what is the best biography of virginia woolf

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The best virginia woolf books, recommended by hermione lee.

Virginia Woolf by Hermione Lee

Virginia Woolf was long dismissed as a 'minor modernist' but now stands as one of the giants of 20th century literature. Her biographer, Hermione Lee , talks us through the novels, essays, and diaries of Virginia Woolf.

Interview by David Shackleton

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

The Years by Virginia Woolf

Walter Sickert: A Conversation by Virginia Woolf

On Being Ill by Virginia Woolf

Selected Diaries by Virginia Woolf

1 To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

2 the years by virginia woolf, 3 walter sickert: a conversation by virginia woolf, 4 on being ill by virginia woolf, 5 selected diaries by virginia woolf.

B efore we get to the books, let’s start this discussion by looking at your biography of  Virginia Woolf. In it you mention that when you were studying English literature as an undergraduate at Oxford University, there weren’t any lectures on Woolf, and as a graduate student, you were told that Woolf was a ‘minor modernist’, not to be classed with the likes of James Joyce, T. S. Eliot or D. H. Lawrence. Why has so much changed since then?

It must have been really exciting writing her biography when so many of her writings, diaries and letters had only recently become available, or weren’t available at all to the public.

I was interested that you chose To the Lighthouse and The Years as your two favourite Virginia Woolf books. Why did you choose To the Lighthouse ?

It’s a very difficult thing to be asked to choose your favourite novels, especially if you’re a Virginia Woolf biographer. I could just as happily have chosen Jacob’s Room or Mrs Dalloway . I chose To the Lighthouse because, when all is said and done, I think it is her greatest novel. I find it still, every single time I read it—and I must have read it more than any other book in my reading life—very moving, tremendously impressive, extremely complicated and interesting in how it’s put together, and approachable in many different kinds of ways. It’s approachable as a love story, as a family story, as a ghost story, as an elegy for the nineteenth century, as a war novel—in an indirect and interesting way—and as an astonishingly ambitious experiment in a completely different way of writing fiction.

It certainly is radically experimental. The literary critic Erich Auerbach famously analysed one scene in the novel, in which Mrs Ramsay sits knitting a stocking for the lighthouse keeper’s boy, and he points out that it probably takes longer to read this description than it would have taken Mrs Ramsay to knit. Why should we, as readers in the twenty-first century, be excited to read such slow-paced descriptions of seemingly trivial incidents?

There’s a fashion for that now. There could be another life of Virginia Woolf in the context of books like Elena Ferrante ’s series on Naples, where you have a slow burn through the minute descriptions of the lives of her characters. Or Karl Knausgård’s autobiographies, where you spend fifty pages on slow processes of his life. John Updike is another example. The idea that you go minutely and slowly, in intense close-up, into moments in people’s lives, is something that people find interesting, perhaps because readers are fascinated by autobiography and memoir. What Woolf does in her narratives is to think about many kinds of different shapes and forms, like a painting, or abstract marks down the middle of a page, or the shape of a bowl of fruit, or the shape of a lighthouse in the bay. She tries to build a story almost like an abstract painting—and there’s a lot about painting in To the Lighthouse . It’s a novel that doesn’t just let you read the story, it makes you think about the shape and structure. She is interested in how to master the passing of time. She is obsessed with death and loss and elegy and memory. This is a kind of a ghost story. And you feel, at any moment, that the whole thing could fall apart into fragments if she didn’t keep on shaping it and shaping it. In the middle there’s an extraordinary section called ‘Time Passes’, where you see the house left on its own, beginning to decay, and then it’s brought back into life. You’re made to think about structure all the time. You don’t just read for the story—chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3. She’s making you think about how a narrative can shape the passing of time.

It’s an amazing middle section, ‘Time Passes’.

You don’t know who is speaking, there’s nobody there.

It’s very disconcerting.

I think these achievements are very modern and still fresh. Students who are now reading it for the first time are deeply interested in those kinds of experiments.

I remember being shocked by the way that Mrs Ramsay’s death is treated in ‘Time Passes’. Can you say a bit about that?

It’s a very bold thing to do. You get invested in the characters in the first part of the novel, even if you don’t like them much—and you’re not necessarily supposed to like them. There’s a rather tyrannical, eccentric father, Mr Ramsay, and the kind of mother who thinks that a woman’s life is about having children and bringing up families and matchmaking, and being attentive to the head of the family. She is not particularly interested in feminism or new ways for women to live their lives. There is the family with all the conflicts that go on inside the many children’s lives, and then there are the visitors, who are watching this family. Mrs Ramsay is a magnetic figure who pulls people towards her. It is partly a love story between the parents, and between the children and visitors who are all in love with her. And then she dies. She dies in brackets, in passing, in the middle section. The last section is about how they all live their lives after she has gone, and about their memory of her. The brutality with which she is chucked away in the middle section never fails to shock people when they read the book for the first time. Here is this woman you’re supposed to be minding about, then she’s killed off in brackets. That’s exactly what happens to people, and certainly happened a lot to Virginia Woolf. You’re living your life, and suddenly fate comes and wipes someone out—you don’t know why and you don’t know how. This brutal, fatal, sudden removal of people in whom you are deeply invested is something that she writes about over and over again.

So it’s almost more true-to-life than a prolonged death-bed scene?

Let’s talk more about your second choice of Virginia Woolf books, The Years . At least at first glance, it seems a lot less obviously experimental than To the Lighthouse , or The Waves . It tells the story of the Pargiter family over three generations, which, on the face of it, is a fairly conventional thing to be doing. Is it a more straightforward novel?

In some ways it is, and it had a kind of success that suggests that people were reading it as if it were, say, like Galsworthy’s Forsyte Saga . It was a big commercial success in her time. Now it’s the least favoured of all her books, which is partly why I chose it: because I wanted to give it an airing. That and Night and Day , I would think, are the two least read. It’s not a transfixingly experimental book in the way that Mrs Dalloway or To the Lighthouse are. She called it her ‘failure’. She had a terrible time writing it, and kept changing her mind about what she wanted to do with it. But the reason why I think it’s interesting and important is that it’s an extremely political book. In The Years , the Victorian family that is growing into the modern world—the novel goes from the 1880s until the present day, which is 1936—is dealing with issues of feminism, of attitudes to women and the abuse of women, issues of abortion and child abuse, and women’s rights, racism and class war. These things are implicit in novels like Jacob’s Room or Mrs Dalloway or To the Lighthouse —novels of the 1920s—but in the 1930s, when all around her Woolf sees the rise of fascism, she feels, like other writers of the time, the need to speak about politics. She is extremely engaged with the public world.

The Years is a deeply flawed book, but it’s brave about political issues. In her mind, the late nineteenth-century world in which she grew up had all kinds of conventions and hypocrisies and rather stultifying ways of treating family life—in which girls, for instance, didn’t go to school if they were from an upper-middle class family, and sex was never spoken about, and young women had chaperones. The people of her generation get out of that. They go and live in Bloomsbury, they become artists, they are outspoken about sex. But they’ve lost something as well. They’ve lost a sense of solidity and gravitas and rootedness, and she struggles with that. She feels that the quality of modern life is thinner, somehow, than the quality of the life of her parents. The Years is partly about that, but it is also about individual struggles to make a meaningful life, at a time which seemed to her not helpful to individual fruition or fulfillment. She felt that the times were dark. And they were.

It coincides with a lot of her most overtly political writings.

Moving away from Virginia Woolf’s books and on to her essays, why did you select ‘Walter Sickert: A Conversation’?

Writing about ‘On Being Ill’, you have distinguished between vertical and horizontal types of reading. Could you say briefly what the difference between the two is, and how this essay could be thought to be about horizontal reading?

Yes. Well, she’s horizontal because she’s ill and is lying on her back, and so the essay is about what it feels like to have given up the race to make your living and go out and live in the normal world. And so I suppose vertical reading would be orthodox reading where you are accountable and have to make sense of what you’re reading, and to be able to have an intelligent conversation about it once you have read it. Whereas horizontal reading is when you’re lying down with a raging temperature—perhaps you have got the flu—and you’re picking up books that happen to be lying around, as they would have been in her house, and you are biting off little bits of poetry, and little bits of stuff here and there, and you’re not even making sense of it. It’s almost like nonsense, but all kinds of unlikely and unexpected emotions are coming at you through the little fragments that you’re picking up here and there. Reading with a high temperature is a sort of illicit reading.

“What Woolf does in her narratives is to think about many kinds of different shapes and forms, like a painting.”

I was interested that you chose Virginia Woolf’s diaries. Compared to her novels or her essays, they might be overlooked, or if not overlooked, mined for insights about the novels. Are they worth reading in themselves?

Yes, completely. It’s a life’s work for her. It’s an astonishing thing to have decades of almost daily diary entries from a great writer, who tells you about her work in progress, about her innermost thoughts, about the people she knows, about everything she’s been doing. They’re written in a different way from the novels, and she often talks in the diaries about how she’s writing them. She invents what she calls a loose, quick, free style; she’s trying not to correct herself. When you read them, the actual physical things, sometimes she’s writing so fast, with very few crossings out or blots, that you can see the line of the handwriting dipping down towards the end of the line. This is her mind pouring out at you. Of course, there are times when you can see she’s thinking, ‘maybe I’ll write a really good description of Yeats or H. G. Wells now, and then when I’m dead, people will publish my diaries, and read it’. There’s a slight self-consciousness there. But the diary works on many levels. It works as a practice book: she’s practising certain kinds of sentences. It works as a therapeutic book: she says ‘I’m going to calm myself down now by writing this in the book’. And it is a commentary on work in progress: she tells you the first thought she has of To the Lighthouse , or Mrs Dalloway .

