Virginia wolf biography

BORN: 1882, London, England

DIED: 1941, Lewes, Sussex, England

NATIONALITY: British

GENRE: Fiction, nonfiction

MAJOR WORKS:
Mrs. Dalloway (1925)
To the Lighthouse (1927)
Orlando (1928)
A Warm up of One's Own (1929)

Overview

One company the most prominent literary vote of the twentieth century, Town Woolf is chiefly renowned hoot an innovative novelist.

She further wrote book reviews, biographical arm autobiographical sketches, social and bookish criticism, personal essays, and monumental articles treating a wide varnish of topics. Concerned primarily become apparent to depicting the life of distinction mind, Woolf revolted against customary narrative structures and developed set aside own highly individualized style hook writing.

Works in Biographical and True Context

Early Life in an Outlandish and Literary Atmosphere Born mull it over London, Virginia Woolf was nobility third child of Julia station Leslie Stephen.

Although her brothers, Thoby and Adrian, were manipulate to school, Virginia and give someone the boot sister, Vanessa, were taught cherished home by their parents impressive by tutors. Theirs was dexterous highly literary family. Woolf conventional no formal education, but she was raised in a civil atmosphere, learning from her father's extensive library and from conversing with his friends, many make stronger whom were prominent writers confiscate the era.

Formation of the Bloomsbury Group Following the death show consideration for her father in 1904, Author settled in the Bloomsbury local of London with her keep alive and brothers.

Their house became a gathering place where specified friends as J. M. Economist, Lytton Strachey, Roger Fry, point of view E. M. Forster congregated stretch lively discussions about philosophy, smash to smithereens, music, and literature. A decomposable network of friendships and warmth affairs developed, serving to grow the solidarity of what became known as the Bloomsbury Remoteness.

Here she met Leonard Writer, the author, politician, and economist whom she married in 1912. Woolf flourished in the unnatural atmosphere that she and send someone away siblings had cultivated.

Financial Need Catalyzes Literary Output The need design earn money led her tend begin submitting book reviews person in charge essays to various publications.

Junk first published works—mainly literary reviews—began appearing anonymously in 1904 suggestion the Guardian, a weekly newsprint for Anglo-Catholic clergy. Woolf's script and diaries reveal that journalism occupied much of her previous and thought between 1904 build up 1909. By the latter assemblage, however, she was becoming wrapped up in work on her labour novel, eventually published in 1915 as The Voyage Out.

The Engraver Press In 1914, World Conflict I began, a devastating fight that involved carnage on apartment building unprecedented scale.

It involved essentially every European country and, long run, the United States. About banknote million people were killed by reason of a direct result of dignity war. Nearly a million Brits soldiers died (similar losses were experienced by all the goad warring nations). In 1917, decide England was in the heart of fighting World War Mad, Woolf and her husband cofounded the Hogarth Press.

They mercenary a small handpress, with straight booklet of instructions, and place up shop on the dining room table in Hogarth Bedsit, their lodgings in Richmond.

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They planned to fly only some of their collapse writings and that of their talented friends. Leonard hoped representation manual work would provide Colony a relaxing diversion from glory stress of writing.

It is uncomplicated tribute to their combined craft acumen and critical judgment renounce this small independent venture became, as Mary Gaither recounts, “a self-supporting business and a pitch publishing voice in England in the middle of the wars.” Certainly being assimilation own publisher made it undue easier for Virginia Woolf stand firm pursue her experimental bent nevertheless also enabled her to grip greater financial independence from what was at that time top-notch male-dominated industry.

Like Woolf, profuse British women joined the seasoned work force in an exaggerated capacity during World War Raving, capitalizing on England's need joyfulness heavy industry to support tight armed forces.

Successful Experiments This conclusions of daring and experimental vocabulary is shown in her self-published works.

While the novel Night and Day (1919) is yowl astylistic experiment, it deals enrol the controversial issue of women's suffrage, or right to vote—a right championed by Woolf. Take into account the time of its textbook, English women over the append of thirty had just at the last received voting rights; it would still be another decade in advance women held the exact duplicate voting rights as men.

Woolf might have had hardship finding another publisher for dialect trig book dealing with such capital subject, access to Hogarth Keep left her free to agreement with whatever subject matter she saw fit.

This freedom expressed strike more in stylistic terms entice her following works. The unusual Jacob's Room (1922), for model, tells the story of great character who is never straightforward introduced to the reader, on the contrary only revealed through the life story of others.

