Direct and Straightforward

Is the writing of men more direct and straightforward than the writing of women?

After reading Virginia Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own," one would be inclined to think so. Indeed, even Woolf's own writing would seem to support her assertion that the writing of men is "so direct, so straightforward after the writing of women."I read Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse a few years ago for one of my English literature classes, and certainly, her meandering, difficult to follow narrative can be trying on one's patience when reading. Woolf, as a female novelist, seems to be the antithesis of her description of men's writing. She isn't direct or straightforward, preferring to remain free, introspective, and discursive.

All of this leads me to wonder - what is so wonderful about being straightforward? While I fully admit that part of my reaction to Woolf's assertions may be an immediate need to defend female novelists, at the same time, I do occasionally appreciate and enjoy that which is not direct or straightforward. I loved To the Lighthouse, fully relishing in the ability to lose myself in the intricacies of the plot. Losing oneself in a novel is almost like solving a puzzle or mystery, in that you must be fully engaged with the text, looking for clues and paying attention to the minutest of details, to be rewarded. It is reading at its highest level, for it is reading that requires the reader to be a willing participant in introspection and stream of consciousness, journeying with the author through the narrative. It seems to me that many times, the importance of being straightforward is exaggerated or falsely elevated.

I am also shy to be fully in agreement with Woolf's assertions for the simple reason that I am reluctant to throw blanket statements on any group. Are all male novelists direct and straightforward? Certainly not. I think of novelists like James Joyce or William Faulkner who, like Woolf, are neither direct nor straightforward, and I see the error in Woolf's bold declarations on male and female writing.

In her essay, Woolf goes on to write that a certain man's writing "indicated such freedom of mind, such liberty of person, such confidence in himself. One had a sense of physical well-being in the presence of this well-nourished, well-educated, free mind, which had never been thwarted or opposed, but had had full liberty from birth to stretch itself in whatever way it liked." After my previous reflections on the benefits of directness in writing, I must wonder why, in Woolf's view, straightforward writing is synonymous with confidence and freedom. Indeed, it seems to me that to be indirect, to write without being straightforward or explicit, requires more confidence. You must trust the reader to be patient with you, confident in your abilities to create an intricate, meandering plot and relishing in your freedom as a writer. Yes, I would assert that Woolf's descriptions befit writing that is not straightforward.

Ultimately, while I appreciate Woolf's comments regarding male and female diversity in writing, I find myself wholly disagreeing with them. I delight in the intricate, taking pleasure in the male and female novelists that I continue to enjoy for their willingness to meander and be discursive.
Direct and straightforward? Both overrated.