Just to give you an example, there are a couple of pages, over four days in October 1922, where she moves from a visit from ‘Tom Eliot’, as she calls him—who she thinks may be wearing lipstick, and is somewhat overbearing and threatening to her, but is someone in whom she is much interested—to anxiety because her novel,  Jacob’s Room, is about to come out, and then to a sense of great pleasure or freedom. She says: ‘At last, I like reading my own writing. . . . I have done my task here better than I expected’. She’s pleased for Jacob’s Room . ‘At forty I am beginning to learn the mechanism of my own brain—how to get the greatest amount of pleasure and work out of it. The secret is I think always so to contrive that work is pleasant’. Then somebody dies—an acquaintance called Kitty Maxse—and there’s a whole page on that, which has interrupted her train of thought. If you have read Mrs Dalloway , you can see that that death is somehow going to make its way into that novel. And then she jumps onto the fact that Jacob’s Room is coming out. She says to herself: ‘My sensations?—they remain calm’. It’s as if she’s telling herself: stay calm; how am I feeling? She’s monitoring herself in the diaries, taking her own temperature with a thermometer. Then she says she’s writing a chapter about Greek literature: ‘I must get on with my reading for the Greek literature’. She is reading ‘some Sophocles & Euripides & a Plato dialogue: also the lives of Bentley & Jebb’. All that is happening in two pages. Death, life, reading, publication, self-monitoring. Amazing.

If we are coming to the diaries for the first time, is this quite a good way of approaching them—just dipping in?

There are lots of different ways of doing it. If you want to start reading a particular Virginia Woolf book, say To the Lighthouse , what you can do is go to the index for the diaries, and look up To the Lighthouse . There’s a good index for the diaries in the five-volume edition. You can read all the entries of how she first thinks of the novel, how she’s working on it. You can read the diaries as a sourcebook for the writing. Or if you’re interested in how she reacts to, say, a visit to Thomas Hardy , you look up ‘Thomas Hardy’. Or you can just dip in. You can go to them for lots of different things. But you never go to them without feeling that you know this person, and that this voice is vividly coming at you off the page. We’re so privileged to have this. Thank god her husband Leonard didn’t do what she asked him to do, in the note that she left him when she went to drown herself, which was to destroy all her papers.

June 17, 2016

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Hermione Lee

Professor Dame Hermione Lee is a biographer and literary critic. Her biography of Virginia Woolf won the British Academy Rose Mary Crawshay prize, and was named as one of the New York Times Book Review’s best books of 1997. She has also written biographies of Willa Cather, Edith Wharton, and Penelope Fitzgerald, and critical studies on Elizabeth Bowen and Philip Roth. She is President of Wolfson College, Oxford.

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‘It Had a Lifelong Effect on Her.’ A New Virginia Woolf Biography Deals With the Author’s Experience of Childhood Sexual Abuse

T he English author Virginia Woolf is one of the 20th century’s literary giants, renowned for the pioneering stream-of-consciousness style she immortalized in novels like To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway — but her fame has never been solely based on her work, as her personal life has long been the subject of fascination. Her involvement in the influential intellectual circle known as the Bloomsbury Group brought her attention, and her 1929 essay A Room of One’s Own did the same for her feminist ideas.

In her death, interest in the woman behind the books continued. After a lifelong struggle with her mental health, including periods of severe depression and suicide attempts, Woolf died in 1941 by drowning herself near her house in Sussex, England, at the age of 59. As TIME noted in her obituary , she left behind a body of work that was complex and lyrical. “To some readers [her books] didn’t always make sense,” the piece noted, “but they made her name and parts of them almost made music.”

To biographer Gillian Gill, it’s important to note another part of the Virginia Woolf story: her experience of sexual abuse during her childhood and as a young woman. In Gill’s recent book Virginia Woolf and the Women Who Shaped Her World , she highlights Woolf’s identity not only as a literary titan and a woman shaped by her female relationships , but also as a survivor of traumatic abuse at the hands of her half-brothers and later — not coincidentally — as an advocate for protecting children vulnerable to similar experiences.

“This [sexual abuse] is a subject of enormous controversy in Virginia Woolf literature,” Gill says. “By her own account, it had a lifelong effect on her and we see this when she’s in her 40s and she writes about it in her memoirs in 1939.”

During her lifetime, Woolf publicly stated — in her 1939 memoirs as well as a 1920 speech at the Bloomsbury Memoir Club — that, when she was a child, her genitals had been fondled by her half-brother Gerald Duckworth, and that, after the death of her father in 1904, both Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell had been abused over a period of five years by their other older half-brother, George . The Duckworth brothers were the sons of Virginia Woolf’s mother, Julia Jackson, from her first marriage. Per the account of her nephew and biographer Quentin Bell, Woolf’s statements were met with some skepticism. Some biographers suggested that Woolf fantasized the abuse, and attributed her claims to her supposed “madness.” Bell wrote that several people had attempted to persuade him “that these ugly stories were untrue, that they were phantoms of Virginia Woolf’s wild imagination, delusions conceived during periods of nervous breakdown. ”

Others like Gill, especially more recently, have suggested the opposite, that Woolf’s lifelong struggles with mental health were at least in part a result of the abuse perpetrated by the Duckworth brothers. Though many Woolf scholars today don’t question whether the abuse happened (in fact, much research in recent years has focused on this part of her life, among literature and psychology experts alike) disagreement persists about its effect on the rest of her life. Gill — building on the work of scholars like Louise DeSalvo, author of the 1989 book Virginia Woolf: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Her Life and Work — holds that it’s impossible to understand Woolf without acknowledging the abuse.

“The incident where a child Virginia is placed on a table and has her knickers opened, that’s brushed off as being trivial. But what she says is that it wasn’t trivial for her,” says Gill. “What we have learnt now, as we hear more and more about what the effect of sexual abuse has, is that even a single incident can scar a girl or a boy. It’s something that they carry with them, and that molds them in unfortunate ways.”

From Gill’s reading of Woolf’s life, “as a great writer, as a great novelist, as a great understander of human relations,” the trauma she experienced would fuel her advocacy for children, and lead her to form a close and caring relationship with her sister Vanessa’s children. Their father, the author Clive Bell, was also part of the Bloomsbury Group; during her research, Gill came across suggestive postcards he had been sent, framing children as an object of sexual attraction. Gill argues that Virginia always “distrusted and disliked” Bell. “As I read more and more about the Bloomsbury group, I get more and more disturbed by aspects of it,” she says, “and I see Virginia as standing in opposition to so much of that.”

In some ways, this bond between Woolf and her nephews and niece paralleled other relationships that she had experienced earlier on in her life. “For some time I’ve been interested in mother-daughter and sister-sister relationships,” says Gill. “Mothering is not just biological, it can be adoptive.” Indeed, much of Virginia Woolf and the Women Who Shaped Her World is focused on the women of the Victorian era who were key influences in Woolf’s early life, like Anne Thackeray Ritchie, daughter of Vanity Fair author William Makepeace Thackeray, acted as a surrogate aunt, and her own career as a writer made an impression on a young Virginia, who was frustrated by the opportunities her brothers had that she did not due to her gender.

Gill sees Woolf’s public revelations in her later life as her way of speaking therapeutically about the abuse — and argues that, in doing so, she helped many people deal with the issues she faced.

When Woolf addressed an audience of friends and colleagues with an autobiographical speech in 1920 and even when she collated her memoirs about two decades later, it was a “remarkably early” moment in history, Gill says, for a woman like her to give witness to sexual abuse within the family. Attitudes at this time , which are still pervasive today, tended to characterize child abuse as something perpetrated by “strangers” outside the family, with victim-shaming and blaming often accompanying these views. “This is one of the things Virginia says: Abuse is within families, it’s not the unknown predator from outside who snatches children from the streets. It’s the uncle, it’s the brother, this is the dark side of family life,” says Gill.

As late as the 1950s and 1960s, discourse surrounding child sexual abuse referred to its apparent minimal impacts on children , and some narratives attempted to portray incest as not harmful. For Gill, Woolf’s efforts to speak up about her own case set an example, and is still relevant today.

“It indicates to me that if you’re able to talk about it, you’ve made a stride, you’ve moved forward, you’re no longer a victim, you’re a survivor, you’re a protester,” Gill says. “This is such a complicated subject, but it seems to me that we’re making progress here, in a very dark area of human life. And listening is the least we can do.”

If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. In emergencies, call 911 or seek care from a local hospital or mental-health provider.

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Early life and influences

Early fiction.

• Mrs. Dalloway , To the Lighthouse , A Room of One’s Own and other major works

Virginia Woolf

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What was Virginia Woolf famous for?

She was best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927). She also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power.

Who was Virginia Woolf married to?

Virginia Woolf was married to British man of letters, publisher, and internationalist Leonard Woolf . They met before 1904 and married in August 1912.

When did Virginia Woolf die?

Virginia Woolf drowned herself in Sussex, England, on March 28, 1941, when she was 59 years old.

What did Virginia Woolf write?

In addition to Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), she wrote the novels The Voyage Out (1915), Jacob’s Room (1922), Orlando (1928), and The Waves (1931). Her most famous essay was A Room of One’s Own (1929).

Virginia Woolf (born January 25, 1882, London , England—died March 28, 1941, near Rodmell, Sussex) was an English writer whose novels , through their nonlinear approaches to narrative, exerted a major influence on the genre .

