A Room of One's Own Contrasting Regions: Oxbridge and Fernham Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Strolling through those colleges [...] past those ancient halls the roughness of the present seemed smoothed away; the body seemed contained in a miraculous glass cabinet through which no sound could penetrate, and the mind, freed from any contact with facts [...] was at liberty to settle down upon whatever meditation was in harmony with the moment. (1.4)

Does this quotation remind you a little of the first image of the flowing river? Woolf is as obsessed with flow as a rapper.

Quote #2

An unending stream of gold and silver, I thought, must have flowed into this court perpetually to keep the stones coming and the masons working [...] still the flow of gold and silver went on; fellowships were founded; lectureships endowed. (1.5).

Everything flows at Oxbridge: food, wine, water, conversation, and, of course, money. Check out "Symbols" for more about all this river imagery.

Quote #3

The partridges, many and various, came with all their retinue of sauces and salads [...] their potatoes, thin as coins but not so hard; their sprouts, foliated as rosebuds but more succulent. And no sooner had the roast than the silent serving-man [...] set before us [...] a confection which rose all sugar from the waves. To call it pudding and so relate it to rice and tapioca would be an insult. (1.6)

And this is just part of it. Part of Woolf's strategy here is to make the description as long and sensuous as the meal was, so it's worth rereading the whole thing. Just don't do it hungry!