Orlando Lesson Plan

Why do you think the biographer calls it an "extreme folly" to be proud of one's sex?

The biographer does not say exactly why this is. She implies that each gender has its faults--men are foolish, she decides earlier, but women have to put much more work into their appearance and actions (they are not naturally graceful, chaste, etc.). Perhaps, too, she thinks it is worthless to be proud of something a person has no control over (just like when Orlando learns she should not be so proud about coming from a rich, noble family).

What does Orlando mean when she says, more than once, "I am growing up... I am losing some illusions... perhaps to acquire others?" (174) What...