While she is best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), Woolf also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power. A fine stylist, she experimented with several forms of biographical writing, composed painterly short fictions, and sent to her friends and family a lifetime of brilliant letters.

Born Virginia Stephen, she was the child of ideal Victorian parents. Her father, Leslie Stephen , was an eminent literary figure and the first editor (1882–91) of the Dictionary of National Biography . Her mother, Julia Jackson, possessed great beauty and a reputation for saintly self-sacrifice; she also had prominent social and artistic connections, which included Julia Margaret Cameron , her aunt and one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 19th century. Both Julia Jackson’s first husband, Herbert Duckworth, and Leslie’s first wife, a daughter of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray , had died unexpectedly, leaving her three children and him one. Julia Jackson Duckworth and Leslie Stephen married in 1878, and four children followed: Vanessa (born 1879), Thoby (born 1880), Virginia (born 1882), and Adrian (born 1883). While these four children banded together against their older half siblings, loyalties shifted among them. Virginia was jealous of Adrian for being their mother’s favourite. At age nine, she was the genius behind a family newspaper, the Hyde Park Gate News , that often teased Vanessa and Adrian. Vanessa mothered the others, especially Virginia, but the dynamic between need (Virginia’s) and aloofness (Vanessa’s) sometimes expressed itself as rivalry between Virginia’s art of writing and Vanessa’s of painting.

The Stephen family made summer migrations from their London town house near Kensington Gardens to the rather disheveled Talland House on the rugged Cornwall coast. That annual relocation structured Virginia’s childhood world in terms of opposites: city and country, winter and summer, repression and freedom, fragmentation and wholeness. Her neatly divided, predictable world ended, however, when her mother died in 1895 at age 49. Virginia, at 13, ceased writing amusing accounts of family news. Almost a year passed before she wrote a cheerful letter to her brother Thoby. She was just emerging from depression when, in 1897, her half sister Stella Duckworth died at age 28, an event Virginia noted in her diary as “impossible to write of.” Then in 1904, after her father died, Virginia had a nervous breakdown.

While Virginia was recovering, Vanessa supervised the Stephen children’s move to the bohemian Bloomsbury section of London. There the siblings lived independent of their Duckworth half brothers, free to pursue studies, to paint or write, and to entertain. Leonard Woolf dined with them in November 1904, just before sailing to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ) to become a colonial administrator. Soon the Stephens hosted weekly gatherings of radical young people, including Clive Bell , Lytton Strachey , and John Maynard Keynes , all later to achieve fame as, respectively, an art critic, a biographer, and an economist. Then, after a family excursion to Greece in 1906, Thoby died of typhoid fever . He was 26. Virginia grieved but did not slip into depression . She overcame the loss of Thoby and the “loss” of Vanessa, who became engaged to Bell just after Thoby’s death, through writing. Vanessa’s marriage (and perhaps Thoby’s absence) helped transform conversation at the avant-garde gatherings of what came to be known as the Bloomsbury group into irreverent, sometimes bawdy repartee that inspired Virginia to exercise her wit publicly, even while privately she was writing her poignant “ Reminiscences”—about her childhood and her lost mother—which was published in 1908. Viewing Italian art that summer, she committed herself to creating in language “some kind of whole made of shivering fragments,” to capturing “the flight of the mind.”

Virginia Stephen determined in 1908 to “re-form” the novel by creating a holistic form embracing aspects of life that were “fugitive” from the Victorian novel. While writing anonymous reviews for the Times Literary Supplement and other journals, she experimented with such a novel, which she called Melymbrosia . In November 1910, Roger Fry , a new friend of the Bells, launched the exhibit “Manet and the Post-Impressionists,” which introduced radical European art to the London bourgeoisie . Virginia was at once outraged over the attention that painting garnered and intrigued by the possibility of borrowing from the likes of artists Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso . As Clive Bell was unfaithful, Vanessa began an affair with Fry, and Fry began a lifelong debate with Virginia about the visual and verbal arts. In the summer of 1911, Leonard Woolf returned from the East. After he resigned from the colonial service, Leonard and Virginia married in August 1912. She continued to work on her first novel; he wrote the anticolonialist novel The Village in the Jungle (1913) and The Wise Virgins (1914), a Bloomsbury exposé. Then he became a political writer and an advocate for peace and justice .

Between 1910 and 1915, Virginia’s mental health was precarious. Nevertheless, she completely recast Melymbrosia as The Voyage Out in 1913. She based many of her novel’s characters on real-life prototypes: Lytton Strachey, Leslie Stephen, her half brother George Duckworth, Clive and Vanessa Bell, and herself. Rachel Vinrace, the novel’s central character, is a sheltered young woman who, on an excursion to South America , is introduced to freedom and sexuality (though from the novel’s inception she was to die before marrying). Woolf first made Terence, Rachel’s suitor, rather Clive-like; as she revised, Terence became a more sensitive, Leonard-like character. After an excursion up the Amazon , Rachel contracts a terrible illness that plunges her into delirium and then death. As possible causes for this disaster, Woolf’s characters suggest everything from poorly washed vegetables to jungle disease to a malevolent universe, but the book endorses no explanation. That indeterminacy, at odds with the certainties of the Victorian era, is echoed in descriptions that distort perception: while the narrative often describes people, buildings, and natural objects as featureless forms, Rachel, in dreams and then delirium, journeys into surrealistic worlds. Rachel’s voyage into the unknown began Woolf’s voyage beyond the conventions of realism .

Woolf’s manic-depressive worries (that she was a failure as a writer and a woman, that she was despised by Vanessa and unloved by Leonard) provoked a suicide attempt in September 1913. Publication of The Voyage Out was delayed until early 1915; then, that April, she sank into a distressed state in which she was often delirious. Later that year she overcame the “vile imaginations” that had threatened her sanity. She kept the demons of mania and depression mostly at bay for the rest of her life.

In 1917 the Woolfs bought a printing press and founded the Hogarth Press , named for Hogarth House, their home in the London suburbs. The Woolfs themselves (she was the compositor while he worked the press) published their own Two Stories in the summer of 1917. It consisted of Leonard’s Three Jews and Virginia’s The Mark on the Wall, the latter about contemplation itself.

Since 1910, Virginia had kept (sometimes with Vanessa) a country house in Sussex , and in 1916 Vanessa settled into a Sussex farmhouse called Charleston. She had ended her affair with Fry to take up with the painter Duncan Grant , who moved to Charleston with Vanessa and her children, Julian and Quentin Bell; a daughter, Angelica, would be born to Vanessa and Grant at the end of 1918. Charleston soon became an extravagantly decorated, unorthodox retreat for artists and writers, especially Clive Bell, who continued on friendly terms with Vanessa, and Fry, Vanessa’s lifelong devotee.

Virginia had kept a diary, off and on, since 1897. In 1919 she envisioned “the shadow of some kind of form which a diary might attain to,” organized not by a mechanical recording of events but by the interplay between the objective and the subjective. Her diary, as she wrote in 1924, would reveal people as “splinters & mosaics; not, as they used to hold, immaculate, monolithic , consistent wholes.” Such terms later inspired critical distinctions, based on anatomy and culture , between the feminine and the masculine, the feminine being a varied but all-embracing way of experiencing the world and the masculine a monolithic or linear way. Critics using these distinctions have credited Woolf with evolving a distinctly feminine diary form, one that explores, with perception, honesty, and humour, her own ever-changing, mosaic self.

Proving that she could master the traditional form of the novel before breaking it, she plotted her next novel in two romantic triangles, with its protagonist Katharine in both. Night and Day (1919) answers Leonard’s The Wise Virgins , in which he had his Leonard-like protagonist lose the Virginia-like beloved and end up in a conventional marriage. In Night and Day , the Leonard-like Ralph learns to value Katharine for herself, not as some superior being. And Katharine overcomes (as Virginia had) class and familial prejudices to marry the good and intelligent Ralph. This novel focuses on the very sort of details that Woolf had deleted from The Voyage Out : credible dialogue , realistic descriptions of early 20th-century settings, and investigations of issues such as class, politics, and suffrage .

Woolf was writing nearly a review a week for the Times Literary Supplement in 1918. Her essay “Modern Novels” (1919; revised in 1925 as “ Modern Fiction”) attacked the “materialists” who wrote about superficial rather than spiritual or “luminous” experiences. The Woolfs also printed by hand, with Vanessa Bell’s illustrations, Virginia’s Kew Gardens (1919), a story organized, like a Post-Impressionistic painting, by pattern. With the Hogarth Press’s emergence as a major publishing house, the Woolfs gradually ceased being their own printers.

In 1919 they bought a cottage in Rodmell village called Monk’s House, which looked out over the Sussex Downs and the meadows where the River Ouse wound down to the English Channel . Virginia could walk or bicycle to visit Vanessa, her children, and a changing cast of guests at the bohemian Charleston and then retreat to Monk’s House to write. She envisioned a new book that would apply the theories of “Modern Novels” and the achievements of her short stories to the novel form. In early 1920 a group of friends, evolved from the early Bloomsbury group, began a “Memoir Club,” which met to read irreverent passages from their autobiographies. Her second presentation was an exposé of Victorian hypocrisy, especially that of George Duckworth, who masked inappropriate, unwanted caresses as affection honouring their mother’s memory.

