Incandescent Artist

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“The mind of an artist, in order to achieve the prodigious effort of freeing whole and entire work that is in him [no particular gender], must be incandescent” (Woolf 56). It is important for fiction writers to remain anonymous in every way possible, even androgynous. The reason for this is to keep their work free of bias in general, and the opposite sex. This includes keeping their opinions hidden, so that they can get their overall point across. It allows the audience an opportunity to form their own judgment on the material. The goal of the writer is to draw the readers in without imposing their own beliefs on them. If an author starts ranting about how the other sex has oppressed them, her sex will be revealed. In works of fiction, it is crucial for the author to make himself invisible: so to speak, incandescent.
When men write fiction, they must remember to make their work relatable to everyone reading it. “Do what she will a woman cannot find in them that fountain of perpetual life which the critics assure her is there” (Woolf 100). It is often a challenge for men to include women in their everyday world of success. Men know the facts, due to having accessible access to education. However, it is important for men not to offend anyone, including women.
If guys do not incorporate women into their work, then the female audience will stop reading and will not comprehend the theme well. Men in fiction should follow in the footsteps of how Shakespeare wrote his literature. He was creative about the topics he touched on; “therefore, his poetry flows from him free and unimpeded” (Woolf 56). He does not impose any facts upon anyone, he just got his point across. The artist must let his thoughts flow free with no filter, which is h...

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...aphs where she praises the work of men.
“If ever a mind was incandescent, unimpeded, I thought, turning to the bookcase, it was Shakespeare’s mind” (Woolf 56). The message that Woolf is proposing is that writers in fiction need to write without their own opinion being mentioned. When their judgment is introduced, it does not give the readers an opportunity to adopt their own perspective. Also, their work could possibly offend the opposite gender. Therefore, it is essential for writers to not consider their own sex. By doing this, at least the authors’ viewpoints remain hidden. The most important goal of the author is to get their theme across, but in a manner that is appropriate. This ensures that the work of fiction remains incandescent, as well as a masterpiece.

Works Cited

Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. Ed. Mark Hussey. New York: Houghton, 2005. Print.

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