Virginia Woolf Forum

Virginia Woolf

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Can someone tell me what the epiphany Fannie Wilmot had in "Moments of Being?"

>>By Alissa (Wednesday, 14 May 2003 05:26)

A couple months ago, I saw the film THE HOURS. I was so intrigued by the intricacies of the plot that I decided to read MRS DALLOWAY, which provided much of the premise for the novel THE HOURS. I highly recommend MRS DALLOWAY. Woolf's way with words and sense of imagery is unparalled.

>>By Waterlily (Monday, 16 Jun 2003 18:54)

Woolf's genius is imprinted on each page of her work. She observed life and gave it back to all generations. That fact that she was a Lesbian was a contributing part to her art. As a lesbian she understood the differences in some sections of society. She helped Gay and Lesbian rights by including us in her novels. I am sorry that their is not a spell check here. Try not read Woolf when you are sleepy, she would like the reader to be awake! She had a sharp sense of humor and was interested in painting among many other interests. She helped set the print during an early period of Hogarth Press. She worked with her husband Leonard. Her sister Vanessa was an admired and very successful artist. Woolf's mental illness inspired her to point out the mistreatment of the mentally ill in her work. That sentence is misworded but I hope you know what I mean.Please do not inquire about my boardgame: "Who's A Friend of Virginia Woolf?" "Nite and Day "was quite long, but well done. I got to know all of the characters better than I would have liked to. "Mrs. Dalloway" was written her stream of concousness (sp) style. It is very good. Her novels require at least two readings to get a good understanding of her technique. Most of the action in her novels happens in the heads of the characters. One comes away from her novels feeling like you know her characters well. "To the Lighthouse" is a rewarding read. She spent summers at the beach as a child. The house is one of the players in the novel. It develops just like a character. She was concerned abouts peace and the rights of women. Do gooders pissed her off------allthough she did a lot of good. I have to read "Between the Acts" again before commenting on it. We have two more novels for the class. "A Room of One's Own" and Orlando. It is a ten week seminar and I should be working on my term paper instead of pretending to be well-informed on this site. One will understand Woolf, her family, her work, her illness, Hogarth Press and much more by reading Hermoine Lee's biography. It is the latest and I have heard the best book, about 800 pgs. and quite facinating. I am only halfway through. Forgive my spelling, (It is the least of my sins). Thank you, Bud Durkee

>>By Bud Durkee (Wednesday, 30 Jul 2003 09:53)

Virginia Woolf is one of the two most significant English language novelists of the 20th Century and the other, of course, is James Joyce. (She recognized Joyce's genius without entirely appreciating his work.) I suggest several other non-fiction works by her which discuss eloquently the nature and necessities of a woman writer's life and process as well as the barriars women faced. (Remember women could not vote in the U.S. until after 1920 and could not get a credit card in their own name until after 1975 - (Before1975 a woman in the U.S. could get a credit card only as an add on to the card belonging to her spouse or father.)I quote from an online description of these texts - which I own. In these texts, Virginia Woolf considers the implications of the historical exclusion of women from education and from economic independence. In "A Room of One's Own" (1929), she examines the work of past women writers, and looks ahead to a time when women's creativity will not be hampered by poverty, or by oppression. In "Three Guineas" (1938), however, Woolf argues that women's historical exclusion offers them the chance to form a political and cultural identity which could challenge the drive towards fascism and war.
As a specialist in human sexuality I would point out that Woolf, like many others, may have been bisexual, but hardly exclusively lesbian. IT is believed that she and her sister Vanessa were sexually abused while children by their much older stepbrothers. That tends to have a lasting effect on later sexual interests and behavior. Woolf may have had some sexual relationships with other women as well as with her husband. Kinsey's research and that of others indicates that human sexuality is expressed on a continuum from exclusively hetersexual to exclusively homosexual and that often there is a difference between sexual object preference and overt sexual behavior. Gender lines are blurred and so are gender behaviors and sexual preferences. Society imposes a false dichotomy between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Many people are primarily one or the other, and have had experiences with both sexes. In any event, Woolf's significance is that she, along with her contemporary James Joyce, totally changed the shape of the novel. That she was so influential despite discrimination against women and despite her serious bouts with mania and with very severe depression, makes her one of the most remarkable PEOPLE in human literary history.
Best regards

>>By Padrigh (Monday, 12 Jan 2004 22:52)

I completely agree with Padrigh. Besides, using a writer's sexuality as a way of judging her writing, is like going through somebody's laundry and calling it professional investigation. The one has nothing whatsoever to do with the other.

>>By Aywin (Tuesday, 13 Jan 2004 16:53)

as far as speakin of woolf's significance, i would love to hear what it is thought of the non-existence of Jacob in the "not so significant novel " of hers,Jacob's Room?

>>By peggypartiger (Thursday, 25 Sep 2008 15:50)

Virginia Woolf affects me deeply. Her style is not like that of any other writer. I personally think that she had a magical pen.
She is a modernist writer. She uses stream of consciousness and free association technics in her works. She also uses symbols. Symbols,in her works, come to mean various things at the same time. A good example to this is her "To the Lighthouse".
Apart from being a writer, she is also accepted as a feminist, especially with her "A Room of One's Own", in which she talks about an imaginary sister of Shakespeare, Judith. She argues what would happen if Judith had the genius of Shakespeare. She asks whether she would be able to write by using her genius, and whether she would be encouraged and appreciated by the people around her.

>>By literature (Tuesday, 13 Jan 2009 09:37)

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