The Waves, published on October 8, 1931, is considered one of Virginia Woolf‘s most experimental novels. Instead of a plot-driven story, the stream-of-consciousness novel is told in a series of soliloquies by its many characters. The book is one of Virginia’s later novels and was written around the same time as A Room of One’s … Read more
To The Lighthouse, published on May 5, 1927, is one of Virginia Woolf‘s best known books and is considered by many critics to be one of the most influential English-language novels of the 20th century. The novel is a semi-autobiographical work that explores Virginia’s unresolved issues with her deceased parents as well as her obsession … Read more
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf is an extended essay first published on October 24, 1929. The essay is based on two lectures titled Women and Fiction that Virginia Woolf gave at two women’s colleges, Newnham and Girton College, in October of 1928. Angry about her own lack of an education and limited … Read more
The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf tells the story of a young woman’s journey of self-discovery on her father’s ship in South America. Published on March 26, 1915, just a few years after the Titanic disaster, the novel was possibly inspired or influenced by the famous maritime disaster. While the story is fiction, the characters … Read more
Despite her deep English roots, Virginia Woolf was a fan of American writers and felt they were superior to British writers. According to an article in the Dublin Review, Virginia wrote a number of essays praising American writers as modern, experimental and inventive. Virginia felt British literature in the 20th century was tired and worn-out … Read more
Virginia Woolf’s death in March of 1941 brought an end to her 29-year-long marriage to Leonard Woolf. After her death was announced in the press, Leonard, who had nursed Virginia through many years of mental breakdowns and suicide attempts, received a flood of condolence letters from friends and fans, yet he was inconsolable. According to … Read more
Virginia Woolf met fellow writer Vita Sackville-West in the early 1920s, the two women began a romantic affair that lasted for a number of years. Virginia and Vita first met at a dinner party hosted by Virginia’s brother-in-law, Clive Bell, on December 14, 1922. After learning that Vita was a writer, Virginia invited her to … Read more
Virginia Woolf, whose maiden name was Stephen, and Leonard Woolf first met while Virginia was visiting her brother Thoby at Trinity college around the year 1900. Noting the white dress and parasol she wore the day they met, Leonard declared she looked like “the most Victorian of Victorian young ladies.” The smart and beautiful young … Read more
When Virginia Woolf left her house on the last day of her life on March 28 in 1941, she left behind a note to Vanessa Bell, her sister, and a note to Leonard Woolf, her husband. The notes hinted that Virginia was going to kill herself but didn’t say how or where. Little did she … Read more
The following is a timeline of events in Virginia Woolf’s life: 1878: On March 26, 1878, Leslie Stephen marries Julia Prinsep Duckworth. 1879: On May 30, 1879, Vanessa Stephen is born to Leslie Stephen and Julia Prinsep Duckworth at Hyde Park Gate in London, England. 1880: On September 8, 1880, Julian Thoby Stephen is born … Read more
