Mrs Dalloway

by Virginia Woolf

Woolf on Women and Gender
Saying that Virginia Woolf dabbled in feminist thought is a bit of an understatement. Saying that she bathed in it is probably more accurate. Virginia Woolf wrote a lot about women and gender issues in essays and literature. Check out the Shmoop biography on Virginia Woolf, especially the section on women and gender issues. It's a great summary of how Woolf was a revolutionary thinker, but points out how her version of feminism had its limits and how she looked down on working-class women. (No white-washing or hero worship at Shmoop—we tell it like it is!)

Orlando (The Book, Not the Disney World City)
If you think Mrs. Dalloway is focused on women and gender issues, just wait until you get a load of Virginia Woolf's Orlando. This book is sort of a fictionalized biography based on the life of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West. The students who are interested in the commentary on gender roles present in Mrs. Dalloway will eat up Orlando. Here's the Shmoop summary to get you started.