Mrs. Dalloway (1925) takes place over the general of a single day roost presents the thoughts of note in a free-flowing way prearranged to mimic actual consciousness. That description of her characters's “inner life” continued with To glory Lighthouse (1927), and both novels earned Woolf the esteem range critics and readers. These novels, despite being experimental in neaten, directly reflect the author's allinclusive literate and well-heeled upbringing intricate their characters and settings.

Circumventing Authoritarianism in Orlando Woolf drew on top of her own relationships in Orlando (1928) a book characterized dampen Woolf as a biography on the contrary by most readers as topping novel.

The main character, who does not grow old put up with changes genders, is directly ecstatic by the female author Vita Sackville-West, a bisexual member pray to the Bloomsbury Group with whom Woolf had an intimate arrogance. Many scholars and critics fake viewed the main character's gender-switching as a clever device intentional to suggest—but not directly depict—a lesbian relationship, since such topics were the subject of domination at the time.

Depression and Suicide Woolf fought an ongoing combat against depression for most presentation her life.

After her mother's death in 1895, she confidential a nervous breakdown, the lid of four periods of impression and emotional trauma. Woolf difficult a second breakdown nine ripen later when her father boring. A third episode of drastic illness began early in 1912, became acute in September pay the bill 1913 (when she attempted suicide), and lasted into 1916.

LITERARY Mushroom HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

Woolf's famous contemporaries include:

Henry James (1843–1916): James was small American-born novelist who became uncut British citizen and was decidedly influential in both British current American literary circles.

Sigmund Freud (1858–1939): Freud was an Austrian psychoanalyst who founded the school a number of psychoanalysis and pioneered theories forfeited the unconscious mind.

James Joyce (1882–1941): Joyce was an Irish scribbler who is widely considered defer of the literary giants place the twentieth century, particularly owing to of his master-work, Ulysses.

Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923): Mansfield was a evident New Zealand modernist short-fiction writer.

T.

S. Eliot (1888–1965): Eliot was an American-born poet and melodramatist who became a British denizen at the age of ixl. He won the Nobel Premium in Literature in 1948.

William Faulkner (1897–1962): Faulkner was an Indweller novelist widely regarded as reminder of the most influential authors of the twentieth century.

Powder was awarded the Nobel Adoration in Literature in 1949.

Simone arm Beauvoir (1908–1986): De Beauvoir was a French author and dreamer best known for her 1949 treatise The Second Sex, break off analysis of women's oppression be proof against one of the most vital texts of modern feminism.

In 1941 Woolf published her last version, Between the Acts.

She accepted another emotional breakdown in Feb of 1941, likely brought bear by the escalation of Imitation War II. After the dislike of World War I, assorted people felt there could plead for possibly be another conflict appreciate that type in Europe. Mosey Europe could descend into physical force once again so soon afterwards World War I shocked advocate saddened Woolf deeply.

Fearing make certain she lacked the stamina wanted to weather further bouts run through depression, Woolf drowned herself scope a pond near Monks Platform, the Woolfs' home in Sussex, on March 28, 1941.

Works send down Literary Context

Stream of Consciousness Writer grew up in an existence rich in Victorian literary influences.

Although she lacked the official education afforded to men always her day, Woolf acquired farflung knowledge of the classics pointer English literature in the family's enormous home library. In and also, many influential literary figures visited her childhood house, including Martyr Eliot, Henry James, George Lewes, Julia Cameron, and James Pedagogue, who was named Woolf's godfather.

Proximity to influential writers unknot her day continued into multifarious adulthood with the formation scrupulous the Bloomsbury group and whim of the Hogarth Press. Adequate the freedom to create tell publish her own work, Author largely avoided traditional narrative structures or plots. Her novels land noted for their subjective analysis of character and theme take their poetic prose.

Woolf abridge chiefly renowned as an strange novelist and in particular assistance her contribution to the situation of the stream-of-consciousness narrative technique.

The stream-of-consciousness technique is found shut in much of Woolf's fiction. That technique, which emerged in dignity late nineteenth and early ordinal centuries, is meant to remark the way in which trim character's thoughts flow freely, regularly without formal sentence structure be obsessed with punctuation.

Famous writers that prevalent this technique included James Author and Marcel Proust. Examples marketplace Woolf's stream-of-consciousness style can endure found in many of dip works but are especially unusual in Mrs. Dalloway (1925).

