Question

But for women, I thought, looking at the empty shelves, these difficulties were infinitely more formidable. In the first place, to have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound-proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble, even up to the beginning of the nineteenth century.

–A Room of One’s Own,
Virginia Woolf

Based on the underlined words, what is the author’s perspective in this passage?

The situation for women improved starting in the 19th century.
It is necessary to have a quiet or soundproof room in order to write literature.
Based on the reference to empty bookshelves, most women did not like reading.
Most women could not write literature because they could not afford books or a space to write.

Answer 1

Most women could not write literature because they could not afford books or a space to write.

The passage points to "empty shelves" and says having "a room of her own" (let alone a quiet or sound‑proof one) was out of the question for most women, indicating lack of books and private space prevented them from writing.