https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2 What are some of the essential questions of this unit, do you think? en-us 2021-05-17 17:17:28 UTC 2025-10-11 15:30:02 UTC hello@padlet.com bdurocher1_1 https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532314779 Julia K:
Does Virginia Woolf believe Orlando's transformation matters more to Orlando herself or to the readers of her novel? Why is this important?

]]> 2021-05-17 17:18:15 UTC https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532314779 bdurocher1_1 https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532315483 What does having read a selection of Wilde's writings help you understand or appreciate about Woolf's novel? 

Sophie: Having read a selection of Wilde's writings helps us understand the subjectivity of truth and reality. Wilde wrote that once more than one person believed something it ceased to be true because truth is subjective and personal. Similarly, in Orlando, we see how Orlando's personal truth differs from the broader social reality. Woolf explains that nothing about Orlando changes other than the pronouns used to describe him/her, however, the expectations the reader has for Orlando changes because of how pronouns and language construct a social reality.]]> 2021-05-17 17:18:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532315483 bdurocher1_1 https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532316238 What is the relationship between our first unit and our third unit? What does having read Austen bring to your understanding of Woolf's novel? 

Brooke: Jane Austen's "Persuasion" had a central focus on the characteristics of an ideal female and male in the society during the time in which she wrote. Similarly, as Orlando transforms from a man to a woman, Woolf explicitly points out to the readers the ways in which Orlando either fits or doesn't fit the specific expectations society has for her depending on her gender; reading Austen has definitely helped me better understand Woolf's message.

Yilan: Austen's Persuasion revolves around portraying gender roles and how the ideal woman and man should be like during her era. When Orlando becomes more traditionally feminine, we see Orlando embodying certain gender expectations that Austen described. 

Jacob: After being shown what the “ideal” male and female roles were during the Regency period through Persuasion, Austen suggested that gender expectations should not exist — that society should place value on androgynous "qualities of the mind" rather than expectations that are predicated on complimentary gender roles. As these androgynous qualities should constitute one’s identity, Woolf believes that true identity should not be swayed by changes and events that may occur, one even as drastic as changing genders.]]> 2021-05-17 17:18:34 UTC https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532316238 bdurocher1_1 https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532319987 What did reading "A Room of One's Own" help you understand about Orlando? 

Lauren: In "A Room of One's Own," Woolf discusses the differences between the ways that men and women are represented in literature. As we see a literary representation of Orlando as both a man and as a women, we can understand how ridiculous the differences between the way women are written about and the way men are written about are. For instance, in "A Room of One's Own," Woolf writes that "the splendid portrait of the fictitious women is much too simple and much too monotonous" (6). In the novel, when we see Orlando transform, it is clear that her identity and mind largely stay the same. She is equally as complex as she was as a man, yet as a woman in literature she would be represented as being a "simple" and "monotonous" being. ]]> 2021-05-17 17:19:22 UTC https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532319987 bdurocher1_1 https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532327313 What did/do any of these writers, thinkers and theorists help you understand about Woolf's novel?  

Julia S: BUTLER
Butler's "speech act theory" helps us, the readers, understand the significance behind Woolf's use of pronouns. By viewing the use of certain pronouns as an "action" or as an identifier, Woolf criticizes the power society places behind pronouns and what they signify or imply to us about their subject.]]> 2021-05-17 17:20:56 UTC https://padlet.com/bdurocher1_1/678pu2nah7qup6f2/wish/1532327313