In 1921 Woolf’s minimally plotted short fictions were gathered in Monday or Tuesday . Meanwhile, typesetting having heightened her sense of visual layout, she began a new novel written in blocks to be surrounded by white spaces. In “On Re-Reading Novels” (1922) Woolf argued that the novel was not so much a form as an “emotion which you feel.” In Jacob’s Room (1922) she achieved such emotion, transforming personal grief over the death of Thoby Stephen into a “spiritual shape.” Though she takes Jacob from childhood to his early death in war, she leaves out plot, conflict, even character. The emptiness of Jacob’s room and the irrelevance of his belongings convey in their minimalism the profound emptiness of loss. Though Jacob’s Room is an antiwar novel, Woolf feared that she had ventured too far beyond representation. She vowed to “push on,” as she wrote Clive Bell, to graft such experimental techniques onto more-substantial characters.

10 Best Books by Virginia Woolf | TheReviewGeek Recommends

Virginia Woolf, one of the most renowned female authors of all time, was a central figure in the modernist literature movement of the early 20th century. Her distinct and innovative writing style, characterized by stream-of-consciousness narrative and introspective focus, has left an indelible mark on literature.

In her honour, we present ten of her best works that have made significant contributions to English literature. As usual, you can drop your thoughts in the comments below:

‘To the Lighthouse’

First published on May 5, 1927, “To the Lighthouse” is widely considered a masterpiece of Woolf’s oeuvre. The novel explores the lives and perspectives of three members of the Ramsay family living in a house on the Scottish coast. Woolf’s impeccable prose and profound understanding of human emotions make this novel deeply impactful. She effectively delves into the human fear of change, rendering it in a compelling novelistic form.

Her vivid descriptions bring to life the characters and their experiences, making the book hard to put down. This book firmly established Woolf as one of the leading voices of modernism.

‘Mrs. Dalloway’

If you’re just starting to explore Woolf’s remarkable body of work, “Mrs. Dalloway”, first published in 1925, is one of the best books to begin with. The narrative brings to life a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a high-society English woman living in post-World War I London.

As Clarissa prepares for a party she will host in the evening, Woolf paints an evocative image of society at the time. The novel employs a stream-of-consciousness narrative, immersing readers into the inner world of its protagonist. Its influence on literature is such that it was adapted into a film in 1997.

‘Orlando’

“Orlando: A Biography”, published in 1928, is another notable work in Woolf’s collection. Not strictly a novel, this ‘biography’ straddles the line between fiction and non-fiction to create a unique narrative experience. It tells the story of the eponymous character who embarks on a journey through centuries of English history.

Orlando is a work that defies conventions and constantly challenges reader expectations. It is seen as another testament to Woolf’s groundbreaking narrative techniques and her ability to experiment with literary forms.

‘A Room of One’s Own’

Published in 1929, “A Room of One’s Own” is an influential feminist text that explores the societal obstacles women face in expressing their creativity and genius. In this essay, Woolf argues for the necessity of a woman having her own money and space – a room of her own – to be able to write.

To illustrate her point, Woolf creates an imaginary character, Shakespeare’s sister, who, despite possessing a talent equivalent to her brother’s, ultimately commits suicide out of frustration with her stifled creativity in a male-dominated world. This work remains a must-read for feminist scholars and readers interested in gender studies.

‘The Waves’

“The Waves”, another of Woolf’s highly acclaimed works, further cemented her status as a leading modernist writer. Much like her other works, this novel showcases Woolf’s characteristic stream-of-consciousness narrative and her focus on internal psychological perspective rather than linear plot development.

The book’s innovative structure and its exploration of complex topics such as individual identity and the nature of human relationships make it a challenging yet rewarding read.

‘Jacob’s Room’

“Jacob’s Room”, Woolf’s third novel, was published in 1922. Following the success of her short story collection ‘Monday or Tuesday,’ Woolf wrote “Jacob’s Room” to test if she could translate her impressionistic style to a full-length novel. The book follows Jacob Flanders’ life from childhood to maturity, but its unconventional narrative technique makes it a classic example of Woolf’s unique storytelling style.

Despite a seemingly conventional plot, the novel is far from traditional and is pure Woolf in its execution.

‘Between the Acts’

“Between the Acts”, Woolf’s last work, was published posthumously. Set against the backdrop of looming World War II in an unspecified location in England, the novel revolves around a village hosting its annual show where villagers enact important moments of English history.

Here, Woolf cleverly uses a play-within-a-play structure to explore various themes, prominently the rise of fascism. This topic was of particular significance to Woolf, given her husband’s Jewish heritage and her inclusion in Hitler’s UK blacklist.

‘The Voyage Out’

Published in 1915, “The Voyage Out” marked the beginning of Woolf’s illustrious writing career. While more conventional than her later works, this novel still bears Woolf’s signature style of introspective narration and rich character development.

It also provides early insights into Woolf’s evolving narrative style, making it an interesting read for those keen on studying her creative growth.

‘Night and Day’

“Night and Day”, Woolf’s second novel published in 1919, offers a fascinating look at her earlier, more traditional narrative style.

Despite being less experimental than her later novels, its insightful exploration of love, marriage, and the role of women makes it a valuable addition to any Woolf reading list.

‘The Years’

Last but not least, “The Years” is the longest novel by Woolf and was the best-selling book during her lifetime. Published in 1937, it traces the lives of the Pargiter family from the 1880s to the ‘present day’ in the mid-1930s.

Although less experimental in form than her other works, the novel is still marked by Woolf’s penetrating examination of characters and her sharp critique of society.

There we have it, our list 0f 10 best books by Virginia Woolf. What do you think about our picks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below:

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Virginia Woolf

AUTHORS (1882–1941); LONDON, ENGLAND

Best known for her highly imaginative and nonlinear novels like Mrs. Dalloway , Orlando , and  To the Lighthouse —and also perhaps because her name was borrowed for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Edward Albee's Tony Award-winning play (which was also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize)—writer Virginia Woolf lived her life as unabashedly as many of the characters in her novels. Find out what books she wrote, what quotes she said, and how she ultimately succumbed to a lifelong battle with mental illness.

1. Virginia Woolf's books rarely stuck to the status quo.

Author Virginia Woolf was born in London in 1882 and helped pioneer modern literature and feminist theory by refusing to adhere to the status quo on just about anything. Not only does she break the normal linear narrative structure in novels like Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse , but she also often presents complex characters who struggle to escape the confines of certain societal expectations of them—especially women.

2. Virginia Woolf’s novel The Waves is a prime example of her unconventional style of writing.

Though technically a novel, Virginia Woolf called The Waves a “play-poem”—and for good reason. It’s told from the perspectives of six different characters, but it doesn’t switch perspectives between chapters or otherwise relatively long segments. Instead, each character narrates their version of whatever’s happening (and their reaction to whatever’s happening) in quick succession, resulting in a piecemeal portrait of a very ambiguous plot. Their narration is punctuated with lyrical descriptions of the sea and sky, making it seem like a play at times, and a poem at others.

3. Virginia Woolf’s book Orlando: A Biography is based on her lover, Vita Sackville-West.

Orlando , a sweeping story that spans more than 400 years in the life of the slowly aging protagonist, is actually a novel, not a biography—though it is heavily inspired by Woolf’s female lover, the writer Vita Sackville-West, who sometimes dressed as a man and went by the name “Julian.”

“A biography beginning in the year 1500 and continuing to the present day, called Orlando . Vita; only with a change about from one sex to the other,” Woolf  wrote of the book in her diary. In the book, the main character, Orlando, begins the story as a man and ends it as a woman.

4. Virginia Woolf’s essay "A Room of One’s Own" imagines the life of a fictional sister of William Shakespeare.

At one point in "A Room of One’s Own," an extended essay based on two lectures Woolf gave at university literary societies in 1928, the author creates a character named Judith Shakespeare, who was “as adventurous, as imaginative, as agog to see the world” as her brother, William. However, while William gets to further his education and live up to his potential, Judith must stay at home and eventually marry for convenience. Interestingly enough, William Shakespeare did have a sister who lived into adulthood, but her name was Joan.

5. Virginia Woolf’s death by suicide was the result of a lifelong battle with mental illness.

In 1941, at 59 years old, Woolf filled her pockets with rocks and drowned herself in a river. She had lived through sexual abuse, both her parents’ premature deaths, nervous breakdowns, manic depression, hallucinations, and several suicide attempts.

“I feel certain I am going mad again. I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times,” Woolf wrote in a heartbreaking suicide note to her husband, Leonard. “You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don’t think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came. I can’t fight any longer.”

6. The author of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? got the inspiration for its title from graffiti in a bar bathroom.

In the early 1950s, playwright Edward Albee saw the question "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" written in soap on the bathroom mirror of a Greenwich Village bar. Later, while writing the now-famous play , he recalled the phrase, thinking it a fitting pun on the song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” from Disney’s 1933 film The Three Little Pigs . In a 1966 interview with The Paris Review , Albee explained that it was meant as a “typical university, intellectual joke” about being afraid of “living life without false illusions.” In other words, it’s not actually about being afraid of Virginia Woolf herself, but of the authentic, unabashed life she championed in her life and works.

Famous Virginia Woolf Books

• The Voyage Out (1915)
• Night and Day (1919)
• Jacob’s Room (1922)
• Mrs. Dalloway (1925)
• To the Lighthouse (1927)
• Orlando: A Biography (1928)
• A Room of One’s Own (1929)
• The Waves (1931)
• Flush: A Biography (1933)
• The Years (1937)
• Roger Fry: A Biography (1940)
• Between the Acts (1941)

Famous Virginia Woolf Quotes

• “If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”
• “When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don’t seem to matter very much, do they?”
• “Words do not live in dictionaries, they live in the mind.”
• “Humor is the first of the gifts to perish in a foreign tongue.”
• “Time, unfortunately, though it makes animals and vegetables bloom and fade with amazing punctuality, has no such simple effect upon the mind of man.”
• “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
• “Nothing has really happened until it has been described.”
• “So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.”
• “Fiction is like a spider’s web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners.”

