While a great majority of men saw war as either the ultimate manifestation of machismo or the natural expression of patriotism, out of their own shared experience under patriarchal rule, women were more inclined to question the need for war. So you can understand how the social, physical, and educational limitations imposed on women during this period could affect her understanding of the necessity of war and violence. For a long time too, up until 1919 in fact, marriage was the only ‘profession’ open to women. This is, of course, going with the assumption that choosing a husband and making a marriage work are forms of practical Psychology within themselves. For centuries, women were barred, not just from the professions but also the universities.įor a long time, Psychology became the only unpaid-for education available to women.

Though monetary contribution was out of the question–for the daughter of an educated man had no money of her own to contribute–she paid her dues through the sacrifices she was forced to make for her brother. According to Woolf, the account has been in existence since the 13th century, and the educated man’s sister has paid her dues to the AEF for just as long. This fund is designed to pay for more than man’s schooling, it also pays for all the other ‘essential parts’ of his education–including travel, leisure, lodging, and society. The AEF, as seen in the Pendennis, figures into household ledgers as the educational funds set aside for the sons in the family. To illustrate the differences between the ways of thinking of the educated man and his sister, Woolf offers the reader the AEF or Arthur’s Education Fund. So, to answer the gentleman’s question, Woolf had to delve into the root of this ‘misunderstanding’ and find what unique and effective solutions could arise from it. The differences in the psyche of the educated man and his sister had created a seemingly unbridgeable chasm that made immediate understanding of the reasonings of each sex near impossible. Woolf clarifies that this is because none of these answers could be left without ample explanation. Though many answers have suggested themselves to Woolf, the gentleman’s letter went unanswered for over three years. The essay is drafted as a response to the letter of an educated gentleman seeking Woolf’s opinions on how war could be prevented. “Three years is a long time to leave a letter unanswered…” And thus begins Three Guineas–Virginia Woolf’s powerful essay on how the practices of the Victorian patriarchal system could be likened to the unarguable evils of tyranny and fascism.

My tattered copy of Virginia Woolf’s essays

Woolf three guineas