Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) exposed the difficulties of being a woman writer in her essay "A Room of One's Own." Her novels experimented with time and narrative, and she is considered a master of the stream-of-consciousness technique. Woolf battled mental illnesses throughout her life, and eventually committed suicide by drowning herself in 1941, a year before this essay was published. As you read, examine the ways she presents images of life and death.