• World Biography

Virginia Woolf Biography

Born: January 25, 1882 London, England Died: March 28, 1941 Lewes, Sussex, England English novelist, critic, and essayist

The English novelist, critic, and essayist Virginia Woolf ranks as one of England's most distinguished writers of the middle part of the twentieth century. Her novels can perhaps best be described as impressionistic, a literary style which attempts to inspire impressions rather than recreating reality.

Early years and marriage

Virginia Stephen was born in London on January 25, 1882. She was the daughter of Sir Leslie Stephen, a famous scholar and philosopher (a seeker of knowledge) who, among many literary occupations, was at one time editor of Cornhill Magazine and the Dictionary of National Biography. James Russell Lowell, the American poet, was her godfather. Her mother, Julia Jackson, died when the child was twelve or thirteen years old. Virginia and her sister were educated at home in their father's library, where Virginia also met his famous friends who included G. E. Moore (1873–1958) and E. M. Forster (1879–1970). Young Virginia soon fell deep into the world of literature.

In 1912, eight years after her father's death, Virginia married Leonard Woolf, a brilliant young writer and critic from Cambridge, England, whose interests in literature as well as in economics and the labor movement were well suited to hers. In 1917, for amusement, they founded the Hogarth Press by setting and handprinting on an old press Two Stories by "L. and V. Woolf." The volume was a success, and over the years they published many important books, including Prelude by Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), then an unknown writer; Poems by T. S. Eliot (1888–1965); and Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf. The policy of the Hogarth Press was to publish the best and most original work that came to its attention, and the Woolfs as publishers favored young and unknown writers. Virginia's older sister Vanessa, who married the critic Clive Bell, participated in this venture by designing dust jackets for the books issued by the Hogarth Press.

Virginia Woolf's home in Tavistock Square, Bloomsbury, became a literary and art center, attracting such diverse intellectuals as Lytton Strachey (1880–1932), Arthur Waley (1889–1966), Victoria Sackville-West (1892–1962), John Maynard Keynes (1883–1943), and Roger Fry (1866–1934). These artists, critics, and writers became known as the Bloomsbury group. Roger Fry's theory of art may have influenced Virginia's technique as a novelist. Broadly speaking, the Bloomsbury group drew from the philosophic interests of its members (who had been educated at Cambridge) the values of love and beauty as essential to life.

As critic and essayist

Virginia Woolf began writing essays for the Times Literary Supplement (London) when she was young, and over the years these and other essays were collected in a two-volume series called The Common Reader (1925, 1933). These studies range with affection and understanding through all of English literature. Students of fiction have drawn upon these criticisms as a means of understanding Virginia Woolf's own direction as a novelist.

Achievement as novelist

Two of Virginia Woolf's novels in particular, Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), successfully follow the latter approach. The first novel covers a day in the life of Mrs. Dalloway in postwar London; it achieves its vision of reality through the reception by Mrs. Dalloway's mind of what Virginia Woolf called those "myriad impressions—trivial, fantastic, evanescent [vanishing], or engraved with the sharpness of steel."

To the Lighthouse is, in a sense, a family portrait and history rendered in subjective (characterized by personal views) depth through selected points in time. Part I deals with the time between six o'clock in the evening and dinner. Primarily through the consciousness of Mrs. Ramsay, it presents the clash of the male and female sensibilities in the family; Mrs. Ramsay functions as a means of balance and settling disputes. Part II is a moving section of loss during the interval between Mrs. Ramsay's death and the family's revisit to the house. Part III moves toward completion of this complex portrait through the adding of a last detail to a painting by an artist guest, Lily Briscoe, and through the final completion of a plan, rejected by the father in Part I, for him and the children to sail out to the lighthouse.

Last years and other books

Virginia Woolf was the author of about fifteen books, the last, A Writer's Diary, posthumously (after death) published in 1953. Her death by drowning in Lewes, Sussex, England, on March 28, 1941, has often been regarded as a suicide brought on by the unbearable strains of life during World War II (1939–45; a war fought between the Axis powers: Japan, Italy, and Germany—and the Allies: France, England, the Soviet Union, and the United States). The true explanation seems to be that she had regularly felt symptoms of a mental breakdown and feared it would be permanent.

Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and Jacob's Room (1922) represent Virginia Woolf's major achievements. The Voyage Out (1915) first brought her critical attention. Night and Day (1919) is traditional in method. The short stories of Monday or Tuesday (1921) brought critical praise. In The Waves (1931) she masterfully employed the stream-of-consciousness technique which stresses "free writing." Other experimental novels include Orlando (1928), The Years (1937), and Between the Acts (1941). Virginia Woolf's championship of women's rights is reflected in the essays in A Room of One's Own (1929) and in Three Guineas (1938).

For More Information

Bell, Quentin. Virginia Woolf: A Biography. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972.

Bond, Alma Halbert. Who Killed Virginia Woolf?: A Psychobiography. New York: Human Sciences Press, 1989.

Caws, Mary Anne. Virginia Woolf. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Books, 2002.

Lee, Hermione. Virginia Woolf. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1997.

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Biography Online

Virginia Woolf Biography

She was born in London, in 1882. Her father, Sir Leslie Stephen, was a notable historian, author and editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. Her mother Julia Stephen was also well connected in cultural circles and acted as a model for the Pre-Raphaelite artists and photographers.

Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell

Virginia was educated at her Kensington home by her parents with her step-brothers and stepsisters. She was quite a delicate child – ill-suited to the rough and tumble of ordinary schools. She grew up in a literary environment, she devoured many books from her father’s library. In particular, she gained a love of the Elizabethan period and read from Hakluyt’s Voyages from an early age. Living in such a literary environment she came into contact with some of the leading intellects of the day, including Thomas Hardy, John Ruskin, and Edmund Gosse.

She later took lessons at the Ladies’ Department of Kings College, London. Her brothers went to Cambridge, and although Virginia resented not being able to study at Cambridge, through her brothers, she later became involved in the circle of Cambridge graduates.

When Virginia was 13, the death of her mother left a profound mark on her, and she had a nervous breakdown. This nervous breakdown was the beginning of a lifetime of mood swings – manic depression and she frequently sought treatment for her mental instability but struggled to find any cure.

These mood swings made social life more difficult, but she still became friendly with some of the leading literary and cultural figures of the day, including Rupert Brooke, John Maynard Keynes , Clive Bell and Saxon Sydney-Turner. These group of literary figures became known as the Bloomsbury Group.

During this time she had an active correspondence with suffragettes such as Mrs Fawcett , Emily Pankhurst and others. Although she never took part in the activities of the suffragettes she wrote her clear support for the aims of female emancipation. This was made particularly clear in an essay ‘A Room of One’s Own’ (1929) where Woolf highlights the difference between how woman are treated by patriarchal society and the idealised view of women in fiction.

“She dominates the lives of kings and conquerors in fiction; in fact she was the slave of any boy whose parents forced a ring upon her finger. Some of the most inspired words and profound thoughts in literature fall from her lips; in real life she could hardly read; scarcely spell; and was the property of her husband.” ‘A Room of One’s Own’ (1929)

She is considered an important feminist writer and argued for the importance of women’s education.

Virginia and Leonard Woolf, 1912

In 1912, Virginia married writer and critic Leonard Woolf, and though he was poor, the marriage was happy. Leonard was Jewish, and she was rather proud of his Jewishness – even though she has been accused of some anti-Semitism in her works – often depicting Jews in a stereotypical way. The couple were both appalled by the rise of fascism in the 1930s, and they were both on Hitler’s list of undesirable cultural figures.

Style of writing

She began working as a journalist, writing articles for the Times Literary Supplement in the early 1900s. In 1915, at the age of 33, she published her first novel. – The Voyage Out . It was a revised version of a novel she began writing several years ago. In 1917, Virginia and Leonard founded the Hogarth Press which published her novels and later works by other writers, such as T.S.Eliot, E.M. Forster and Lauren van der Post.

She was considered a modernist author, for her experimentation in a stream of consciousness writing, reminiscent of the period. Often her novels were based on quite ordinary, even banal situations. But, she sought to explore the underlying psychological and emotional motives of the characters involved. In particular, she used her great powers of observation to examine how perceptions can radically change through time  She also explored ideas of sexual ambivalence (she herself had a brief lesbian affair with Vita Sackville-West,) shell shock from First World War, and the rapid changes of society.

Her three most important novels were Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and The Waves (1931)

During the Second World War, she became increasingly depressed, due to a combination of the blitz and the return of her mental demons. Fearing she was going mad again, she took her own life, filling her pockets with stones and jumping into the River Ouse.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Virginia Wolf” , Oxford, UK.  www.biographyonline.net Published 3 Feb. 2013. Last updated 18 March 2020.

