Three Guineas

From one of the twentieth century's major literary figures, Three Guineas is written as a series of letters in which Virginia Woolf ponders the efficacy of donating to various causes to prevent war — and a statement of feminine purpose.

Setting out to answer the question “How are we to prevent war?” Virginia Woolf argues that the inequalities between women and men must first be addressed. Framing her arguments in the form of a letter, Woolf wittily ponders to whom — among the many who have requested it — she will donate a guinea.

As she works out her reasons for which causes she will support, Woolf articulates a vision of peace and political culture as radical now as it was when first published on the eve of the Second World War.

A founding text of cultural theory, Three Guineas can also help us understand the twenty-first-century realities of endless war justified by “unreal loyalties.”

“Witty, scornful, deeply serious…If you are a woman, or anti-war, or both, read it.”—The New Yorker

• A Seminal Work of Feminism: Explores the deep connection between the oppression of women in the private sphere and the militarism of the public world, dissecting the concept of patriarchy with piercing insight.
• A Powerful Case for Pacifism: Written on the brink of World War II, Woolf makes a radical argument for peace by questioning the "unreal loyalties" that lead nations and individuals to conflict.
• A Critique of Professional Culture: From the exclusionary traditions of universities to the pomp of the professions, Woolf dismantles the institutions that perpetuate inequality and asks if an outsider can join them without being corrupted.
• Intellectual Liberty: In her characteristically witty and incisive prose, Woolf champions the importance of an independent mind, free from the corrupting influence of money, fame, and prescribed loyalties.