The Mystical Symbolism of Mirrors in Women’s Literature
“Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.” ― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Mirrors reflect light which allows them to reflect the world around them. In spiritual concepts, light is a powerful symbol of wisdom and awareness. As a consequence, mirrors are symbols and carriers of truth and reflect what our truth is. Psychology tends to be more critical of mirrors which represent the barrier between conscious and unconscious and therefore, by looking deep into a mirror, we look deep inside ourselves in a conscious way, following a thoughts process.
Literature has this beautiful gift that it presented and described mirrors as many different vectors and symbols. The mystical and spiritual beauty of reflection that came with many works from Goethe to Rilke, transported through many spectrums of learning.
Let’s dive into the poetic work of Sylvia Plath, the short fiction of Virginia Woolf and the science-fiction novel of Sarah Waters to discover many mirrors and many reflections. Sometimes seeking stability, sometimes unveiling feelings and sometimes haunting…
