Orlando

Consider the way the author portrays gender and sex in the novel. How does Woolf approach the differences between these two terms? In which ways does Orlando exhibit different characteristics based on gender and sex? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: This Discussion/Analysis Prompt invites students to recontextualize their response from the Personal Connection Prompt to Woolf’s novel. Woolf uses her protagonist to emphasize the fact that one’s identity is not necessarily linked to one’s gender or sex. Although Orlando’s identity transforms from a man to a woman halfway through the novel, the character is observed as the same person by friends, companions, and staff. It is primarily through the adoption of different clothes that Orlando feels the difference between genders.

Differentiation Suggestion: For less advanced classes who may be new to Woolf’s narrative style, the following question may be used in lieu of the Prompt: Based on the text, does Woolf believe that gender is fluid? Why or why not?

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

DEBATE: “Is Orlando the First Trans Novel?”

In this activity, students will argue for or against the assertion that Orlando is the first trans novel written in the English language.