Virginia Woolf – A Room of One’s Own

Virginia Woolf – A Room of One’s Own  at Amazon

Virginia Woolf Quotes

A Room of One’s Own (1929)

The beauty of the world which is so soon to perish, has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder. Ch. 1 (p. 17) Have you any notion how many books are written about women in the course of one year? Have you any notion how many are written by men? Are you aware that you are, perhaps, the most discussed animal in the universe? Ch. 2 (p. 26) 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. Ch. 2 (p. 35) I would venture to guess than Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman. Ch. 3 (p. 51) Very often misquoted as “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” For it needs little skill in psychology to be sure that a highly gifted girl who had tried to use her gift for poetry would have been so thwarted and hindered by other people, so tortured and pulled asunder by her own contrary instincts, that she must have lost her health and sanity to a certainty. Ch. 3 (p. 51) Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others. Ch. 3 (p. 58) The history of men’s opposition to women’s emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself. Ch. 3 (p. 72) Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind. Ch. 4 (p. 90)

The Waves (1931)

But look – he flicks his hand to the back of his neck. For such gesture one falls hopelessly in love for a lifetime. p. 30

Here on this ring of grass we have sat together, bound by the tremendous power of some inner compulsion. The trees wave, the clouds pass. The time approaches when these soliloquies shall be shared. We shall not always give out a sound like a beaten gong as one sensation strikes and then another. Children, our lives have been gongs striking; clamour and boasting; cries of despair; blows on the nape of the neck in gardens. pp. 39-40

The Death of the Moth and Other Essays (1942)

Once you begin to take yourself seriously as a leader or as a follower, as a modern or as a conservative, then you become a self-conscious, biting, and scratching little animal whose work is not of the slightest value or importance to anybody.

The Moment and Other Essays (1948)

‘If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.

Granite and Rainbow (1958)

The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman’s life … it is only when we can measure the way of life and the experience of life made possible to the ordinary woman that we can account for the success or failure of the extraordinary woman as a writer. “Women and Fiction”  

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Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain

Virginia Woolf: A Short Biography

In 1926 Virginia Woolf contributed an introduction to  Victorian Photographs of Famous Men & Fair Women  by Julia Margaret Cameron. This publication may be seen as a springboard from which to approach Woolf’s life: Virginia saw herself as descending from a distinctive male and female inheritance; Cameron was the famous Victorian photographer and Woolf’s great-aunt; Woolf’s friend Roger Fry also contributed an introduction and leads us to the Bloomsbury Group; and the book was published by the Hogarth Press which Virginia had started with her husband Leonard in 1917.

Adeline Virginia Stephen was born on 25 January 1882 in London. Her father, Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), was a man of letters (and first editor of the  Dictionary of National Biography ) who came from a family distinguished for public service (part of the ‘intellectual aristocracy’ of Victorian England). Her mother, Julia (1846–95), from whom Virginia inherited her looks, was the daughter of one and niece of the other five beautiful Pattle sisters (Julia Margaret Cameron was the seventh: not beautiful but the only one remembered today). Both parents had been married before: her father to the daughter of the novelist, Thackeray, by whom he had a daughter Laura (1870–1945) who was intellectually backward; and her mother to a barrister, Herbert Duckworth (1833–70), by whom she had three children, George (1868–1934), Stella (1869–97), and Gerald (1870–1937). Julia and Leslie Stephen had four children: Vanessa (1879–1961), Thoby (1880–1906), Virginia (1882–1941), and Adrian (1883–1948). All eight children lived with the parents and a number of servants at 22 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington.

Long summer holidays were spent at Talland House in St Ives, Cornwall, and St Ives played a large part in Virginia’s imagination. It was the setting for her novel  To the Lighthouse , despite its ostensibly being placed on the Isle of Skye. London and/or St Ives provided the principal settings of most of her novels.

In 1895 her mother died unexpectedly, and Virginia suffered her first mental breakdown. Her half-sister Stella took over the running of the household as well as coping with Leslie’s demands for sympathy and emotional support. Stella married Jack Hills in 1897, but she too died suddenly on her return from her honeymoon. The household burden then fell upon Vanessa.

Virginia was allowed uncensored access to her father’s extensive library, and from an early age determined to be a writer. Her education was sketchy and she never went to school. Vanessa trained to become a painter. Their two brothers were sent to preparatory and public schools, and then to Cambridge. There Thoby made friends with Leonard Woolf, Clive Bell, Saxon Sydney-Turner, Lytton Strachey and Maynard Keynes. This was the nucleus of the Bloomsbury Group.

Leslie Stephen died in 1904, and Virginia had a second breakdown. While she was sick, Vanessa arranged for the four siblings to move from 22 Hyde Park Gate to 46 Gordon Square, Bloomsbury. At the end of the year Virginia started reviewing with a clerical paper called the  Guardian ; in 1905 she started reviewing in the  Times Literary Supplement  and continued writing for that journal for many years. Following a trip to Greece in 1906, Thoby died of typhoid and in 1907 Vanessa married Clive Bell. Thoby had started ‘Thursday evenings’ for his friends to visit, and this kind of arrangement was continued after his death by Vanessa and then by Virginia and Adrian when they moved to 29 Fitzroy Square. In 1911 Virginia moved to 38 Brunswick Square. Leonard Woolf had joined the Ceylon Civil Service in 1904 and returned in 1911 on leave. He soon decided that he wanted to marry Virginia, and she eventually agreed. They were married in St Pancras Registry Office on 10 August 1912. They decided to earn money by writing and journalism.

Since about 1908 Virginia had been writing her first novel  The Voyage Out  (originally to be called  Melymbrosia ). It was finished by 1913 but, owing to another severe mental breakdown after her marriage, it was not published until 1915 by Duckworth & Co. (Gerald’s publishing house). The novel was fairly conventional in form. She then began writing her second novel  Night and Day  – if anything even more conventional – which was published in 1919, also by Duckworth.

From 1911 Virginia had rented small houses near Lewes in Sussex, most notably Asheham House. Her sister Vanessa rented Charleston Farmhouse nearby from 1916 onwards. In 1919 the Woolfs bought Monks House in the village of Rodmell. This was a small weather-boarded house (now owned by the National Trust) which they used principally for summer holidays until they were bombed out of their flat in Mecklenburgh Square in 1940 when it became their home.

In 1917 the Woolfs had bought a small hand printing-press in order to take up printing as a hobby and as therapy for Virginia. By now they were living in Richmond (Surrey) and the Hogarth Press was named after their house. Virginia wrote, printed and published a couple of experimental short stories, ‘The Mark on the Wall’ and ‘Kew Gardens’. The Woolfs continued handprinting until 1932, but in the meantime they increasingly became publishers rather than printers. By about 1922 the Hogarth Press had become a business. From 1921 Virginia always published with the Press, except for a few limited editions.

1921 saw Virginia’s first collection of short stories  Monday or Tuesday , most of which were experimental in nature. In 1922 her first experimental novel,  Jacob’s Room , appeared. In 1924 the Woolfs moved back to London, to 52 Tavistock Square. In 1925  Mrs. Dalloway  was published, followed by  To the Lighthouse  in 1927, and  The Waves  in 1931. These three novels are generally considered to be her greatest claim to fame as a modernist writer. Her involvement with the aristocratic novelist and poet Vita Sackville-West led to  Orlando  (1928), a  roman à clef  inspired by Vita’s life and ancestors at Knole in Kent. Two talks to women’s colleges at Cambridge in 1928 led to  A Room of One’s Own  (1929), a discussion of women’s writing and its historical economic and social underpinning.

See also:  Virginia Woolf’s Holiday Homes in the Country

For a more detailed discussion of Virginia Woolf’s breakdowns, see: Virginia Woolf: Writing the Suicide by Malcolm Ingram

Text copyright© S. N. Clarke & VWSGB 2000

• Sea view from the window of Talland House, St Ives (1999) • Front view of Talland House (1999) • Asheham House, Sussex (1977) • Wooden gate of Monks House entrance, Rodmell, Sussex (1977) • Looking out of the Woolfs’ sitting room, Monks House (2001) • Church view from balcony outside Leonard’s study, Monks House (2001) • Garden view from balcony outside Leonard’s study, Monks House (2001) • Entrance of Monk’s House (1977) • Virginia’s writing lodge, Monk’s House (1977)

Photos copyright© S. N. Clarke & H. Fukushima

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5 Must-Read Virginia Woolf Books: The Ultimate List

We recommend starting with one of these five great books.

Virginia Woolf is one of the most important authors of the twentieth century.  She was a major innovator in the use of stream-of-consciousness as a narrative technique, and her novels are known for their insight into the interior lives of their characters.  I think Virginia Woolf is the reason I enjoy character-driven novels because ever since I read Mrs Dalloway in high school, I have been fascinated by the way she captures the complexities of human thoughts and emotions. Her writing is so vivid and immersive that it makes me feel like I am inside the minds of her characters as they navigate their inner struggles and external conflicts.

One of my favorite things about Virginia Woolf is her ability to craft beautiful prose that often reads like poetry. Her use of language is both lyrical and precise, creating a rhythm that pulls the reader in and carries them through the story. However, it’s not just her writing style that makes Virginia Woolf an influential author. She was also a leading feminist, advocating for women’s rights and challenging traditional gender roles in both her personal life and her work. Through her characters, she explored issues related to gender, sexuality, and social class, shedding light on the struggles faced by women in a patriarchal society.

If you’re interested in reading Virginia Woolf books, you might be wondering where to start.  There are so many great books to choose from, and it can be hard to know where to begin.  So, in this article, I will recommend five must-read Virginia Woolf books and help you decide where to start reading her work.  So whether you’re a longtime fan or just getting started, these five titles are a great place to start!

P.S. If you’re looking for a little incentive, some beautiful new editions may just be the ticket. I personally own and adore the Woolf Series by Vintage Classics. Their covers are stunning, and they’ve very readable editions.

Why is Virginia Woolf so famous?

