Economic Freedom and Feminist Awareness in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

Authors

  • Mainul Islam Department of English, Dhaka International University, Bangladesh Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8080-1372
  • Nurunnahar Akhi Department of English, City University, Bangladesh Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18415/2q8ww082

Keywords:

Economic Freedom , Feminist Awareness , Patriarchy, Women’s Autonomy, Virginia Woolf

Abstract

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own (1929) is an extraordinary feminist text analyzing the experiments to the achievement of women in arts and literature from societal, economical, and intellectual perspectives. Equally, the economic independence and private space are essential elements for the progress of the aptitude of women to express them artistically and intellectually invented it by her as a common phenomenon of all other contemporary society. The present paper scrutinizes the connection between economic independence and feminist awareness in A Room of One’s Own concentrating on Woolf’s discussion of the structures controlled by males which traditionally deprived women of access to education, property, and cultural production. Within the framework of the feminist literary analysis, it will be exposed that Woolf inaugurates the link between material circumstances and the formation of women’s self-independence in her civilization. It will also be argued that economic freedom and civic consciousness are the necessary precondition for women’s emancipation and the emergence of feminism

Author Biography

  • Mainul Islam, Department of English, Dhaka International University, Bangladesh

    Mainul Islam is an accomplished academic and researcher, currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Dhaka International University (DIU). With a strong academic and professional background in both English language and literature, he has established himself as a dedicated educator and an emerging scholar in the field. He began his career as a Lecturer in English at Cox’s Bazar International University (CBIU) and later at Port City International University (PCIU), where he developed his pedagogical skills and supervised numerous undergraduate research projects. Over the years, he has nurtured a diverse range of student research, covering areas such as feminist perspectives in Victorian and modern literature, psychological conflict in American fiction, mysticism in poetry, and romanticism in drama. He earned his B.A. (Hons.) in English Language and Literature in 2013 and his M.A. in English Language and Literature in 2014 from Comilla University. During his postgraduate studies, he completed a research report on Content-Based Instruction (CBI) in Bangladeshi Undergraduate Classrooms: Prospects and Problems, a study that was later published in the Port City International University Journal. His research interest gradually expanded into the intersections of English language pedagogy, literature, and digital media. He has actively contributed to national & international arena by outstanding thoughts & philanthropic psychology. Notably, he worked as a co-author in a paper with Dr. Mahadhi Hasan, titled Effects of New Media on English Language Learning Motivation at Tertiary Level, which was published in the Australian journal Advances in Language and Literary Studies (ALLS). His other works have appeared in international publications across Australia, Bangladesh, India, Italy, Indonesia, and the USA, reflecting his growing global academic engagement. In addition to his research publications, he has also participated in scholarly platforms, including the national symposium "English Connects" at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) in 2023, where he interacted with fellow academics and shared insights on evolving approaches to English studies. As part of his academic contribution, he has also supervised eight undergraduate theses at PCIU, guiding students in diverse areas of literary and cultural inquiry. The topics he supervised include: The Subaltern Position of Women in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, An Apparent Inner Psychological Conflict in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Mysticism in the Poetry of W.B. Yeats, Feminism in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, The Use of Religion in George Eliot’s Silas Marner, The Rebellious Woman in Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a Study of Pure Romantic Love and Comedy, and The Exploration of Pip’s Self-Identity in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. His mentorship has helped undergraduate students develop critical thinking, research skills, and academic confidence. At present, Mr. Mainul continues to play an active role in teaching a wide array of courses in both English language and literature at DIU. His research interests remain broad, encompassing language pedagogy, literary analysis, media studies, and cultural studies, with a particular focus on the interplay between literature and socio-political contexts. Known for his expedient and inquisitive mind, he strives to bridge the gap between theory and practice in English studies while inspiring students to pursue critical inquiry and independent research. Through his teaching, supervision, and scholarship of APC waiver, he remains committed to advancing the study of English in Bangladesh and maintaining academic connectivity on an international scale.

References

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. W. W. Norton, 2001. Print.

https://archive.org/details/femininemystique00frie?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Gilbert, Sandra, and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic. Yale University Press, 2000. Print. https://www.google.com.bd/books/edition/The_Madwoman_in_the_Attic/nfHRDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27083?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Moi, Toril. Sexual/Textual Politics: Feminist Literary Theory. Routledge, 2002. Print. https://www.routledge.com/SexualTextual-Politics-Feminist-Literary-Theory/Moi/p/book/9780415280129

Showalter, Elaine. A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Brontë to Lessing. Princeton University Press, 1999. Print. https://www.amazon.com/Literature-Their-Own-Elaine Showalter/dp/0691004765

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Published

2026-09-07

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2026): IJRMP VOL 2 NO 3 2026 September

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Mainul Islam, Nurunnahar Akhi (Author)

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How to Cite

Economic Freedom and Feminist Awareness in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. (2026). Interdisciplinary Journal of Religious and Multicultural Perspectives, 2(3), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.18415/2q8ww082

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