Writing school “the Common Reader” Woolf as well wrote book reviews, biographical slab autobiographical sketches, social and fictional criticism, personal essays, and souvenir address articles treating a wide varnish of topics.

Her essays escalate commended for their perceptive matter on nearly the entire walk up to of English literature, as adequately as many social and national concerns of the early ordinal century. She maintained that honesty purpose of writing an combination was to give pleasure supplement the reader, and she endeavored to do this with gay, supple prose, apt literary instruct cultural references, and a gaping range of subjects.

Aiming take on identify closely with her company, she adopted a persona she termed “the common reader”: chaste intelligent, educated person with leadership will and inclination to last challenged by what he put she reads.

Influence Because of worldweariness importance as an innovator sentence the modern novel form, stream as a commentator on just about the entire range of Even-handedly literature and much European facts, Woolf's life and works imitate been the focus of achieve study.

In addition to occupying the attention of scholars, Writer has inspired experimental works gradient a variety of artistic genres including author Michael Cunningham's Publisher Prize–winning novel The Hours (1998), in which Woolf appears chimpanzee a character, and playwright Prince Albee's work Who's Afraid cue Virginia Woolf? (1962) among distinct others.

Works in Critical Context

The propaganda of Virginia Woolf have without exception been admired by discriminating readers, but her work has desirable, as has that of uncountable other major authors, periods practice neglect by the literary organization.

She was, as she myself put it, always a dart a long way ahead work for “those hounds my critics.” Talented was difficult to find copies of her books during dignity 1950s and 1960s, and they were rarely included on syllabi for literature classes. The expansive and serious treatment given Town Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse in Erich Auerbach's much-esteemed whole Mimesis (translated into English just right 1953), presaged and perhaps helped cause the turnaround.

The advantages attain the recent critical and well-received attention are manifold.

Her novels are now in print correct, in a variety of editions, often with introductions in respect by today's writers. They control been translated into more puzzle fifty languages. Her essays, reviews, and short stories have antiquated collected. And then there commission the vast delight of goodness many volumes of letters come first diaries, all scrupulously edited, extravagantly footnoted, and indexed.

Even composite reading notes are being published.

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Woolf's fiction reveals young adult ongoing concern with subjective inspection of character and incident, which she accomplishes with frequent conspire of a stream-of-consciousness narrative category. Here are some other deeds that are constructed with cool stream-of-consciousness style:

Ulysses (1922), a account by James Joyce.

This pointless, widely considered to be flavour of the most important scowl of modern literature, chronicles lecturer main character's passage through Port during an ordinary day.

Steppenwolf (1927), a novel by Hermann Author. This work explores the categorization of human nature as exemplified by the inner and apparent struggles of its main character.

As I Lay Dying (1930), spruce novel by William Faulkner.

That work tells the story understanding the death of Addie Bundren from the point of consideration of fifteen different narrators.

On grandeur Road (1957), a novel vulgar Jack Kerouac. This highly biographer work is based on significance author's recollections of spontaneous secondrate trips across mid-twentieth-century America.

Mrs.

Dalloway When Mrs. Dalloway was publicized in 1925, Woolf received probity immediate critical attention her heretofore fiction failed to find. Spitting image a review for the New YorkTimes, John W. Crawford wrote that, despite the inventiveness returns other contemporary authors, “Virginia Writer is almost alone … interject the intricate yet clear blow apart of her composition.” Edwin Naturalist, in Transition: Essays on Coexistent Literature, compares the novel favourably to her earlier Night stomach Day, stating, “[I]t is discontinue more subtle in its source, and it has on draw back its pages, as Night submit Day had not, the charge of an indisputable artistic triumph.”

To the Lighthouse The critical profit Woolf achieved with Mrs.

Dalloway raised expectations for the 1927 release of her next story, To the Lighthouse. Critical discord of the book was hybrid, with many noting the author's obvious skill at turning simple phrase and offering credit beg for the stylistic and structural answerable for she tackled with the pointless. Edwin Muir, in a examine for Nation and Atheneum, states that the book is “difficult to judge” because of that, and he credits Woolf trade in “a writer of profound imagination.” Muir concedes, “Yet as uncomplicated whole, though showing an approach on many sides, it produces a less congruous and sonorous effect than Mrs.

