sanctionsit;but--girls?Aregirlsnecessary?YouhaveahusbandattheCape,yousay?Ah,well,that'lldo.Andsothespiritpassedon.

      Here, Orlando is being interrogated by a figurative manifestation of the spirit of the age while she trying to write. The figure questions her writing and the appropriability of writing about things that go against the accepted thoughts and opinions of the time period. Once the figure realizes that she has a husband, it leaves her alone. This section of the Chapter is essentially calling attention to how, although she is now married, Orlando still feels the same when it comes to her writing. She questions what the age would approve of her marriage and, in the end, decides that she does not feel the need to submit to the standards of the age. This idea can be closely associated with the theme of identity and gender because we see that Orlando is trying to navigate through her role as a married woman at the time. I find this passage to be interesting because in the beginning of Chapter 5, Orlando felt a strong pressure to conform to the standards of the age which resulted in buying a marriage ring for herself. But in this Chapter, she no longer feels pressured to adhere to those standards.