Question

Read the passage from A Room of One’s Own.

To have lived a free life in London in the sixteenth century would have meant for a woman who was poet and playwright a nervous stress and dilemma which might well have killed her. Had she survived, whatever she had written would have been twisted and deformed, issuing from a strained and morbid imagination.

How do the connotations of the underlined words emphasize the author’s point of view?

The negative connotations of the words emphasize the author’s feeling that societal norms damage women artists in severe and lasting ways.
The negative connotations of the words emphasize the unreasonable extent to which women artists are challenged by the demands of the creative process.
The positive connotations of the words emphasize the author’s insistence that facing great challenges helps women enhance their creativity.
The positive connotations of the words emphasize the author’s belief that women artists are strong enough to overcome tremendous hardships.

Answer 1

The first choice. The words ("nervous," "stress," "dilemma," "twisted," "deformed," "strained," "morbid") carry negative connotations that underscore the author's view that societal norms severely and harmfully distort women's artistic work.