Empowerment through writing and the search for self out of violence : Virginia Woolf and Anais Nin

Evans, Chanda Lynn (2002) Empowerment through writing and the search for self out of violence : Virginia Woolf and Anais Nin. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis looks at the relationship between women's writing and empowerment, using literary criticism, feminist theory and a bit of autobiography to approach specific issues of violence against women. Chapter One brings into light my personal work experience in addressing issues of violence against women and describes a particular case in which I was involved in helping a former client through the criminal justice process. Chapter Two looks back to the past and discusses how Aphra Behn's role as a writer placed women in a unique, even a precarious position, and also deals with her influence on Virginia Woolf in particular. This chapter also addresses some specific ways Virginia Woolf attempts to locate what she believes are the reasons behinds women's oppression, in which I particularly look to her notions regarding the "Professional Writer" and her interesting and contestable views on "androgyny" and the "Angel in the House." In Chapter Four I discuss the work of Anais Nin, and her role as a writer of ecriture feminine and how her work has been viewed as both enlightening and controversial by peers and critics. In this chapter, I examine her prose poem House of Incest and her short story "Birth" and several of her erotic stories in an attempt to locate her "feminine voice." In Chapter Four, I again look to the practical uses of writing as empowerment and recovery and address women writing their stories as a means to recovery and self-definition after experiences of violence and I include an interview with a survivor, now a semi-professional writer, living in Glasgow.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: Comparative literature, British & Irish literature, French literature
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Literature; College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Supervisor's Name: McMillan, Hon. Res. Dorothy and Corrin, Prof. Chris
• Date of Award: 2002
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2002-72123
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 24 May 2019 15:11
• Last Modified: 03 Feb 2020 11:41
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/72123