Three Guineas

By Virginia Woolf

Originally published in 1938 by Hogarth, Three Guineas is a work of non-fiction composed of replies to three imaginary letters, the first asking Woolf how to prevent war, the second asking her how women could enter the professions, and the third how women can become educated. While the latter themes are familiar enough to Woolf, the first is less so and is necessarily difficult for Woolf to advocate. As a feminist, she was against fascism because it advocated a society in which women play no part in public life, yet as a pacifist – she'd seen the effects of the First World War – she was opposed to waging war to fight it.

Given when it was published and further the manner of its writing – it was intended to act as a counterpoint to the fictional elements of The Years – Three Guineas was a book Woolf could easily have left in manuscript form. That she didn't provides modern day readers with a record of her beliefs and how they might have developed in subsequent years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781291550214

Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf was an English novelist, essayist, short story writer, publisher, critic and member of the Bloomsbury group, as well as being regarded as both a hugely significant modernist and feminist figure. Her most famous works include Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and A Room of One’s Own.

Reviews for Three Guineas

[shulera1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three Guineas was not an easy read for me, but it was an immensely satisfying one. I'm slightly ashamed to admit it, but I had never read Woolf before now. None of my high school or college classes (so far) taught her, and the only reason I picked this one up was because a friend handed it to me and said I'd enjoy it.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I've always heard people complaining about Woolf and how boring she is to read, but I didn't find Three Guineas boring at all. Woolf's snarky tone was a pleasure to read and the way she backed every one of her points was a pleasure to see. This isn't just somebody complaining that people are asking for her money -- this is a woman who has thought deeply on some very complicated issues and knows just how to express herself.

All that being said, it's low page count is deceiving. As much as I enjoyed the book, I couldn't read much at a time. It's dense, and needs to be read slowly so it can be savored and thought about critically.

[margaretfield · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

author weighs three appeals for a donation; really funny and dry;

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very dry treatise on women's issues. Explores the need for women to have education, employment and financial independence in order to truly make an impact on the world. Makes one appreciate what my sisters before me had to go through.

[kell1732 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For years I have been meaning to read this book and I finally did over the summer. After I was done with it, I wondered why I hadn’t read this book in the first place. I blamed it on the fact that I tend to be more of a fantasy reader than a science fiction reader. However, I am now finding a place in my heart for this genre.I was pretty disturbed by this book. Not only was the government in this book “recruiting” young geniuses to fight their wars for them, but they were turning it into a game. Since every training exercise was a game many of the children would forget the fact they were training for war, which gave me the creeps. War, in this future world, is a game to the people who are being forced to fight it.This book really made me think about the prevalence of war based video games today. Now, I’m not against these games but I did find it interesting to compare what these children were doing during training to what my friends do in their own living rooms. There were some eerie similarities between the two, like the planning and strategy that sometimes goes in to playing them.While there were some parts that were a little slow, the book was totally worth the read. It really makes the reader look more critically at how our society views war today and even video games. I give this book a 4/5 and I recommend it to most everyone. This book is proof that the science fiction genre can have literary value despite what critics of the genre may say.

[suesbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found many truths in this book about the value of treatment of women that are , unfortunately, still true today. However, I felt the book was too detailed and too repetitive to make its case well. It also was directed to Brits so I did not possess foreknowledge of many of many of the references.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 Of all Woolf's writing that I've read, I enjoyed this book the most. Woolf's keen mind and crafty way with words comes across very well in 'Three Guineas' -- much more so than in her plodding, puzzling fiction.