If the incomparable Mrs. Woolf had grown up today, perhaps she would’ve been a personal finance blogger.
In fact, 80 years ago, Virginia Woolf wrote series of speeches that turned into a slim volume called A Room of One’s Own. Her writing is luminous, not at all like the dry and dull writing most people imagine financial expositions to be. But the ideas contained within that tiny little book have much in common with the personal finance bloggers and financial advocates of today.
Virginia Woolf is one of my favorite authors (I love Mrs. Dalloway), and discovering A Room of One’s Own (and reading it through a personal finance lens) just made me love her more.
In the book, Virginia Woolf posits that for a woman to achieve success in her art (a female Shakespeare, for example), she “must have money and a room of her own to write fiction.” I would argue that in fact, Virginia Woolf would have felt the same about any pursuit that requires creativity and dedication.
Women. Financial security. Freedom to pursue one’s art or ambition. Mrs. Woolf said it best, and she said it 80 years ago. But her central tenets are just as relevant today as they were in 1929.
We still need a room of our own.
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Is it embarrassing that I didn’t know who Virginia Woolf was?
@ debt ninja – now you know.
Amen, sister!!
Personal finance advice doesn’t have to come from Trained financial advisors, industry gurus or members of the press. There have always been different sources of advice and one of the very best has been grandmother.
Think about it. She has the benefit of age and has seen it all. Every type of economic downturn and boom, get rich quick scheme, sensible savings approach, in fact every type of financial scheme ever has been her way at some stage. And she knows the outcome of each.
She also has the advantage of having brought up at least one family and contributed towards other families, too, probably. She has “been there and done that, worn the T-shirt” so to speak.
It’s not so surprising, therefore, that someone like Virginia Woolf has something to contribute on the matter.