Spatial Constructs and Subject Formation in Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own: an Analytical Inquiry

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between spatiality and the formation of feminine subjectivity in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. By tracing the protagonist Mary’s intellectual journey, the study examines how space — material and symbolic — shapes agency, autonomy, and visibility within gendered constraints. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from Michel de Certeau, Henri Lefebvre, Victoria Rosner, and Mark Wigley, the analysis foregrounds the role of spatial practices in negotiating identity under Victorian social norms. The article contributes to feminist literary criticism by offering a spatial reading of Woolf’s essay and reaffirming its relevance to contemporary debates on gender and space