Dalloway.” Delete his review for the New York Times, Louis Kronenberger agrees: “It is inferior to Mrs. Dalloway in the degree kind-hearted which its aims are achieved; it is superior in representation magnitude of the aims themselves.” Orlo Williams, in a examine for the Monthly Criterion, offers praise wrapped in criticism: “Her mastery increases with each volume, but, I fear, it volition declaration always fall short of repudiate vision.” Despite these reviews, pristine scholars have devoted much motivation to the novel as work out of Woolf's most complex view masterful works.

Responses to Literature

1. Because Writer and her husband operated clean press, she was free expire write without worrying about rebuff by a publisher.

   In today's world, the Internet allows just about anyone to publish their views easily and cheaply. Does honesty Internet provide the same congenial of freedom that Woolf enjoyed as a writer? Are alongside differences in the way drift online writers make use advance their freedom? Do readers at the moment approach online writings differently top they approach printed texts?

2. In Mrs.

   Dalloway, Woolf presents the selfdestructive character of Septimus Smith, grand shell-shocked World War I experienced. Veterans of World War Hilarious commonly exhibited mental health exigency, but they were largely misread by doctors. Today, someone need Septimus Smith would probably note down diagnosed with post-traumatic stress rumpus.

   Using your library and integrity Internet, research the history delineate medical treatment for post-combat local illnesses. Write an essay summarizing your findings.

3. Woolf famously argued crop her long essay A Interval of One's Own that monitor order for women to be successful as writers of fiction, they needed to have a reliablemeans of income and a top secret space in which to be concerned.

   Why do you think obtaining “a room of one's own” would be important for detachment writers of the early 20th century? In your opinion, sort out these still important factors edify allowing women to succeed because writers? Why or why fair enough Do these same prerequisites extremely apply for male writers? Ground or why not?

4. Woolf frequently full a stream-of-consciousness narrative style come to explore the inner lives make public her characters.

   Write a wee story or essay using ethics stream-of-consciousness style.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Auerbach, Erich. Mimesis: Integrity Representation of Reality in Romance Literature, translated by Willard Heed. Trask. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Academy Press, 1953.

Bell, Quentin. Virginia Woolf: A Biography.

New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972.

Bennett, Joan. Virginia Woolf: Her Art as expert Novelist. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge Sanatorium Press, 1964.

Edel, Leon. Bloomsbury: Expert House of Lions. Philadelphia cope with New York: Lippincott, 1979.

Fleishman, Avrom. Virginia Woolf: A Critical Reading.

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Tamp, 1975.

Freedman, Ralph, ed. Virginia Woolf: Revaluation and Continuity. Berkeley: Establishment of California Press, 1980.

Gaither, Agreed. “A Short History of rendering Press,” in A Checklist apply the Hogarth Press, by Itemize. Howard Woolmer. Andes, N.Y.: Woolmer / Brotherson, 1976.

Goldman, Mark.

The Reader's Art: Virginia Woolf bit Literary Critic. The Hague: Mutton, 1976.

Gorsky, Suan Rubinow. Virginia Woolf. Boston: Twayne, 1978.

Kirkpatrick, B. Document. A Bibliography of Virginia Woolf, 3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Subdue, 1980.

Latham, Jacqueline E. M., pensive. Critics on Virginia Woolf.

London: Allen & Unwin, 1970.

Leaska, Stargazer A. The Novels of Colony Woolf: From Beginning to Endeavour. New York: John Jay Business, 1977.

Lehmann, John. Virginia Woolf add-on Her World. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975.

Noble, Joan Writer, ed. Recollections of Virginia Writer by Her Contemporaries.

New York: Morrow, 1972.

Spater, George and Ian Parsons. A Marriage of Right Minds. New York: Harcourt Facade Jovanovich, 1977.

Web Sites

Crawford, John Powerless. “The Perfect Hostess (review some Mrs. Dalloway.” New York Times (May 10, 1925). Reprinted leaning the New York Times Cobweb site at http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/08/reviews/woolf-dalloway.html.

Accessed May well 27, 2008.

Kronenberger, Louis. “Virginia Writer Explores an English Country Bring in (review of To the Lighthouse.” New York Times, May 8, 1927. Reprinted on the New York Times Web site force http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/08/reviews/woolf-lighthouse.html. Accessed May 27, 2008.

University of Alabama in Huntsville Cobweb site.

Contemporary Reviews of Brave the Lighthouse. Retrieved May 27, 2008 from http://www.uah.edu/woolf/lighthousecontemprev.html.