A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction, wrote Virginia Woolf. Published in 1920, A Room of One’s Own has often been heralded as the first modern work of feminist criticism. It remains one of the most widely read, quoted, and analyzed texts of its kind. Ellen Rosenman describes the book’s genesis as the sense of exclusion Woolf and many women experienced when confronted with the sexism and elitism of the British university system of their day. Rosenman offers a balanced appraisal, refusing to ignore the difficulties with Woolf’s argument and in particular, her inconsistencies and contradictions. The Masterwork Studies are readable explorations of classic texts. The goal of each Masterwork Study is to encourage creative thinking, enablign students to arrive at sound analyses of their own. Each volume illuminates themes and concepts of a classic text using clear and conversational language.