Voice and Space: A Comparative Feminist study of Pratibha Ray’s Yajnaseni and Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

Abstract

Pratibha Ray’s “Yajnaseni” (1984) and Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” (1929) are both powerful feminist texts. Although they emerge from different cultural and historical backgrounds, they share strong concerns related to women’s voice, freedom, and space. This paper compares how Ray and Woolf present feminist ideas through the central female figures of Draupadi in “Yajnaseni” and the woman writer in Woolf’s essay.
Few studies have compared these texts to examine feminist themes of voice and space across cultures. This study highlights how an Indian mythological narrative and a modern feminist essay both explore women’s search for identity and autonomy.
The research uses a qualitative comparative literary method and feminist theoretical approaches. It analyses Ray’s use of myth, memory, and interior monologue alongside Woolf’s argumentative and analytical style. Ray employs myth, memory, and interior monologue, while Woolf uses argument, social critique, and analytical prose.
Key themes explored include gender inequality, the silencing of women’s voices and the desire for autonomy. Both texts show how social expectations restrict women while they strive for dignity and freedom. Despite differences in style and contexts, both authors emphasise that the struggle for voice and space is central to women’s lives.