Orlando

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider the connection between social expectations and specific gender norms in Western society. How have these changed over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries? Which historical movements helped transform the traditional understanding of gender roles in contemporary society?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider Woolf’s theme of The Construction and Performance of Gender through a historical lens. Woolf uses the protagonist Orlando to trace the relationship of women to a patriarchal society from the Elizabethan era to the early 20th century. For Woolf, gender is a social construct dictated by social norms of a specific historical period and enforced by outward appearances, such as clothing and marriage. Woolf is critical of women’s place in society in all periods of Orlando’s life; however, she is most critical of the Victorian era, as the regulation of women—coupled with the expansion of British imperialism—resulted in the rerouting of women’s roles from the public to the private, domestic sphere. To introduce Woolf’s theme regarding gender, consider providing students with access to the resources below; they may benefit from annotating the texts in a take-home assignment. To avoid spoilers, however, consider exploring these resources in small sections as students work their way through the novel.

• This chapter from UK’s National Centre for Social Research explores British social attitudes toward gender roles since the mid-20th century.
• This essay from Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences considers Woolf’s representation of gender in Orlando.

2. Modernist literature appears primarily in the post-World War I era. What drove this literary movement? Which authors contributed to it, and what themes did they explore in their work?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question orients students within the historical and literary contexts of the text in relation to the theme of The Connection Between Subjectivity and Truth. Modernism in literature arose as a response to the destruction of the post-WWI era. Some of the major themes that writers focused on included a rejection of Victorian norms and ideals, the failings of industrialization, and the harsh reality of the postwar world. Furthermore, many authors experimented with The Nonlinear Passage of Time as well as textual styles; Woolf, one of the most well-known writers of the London-based “Bloomsbury Group,” experimented with narrative in her stream-of-consciousness style. To strengthen students’ understanding of modernist authors, consider having them choose one from this list to research and informally report on as they develop and/or revise their Short Answer responses.

• This page from Britannica provides an overview of Modernism as a literary movement.
• This article from The Literature Network provides background information on “The Bloomsbury Group” and includes a list of members.

Short Activity

Modernist author Virginia Woolf explored themes such as The Construction and Performance of Gender, The Nonlinear Passage of Time, and The Connection Between Subjectivity and Truth in many of her texts. Working in small groups, select one of her short stories or essays and analyze the above themes in the selected work. Share an overview, along with any related visuals and/or videos, with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Activity invites students to consider the author’s context as it relates to the themes of the novel. Depending on the level of the class, this may be done as either a formal or informal presentation. Students may also benefit from access to Woolf’s published collections, such as The Virginia Woolf Reader: An Anthology of Her Best Short Stories and Essays. Some of her works are in the public domain and can be found for free online.

• This synopsis from Columbia University shares biographical information about Woolf’s life, including her motivations for writing Orlando.
• This page from North Dakota State University provides a succinct overview of the stream-of-consciousness style.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced students who may benefit from an in-depth exploration of Woolf’s writing style, the following question may be added to the above prompt: One of Virginia Woolf’s defining attributes of her literary canon was her use of a stream-of-consciousness narration. Select one of Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness narratives and analyze the way that this style shapes the content. In particular, how does this style help connect the narration with the novel’s theme of The Nonlinear Passage of Time?

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

How are gender and sex different? Have gender expectations affected your life experiences? If so, how?

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to consider the difference and terminology between “gender” and “sex” in relation to the text’s themes of The Construction and Performance of Gender and The Connection Between Subjectivity and Truth. Woolf’s Orlando plays with the idea of gender identity as fluid and not related to one’s personality. This Prompt segues directly to the Discussion/Analysis Prompt. Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, some classes may benefit from an alternative, more general approach to this Personal Connection Prompt. In this case, consider asking them to respond instead to the following questions: “How have social expectations regarding gender roles changed in your family or the wider community? What changes do you foresee regarding this topic in the future?”