Analysis Of Virginia Woolf's 'A Beautiful Young Nymph Going To Bed'

Swift’s writing demonstrates a great deal of animosity towards the human race at times, with the majority of his effort spent especially on the female sex. Due to Swift’s inability to “forgive men and women for being vertebrate mammals as well as immortal souls” as said by Aldous Huxley, he spends his life satirically arguing what it is to be human – especially of the female sex, only to find that there is no single way to define humans as compared to beasts. Swift’s detestation of the female role in society is evident throughout his works, as well as other works done on him, where he repeatedly criticizes the roles that females play. In his poem “A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed,” (1731, 1734) Swift exerts his ideologies …show more content…
If anyone laid a finger upon his liberty or hinted the least threat to his independence, were they men or women, queens or kitchenmaids, he turned upon them with a ferocity which made a savage of him on the spot,” (75) showing how Swift has very little patience in dealing with others. If Swift has a great deal of love for mankind, he would be understanding in dealing with others, rather than making a “savage” of himself. Woolf also spends a great deal of time devoted to Swift and Stella’s relationship, furthering the claim that Swift disproportionately hates women more compared to men. Woolf writes, “None knew better than she that Swift loved power and the company of men,” (75) showing that Swift would rather be around the male gender as well as demonstrating that fact that Swift only trusted so many people. Stella was one of the only women that Swift liked, but his detested for people, especially females, made it impossible for himself to every get super close to …show more content…
In this poem, Swift writes, “O Strephon, e’er that fatal Day / When Chloe stole your Heart away, / Had you but through a Cranny spy’d / On House of Ease your future Bride…” (235-238, 615) showing how fake women’s dress is. The poem is commenting on Stephon’s lack of courtesy as he is spying on someone without them knowing. However, instead of focusing only on the misbehavior of the male in his poem, Swift cannot help but to hate on women. Swift goes into detail on how women are creatures of falsity since they try so hard to cover their “imperfections” making them appear as Goddesses despite the fact that they are not, and far from it since they perform the same grossness as everyone else