The Freedom of Women: A Ferrara Event Explores Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Virginia Woolf

On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at Via Terranuova 12/b in Ferrara, Italy, Elisabetta Roncoli will lead a discussion titled “The freedom of women imprisoned in one room escapes and finds refuge in another room: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and a brief comparison with Virginia Woolf.” The event, part of the ContemporaneaMente cycle, will be held in person and streamed online.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Pioneering Feminist

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was an American writer, sociologist, and feminist theorist. A granddaughter of author Harriet Beecher Stowe, Gilman experienced economic hardship in her childhood and married twice. She is best known for her semi-autobiographical short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), the utopian feminist novel Herland, and the essay Women and Economics. Though largely forgotten after her death, Gilman was rediscovered during the feminist movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for her contributions to feminist thought.

Exploring “The Yellow Wallpaper” and its Connection to Woolf

The meeting will focus on an analysis of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” a story often interpreted as a critique of the medical treatment of women and the restrictive social roles imposed upon them. The discussion will similarly draw a comparison with Virginia Woolf’s essay, A Room of One’s Own, exploring themes of female creativity and the necessity of independent space for women.

About Elisabetta Roncoli

Elisabetta Roncoli, a graduate in Literature, is an editor for the magazine Leggere Donna, where she has reviewed and re-examined authors for over twenty-five years. She is also involved with the Women’s Documentation Center of Ferrara, leading cultural events and conferences on literary topics. Roncoli curated a series of meetings on Virginia Woolf, resulting in the publication of an essay, A Few Rooms of One’s Own, which she introduced and contributed to. She has been curating the ContemporaneaMente cycle since 2015, featuring female writers contemporary to Woolf, hosting over forty conferences with various speakers. She is also co-author of two essays on the history of women in Renaissance Ferrara.

Attending the Event

To participate online, email elena.branca@yahoo.it a few days before the meeting. A link to join the online session will be sent approximately ten minutes before the start time. The meeting will be recorded and published on YouTube.