A Room of Ones Own, based on a lecture given at Girton College Cambridge, is one of the great feminist polemics, ranging in its themes from Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte to the silent fate of Shakespeares gifted (imaginary) sister and the effects of poverty and sexual constraint on female creativity. Published almost a decade later Three Guineas breaks new ground in its discussion of men, militarism and womens attitudes towards war. These two pieces reveal Virginia Woolfs fiery spirit and sophisticated wit and confirm her status as a highly inspirational essayist.