Virginia Woolf is so famous primarily due to her distinctive narrative style and innovative approach to storytelling. She was one of the pioneers of the literary technique known as “stream of consciousness,” which attempts to depict the continuous flow of thoughts, feelings, and impressions in the human mind. Her novels are filled with profound insights into her characters’ interior lives, breaking away from traditional narrative structures, thus revolutionizing the modern novel. Additionally, Woolf was a significant figure in the feminist movement with works like “A Room of One’s Own” and “Three Guineas,” which challenged the societal constraints on women of her time. Her profound impact on literary and feminist fields maintains her reputation as one of the most important writers of the twentieth century.

What was Virginia Woolf suffering from?

Virginia Woolf suffered from what is now believed to be bipolar disorder, a mental condition marked by alternating periods of elation and depression. Throughout her life, she experienced frequent bouts of debilitating depression and nervous breakdowns. Unfortunately, mental health was not well understood during her time, and she did not receive the treatment that would have been available to her today.

What happened to Virginia Woolf?

Virginia Woolf tragically passed away by suicide on March 28, 1941. Suffering from a severe bout of depression and fearing she was on the brink of a mental breakdown, she filled her pockets with stones and walked into the River Ouse near her home in Sussex, England. In a poignant suicide note left for her husband, Leonard Woolf, Virginia expressed her deep love for him, and her conviction that she could not face another episode of mental illness. Since her death, she has remained an enduring figure in the literary world, her legacy living on through her groundbreaking works. Plus, Woolf’s open discussion of her mental health in her personal writings has since served to open up conversations about mental health.

What is Virginia Woolf’s most famous book?

While all of Virginia Woolf’s works are highly regarded and have made significant contributions to literature, her most famous book is arguably “Mrs. Dalloway.” This novel has become an enduring classic due to its experimental narrative style, themes of identity and society, and powerful portrayal of a woman’s inner thoughts and feelings. It has been adapted into multiple forms, including film and stage productions, further solidifying its status as a renowned work of literature. Moreover, “Mrs. Dalloway” was one of the key novels that established Woolf’s reputation as a groundbreaking modernist writer. It remains a must-read for anyone interested in the works of Virginia Woolf.

What is Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece?

Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece is often considered to be “To the Lighthouse,” published in 1927. This novel is a remarkable example of Woolf’s innovative narrative technique, employing a stream-of-consciousness style to delve deep into the thoughts and feelings of its characters. By exploring human consciousness so intimately, Woolf was able to challenge traditional narrative structures and probe the complex nature of human relationships and the passage of time. The profound influence of “To the Lighthouse” on subsequent literature and its ongoing relevance to modern readers make it a standout work in Woolf’s distinguished oeuvre.

What is the best Virginia Woolf book to start with?

For beginners looking to immerse themselves in the works of Virginia Woolf, “Mrs. Dalloway” is an excellent starting point. This novel is not just one of Woolf’s most popular works, but it also introduces readers to her innovative stream-of-consciousness narrative style. With its exploration of a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, the novel provides deep insights into the thoughts and emotions of its main character, offering an enriching literary experience without overwhelming complexity. Reading “Mrs. Dalloway” will pave the way for understanding the thematic depth and narrative techniques found throughout Virginia Woolf’s body of work.

The 5 Must-Read Virginia Woolf Books

Now that you know more about Virginia Woolf and her work, let’s talk more about her five must-read books:

• Mrs. Dalloway
• To the Lighthouse
• A Room of One’s Own

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

If you’re new to Virginia Woolf, we recommend starting with one of her most famous novels, Mrs. Dalloway.  This book tells the story of a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a wealthy Londoner who is throwing a party.  The novel follows Mrs. Dalloway as she goes about her preparations for the party, and also flashbacks to moments from her past.  Mrs. Dalloway is full of beautiful prose and insights into human nature.  It’s one of Virginia Woolf’s most accessible novels and is a great introduction to her work.

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I did a mini deep dive on Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway which shares a character list and discusses the central themes, and its impact on literature and beyond.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Another great option is To the Lighthouse, which tells the story of a family vacationing on the Isle of Skye.  The novel follows the family over ten years and chronicles their relationships with each other and the landscape around them.  To the Lighthouse is Virginia Woolf at her best, exploring themes of memory, time, and art.  This book is Virginia Woolf’s fifth novel, her most autobiographical work of fiction, and it’s considered one of her most important works.

I did a mini deep dive on Woolf’s To the Lighthouse which shares a character list and discusses the central themes, and its impact on literature and beyond.

Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf

If you’re looking for something a little different, try Orlando: A Biography.  This novel tells the story of Orlando, a nobleman who lives for centuries and changes gender over the course of his lifetime.  Orlando is Virginia Woolf’s most playful novel, and it’s full of wit and humor.  This book is a great choice if you’re looking for something a little lighter than some of Virginia Woolf’s other works.

The Waves by Virginia Woolf

If you’re looking for something short and sweet, try The Waves.  The Waves is Virginia Woolf’s most experimental novel, and it tells the story of six friends through their thoughts and conversations.  The novel doesn’t have a traditional plot but instead explores themes of childhood, friendship, love, and death.  The Waves is a beautiful and challenging book, and it’s Virginia Woolf at her most innovative.  If you’re looking for something different, this is the book for you.

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Finally, we recommend A Room of One’s Own.  This is Virginia Woolf at her most political, and the book is a feminist classic.  In it, Woolf argues that women need their own space and income in order to create great art.  This book is required reading for anyone interested in Virginia Woolf, feminist literature, or literary criticism.  It’s one of Virginia Woolf’s most important works and it’s sure to spark some interesting conversations.

What are the major novels of Virginia Woolf?

Virginia Woolf authored numerous novels that have come to be regarded as major works in the English literary canon. Here are some of her most significant novels:

• Mrs. Dalloway (1925) : This novel is among Woolf’s most famous works and is noted for its innovative narrative structure, using the stream-of-consciousness technique. The story takes place in a single day, exploring the inner thoughts and feelings of Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares for a high-society party in London.
• To the Lighthouse (1927) : This is another of Woolf’s highly acclaimed novels, providing deep insights into the Ramsay family’s dynamics and their experiences during their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland over a decade.
• Orlando: A Biography (1928) : In this novel, Woolf explores themes of gender, sexuality, and identity through the life of Orlando, a character who changes sex and lives through several centuries.
• A Room of One’s Own (1929) : Although not a novel, this extended essay has become one of Woolf’s most influential works. It is a significant feminist text, where Woolf asserts that “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”.
• The Waves (1931) : This novel stands out for its experimental form, being composed of soliloquies spoken by its six main characters. The book explores the interior lives of these characters from childhood to old age.
• Between the Acts (1941) : Woolf’s last novel, it is an introspective examination of English character and civilization leading up to World War II. The narrative weaves together poetic descriptions, character monologues, and scenes of theatrical performance.

Why is Virginia Woolf considered a feminist?

Virginia Woolf is widely recognized as a feminist due to her groundbreaking work on issues of women and writing. “A Room of One’s Own” has become foundational to feminist literary theory, as it argues for both a literal and metaphorical space for women writers within a literary tradition dominated by men. Woolf’s argument that a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction signifies a call for social and economic independence for women. In another influential work, “Three Guineas,” she denounces the societal structures that enforce women’s inferiority and advocates for women’s access to education and professions. Besides these works, the theme of women’s liberation and the critique of gender norms run throughout her novels, making her a significant figure in feminist literature.

How did Virginia Woolf change the world?

Virginia Woolf significantly transformed the literary landscape and contributed to the feminist movement, making her integral to the cultural and social shifts of the 20th century. As a writer, she pioneered the stream-of-consciousness technique in her novels, breaking away from traditional narrative forms and offering readers a new way to experience the inner lives of characters. This innovative storytelling approach has profoundly influenced writers and artists to this day. As a feminist, Woolf’s essays, ‘A Room of One’s Own’ and ‘Three Guineas,’ challenged the societal norms and expectations imposed on women, specifically in the realms of education and profession. Her assertion that “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction” brought attention to the economic and social barriers hindering women’s creative and intellectual expression. Woolf’s influence extends beyond literature, impacting cultural discussions on gender equality, mental health, and societal norms, thereby changing the world by encouraging critical thought and progressive dialogues.

What do you think about these Virginia Woolf books?

Have you read any books by Virginia Woolf?  Are any of these books or her other works on your TBR?   What book by Virginia Woolf is your favorite?  What books would you add to this list?  Let us talk all about Virginia Woolf in the comments below.

MORE BOOKS TO READ:

• Vintage Classics Woolf Series: The Complete List
• Daughter Dalloway by Emily France

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Virginia Woolf

Novelist, author, 1882 – 1941, who was virginia woolf.

Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English writer, and one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century.

During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a central figure in the influential Bloomsbury Group of intellectuals. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and Orlando, and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own, with its famous dictum, "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." Woolf suffered from severe bouts of mental illness throughout her life, thought to have been the result of what is now termed bipolar disorder and committed suicide by drowning in 1941 at the age of 59.

