all of my questions about gender in one place

aIt's hard for me to believe that this novel was not written during the 2000's, it's so ahead of its time. From gender transformations to references to real life places and people, and very relatable expressions concerning how the world perceives the individual and gender norms, I felt like I was reading a parody fiction from a year or so ago, not 1928! Orlando deals with head spinning and ear ringing questions: questions that have left some feeling unsure about those around them and others sure of themselves. Questions about how the heck Virginia Woolf managed to write such a powerful, feminist text. This story spans over hundreds of years while following a protagonist that only reaches the age of thirty-six. This protagonist begins as a strapping young man, poetic and romantic, a favorite of the queen and lover of a seductive and backstabbing Russian princess. The middle of the story finds its main character in despair over a broken heart and battered pride before he takes an alarmingly long nap and wakes up as a woman (and no, there is no inclusion of a scientific explanation for this). The confusion of this novel's middle is precisely what drives it to its end -- Orlando growing accustomed to her new life as a woman (and the new societal expectations that that brings), and even falling in love and marrying a man. The lack of what one could call solid details pertaining to how Orlando suddenly becomes a member of the opposite sex is exactly what hammers in the nail of Woolf's main point: gender is a construct that confines as well as defines. Orlando is a story that explores years worth of history while pointing out the timelessness of man and woman's relations and expectations within the creations of societies. This book is as incredibly entertaining as it is baffling. But the more I reflect on it, the more I sort of glean from my lack of full understanding. I think it is meant to keep its readers keen to ask questions and explore how a bizarre life like Orlando's could be possible in the real world. It is also a book that plays with the malleable terrains of time, examining how time operates in fictional terrains just as much as realistic ones. All in all, this novel stands out for its unique content and execution of thought-provoking inquiries concerning many gender-related concepts. I would've likely not read it on my own (it was one of the multitude assigned to me in my literature classes), but I highly recommend it!



A couple of my favorite quotes from Orlando:

"Orlando had become a woman--there is no denying it. But in every other respect, Orlando remained precisely as he had been."

"I have sought happiness through many ages and not found it; fame and missed it; love and not known it; life--and behold, death is better."

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