Famous Quotes:

• As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world.
• Mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it. It is our business to puncture gas bags and discover the seeds of truth.
• It would be a thousand pities if women wrote like men, or lived like men, or looked like men, for if two sexes are quite inadequate, considering the vastness and variety of the world, how should we manage with one only? Ought not education to bring out and fortify the differences rather than the similarities? For we have too much likeness as it is, and if an explorer should come back and bring word of other sexes looking through the branches of other trees at other skies, nothing would be of greater service to humanity; and we should have the immense pleasure into the bargain of watching Professor X rush for his measuring-rods to prove himself superior.
• If you insist upon fighting to protect me, or our country, let it be understood soberly and rationally between us that you are fighting to gratify a sex instinct which I cannot share; to procure benefits which I have not shared and probably will not share.
• When the shriveled skin of the ordinary is stuffed out with meaning, it satisfies the senses amazingly.
• Publicity in women is detestable. Anonymity runs in their blood. The desire to be veiled still possesses them. They are not even now as concerned about the health of their fame as men are, and, speaking generally, will pass a tombstone or a signpost without feeling an irresistible desire to cut their names on it.
• Different though the sexes are, they inter-mix. In every human being a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place, and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness, while underneath the sex is very opposite of what it is above.
• When a subject is highly controversial... one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker.
• I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in.
• We can best help you to prevent war not by repeating your words and following your methods but by finding new words and creating new methods.

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• Virginia Stephen
• Adeline Virginia Woolf
• Leslie Stephen
• Julia Prinsep Duckworth
• Adrian Stephen
• Vanessa Bell
• Thoby Stephen
• Leonard Woolf (1912/08/10 - 1941)
• King's College London

Submitted on July 23, 2013

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• The Best Books By Virginia...

Essential Books By Virginia Woolf You Should Read

Virginia Woolf is undoubtedly one of the most famous female writers of all time. A modernist, her books and essays are characterised by the movement’s stream of consciousness style, interior perspectives and abandonment of a linear narrative. A thoroughly talented writer, Woolf was a groundbreaker in her field and her books are a must for those who want to explore 20th-century literature. Here are some of her most beloved works.

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Mrs. Dalloway (1925)

Mrs. Dalloway is one of the best books of Virginia Woolf, and a great choice to start with for those who are only just encountering her writing. Clarissa Dalloway is a high-society English woman and Woolf tells the story of her life in post-World War I London. Woolf explores the society at the time and creates an image of the protagonist’s life through her thoughts, as Clarissa prepares for a party that she is going to host that evening. This book is an example of a stream of consciousness narrative, as the reader gets thrown into Clarissa’s mind and her world, creating a sense of intimacy with this character. It was made into a film in 1997.

Orlando: A Biography (1928)

Described by Jorge Luis Borges as Woolf’s ‘most intense novel, and one of the most singular of our era’, Orlando is an enthralling yet accessible read. It starts with a male protagonist, an aristocratic poet who frequents Queen Elizabeth’s court. The novel explores key questions of gender and identity, all against the backdrop of the characters travelling through time and meeting various important literary figures across the ages. Unique and unexpected, Orlando: A Biography is a must-read for any literary fan, and undoubtedly, one of the best Virginia Woolf’s books.

To the Lighthouse (1927)

The story of three members of the Ramsay family, told from their varying perspectives, To the Lighthouse is a touching story of the hardships this family faces while living in a house on the coast of Scotland. Woolf’s flawless prose and interpretation of human emotions will impact readers. She explores the human fear of change in a new, compelling way, and her ability to make descriptions come to life is one of her greatest tools and one of the reasons that readers are unable to put this book down.

A Room of One’s Own (1929)

In this essay, Woolf delves into the implications of gender, and claims that without money and a room of their own, women are not able to let their creativity and genius run free. To exemplify this theory, Woolf creates an imaginary character: Shakespeare’s sister. She gives this character a talent as great as Shakespeare’s, but her story is not one of success; instead she commits suicide, infinitely frustrated by her inability to express her genius in the male-dominated world in which she lives. A Room of One’s Own is a seminal feminist text, and is essential reading for everyone.

The Waves (1931)

This book is composed of six monologues, one by each of the book’s main characters, which Woolf uses to delve into the notions of identity, individuality and society. There is a seventh character, Percival, who is also important but does not speak directly to the reader. The Waves is often considered Woolf’s masterpiece because of the unique style in which it is written, overstepping traditional genre boundaries and intertwining poetry and prose.

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Between the Acts (1941)

Between the Acts was Virginia Woolf’s last work, and was published posthumously. It is a book set in England at an unknown location, as the outbreak of the Second World War looms over the country. A village hosts its annual show in a summer house, and the villagers act out important moments of English history. It is a play within a play in which Woolf cleverly alludes to certain topics, mostly related to the war: the rise of fascism was important to her, not only because her husband was Jewish, but because she too was on Hitler’s UK blacklist.

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7 of Virginia Woolf’s Most Notable Works

Best remembered for her novels, Virginia Woolf was an icon of literary modernism and one of the greatest writers of all time. Here are 7 of her most notable works.

Born Adeline Virginia Stephen in London in 1882, the writer who the world would come to know as Virginia Woolf came from a distinguished artistic and literary family. Her father was the respected Victorian man of letters Sir Leslie Stephen, and her mother, Julia, had been a model for the Pre-Raphaelites and for her aunt, the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron . As an adult, Virginia Woolf followed in her father’s footsteps by cleaving to the literary side of her heritage. However, she developed a distinctive writing style and voice that was entirely her own. From her debut to her last novel, here we explore just seven of her most notable novels…

1. The Voyage Out , 1915

The Voyage Out was Virginia Woolf’s debut novel, published in 1915, which, in itself, makes this one of her most notable novels. It tells the story of Rachel Vinrace, a young woman who has led a fairly sheltered life until she embarks on a journey to South America with her aunt and uncle. Her aunt, Helen, in particular, becomes a mentor figure for Rachel, helping her to explore more of life than she has hitherto seen from her father’s house. Together, Rachel and Helen meet more English tourists staying at a hotel. Among the guests is Terence Hewet, with whom Rachel falls in love.

The novel, therefore, seems conventional enough: a romantic novel constructed around the holiday abroad trope, such as fellow Bloomsbury member E.M. Forster uses in his novel A Room with a View (1908). However, unlike Forster, Woolf has chosen a more tropical destination for her heroine than the beauty spots of Europe. As Peter Fifield has argued, this allows Woolf to subvert our expectations of a seemingly conventional narrative by adding an element of danger. Will Rachel and Terence – and their burgeoning relationship – survive in this new climate?

Another notable feature of The Voyage Out is the cameo appearance made by Richard and Clarissa Dalloway at the start of the novel. These, of course, are characters Woolf would return to in her short fiction and in a later, more famous novel.

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Please check your inbox to activate your subscription, 2. jacob’s room , 1922.

Virginia Woolf followed up The Voyage Out with her second novel, Night and Day , in 1919. Stylistically, Night and Day has much in common with The Voyage Out ; both are fairly conventional realist novels. It was not until the publication of Jacob’s Room in 1922 – that seminal year for literary modernism, in which T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” and James Joyce’s Ulysses were also published – that Woolf found her own distinctive, experimental style of writing.

This was facilitated when, in 1917, Virginia and her husband, Leonard, set up the Hogarth Press. Previously, Virginia Woolf’s novels had been published by her half-brother Gerald Duckworth’s Duckworth Press. Woolf later revealed that, as a child and as an adolescent, she had been sexually abused by both Gerald and George Duckworth. And she also felt pressured to write novels that would be commercially successful in order to continue being published by Duckworth Press, preventing her from trying more experimental modes of writing. However, with the establishment of the Hogarth Press, she was free to write exactly as she chose – precisely what she did in writing Jacob’s Room .

Jacob’s Room might be considered an interrupted bildungsroman, cut short by the First World War . (One criticism of Night and Day that had particularly wounded Woolf was Katherine Mansfield’s observation that Woolf had failed to make any mention of the war. In Jacob’s Room , Woolf rights that wrong.) The reader follows the eponymous Jacob from childhood through to his studies at Cambridge and early adulthood, including trips to Italy and Greece. Despite the emphasis on Jacob, however, he is largely presented through the perspectives of other characters and often in an elegiac vein. The horrors of the Great War would recur throughout her later fiction, beginning with Jacob’s Room .

3. Mrs Dalloway , 1925

The next novel Woolf published after Jacob’s Room was Mrs Dalloway , and here she is in full stylistic command. Though Woolf famously (and conceivably with more than a hint of jealousy) thought James Joyce an overrated writer, she did take inspiration from his circadian novel Ulysses , set on 16th June 1904. Likewise, in writing Mrs Dalloway , Woolf chose to set the events of her novel on one day in June (possibly 13th June). And, also just as Ulysses has inspired the celebration of “Bloomsday” every year, so too is Mrs Dalloway celebrated every June.

Mrs Dalloway centers around the different yet strangely interconnected lives of Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith. While Clarissa prepares for the party she is to hold that night and reminisces about old friendships, Septimus struggles with shellshock following his experiences as a soldier during the First World War. United by the city of London, their lives are at once separated by wealth and class, and yet Woolf draws them together into an interconnected narrative. Mrs Dalloway is a novel of great beauty and humanity and remains one of her most famous works the world over.

4. To the Lighthouse , 1927

Published just two years after Mrs Dalloway , in 1927 , To the Lighthouse is perhaps Virginia Woolf’s most accomplished novel. The novel is comprised of a tripartite structure: the first section is titled “The Window,” the second “Time Passes,” and the third “The Lighthouse.” Following the Ramsey family across a period of ten years in which beloved family members are lost, and war breaks out across the world, the novel begins at the family’s holiday home on the Isle of Skye, modeled closely on Talland House, where Woolf herself spent many happy summers as a child, in St. Ives, Cornwall.

Set over a single day, “The Window” follows the Ramseys and their guests going about their day before Mrs. Ramsey holds a dinner party. The social cohesion achieved through this moment of commensality is, however, soon broken, as “Time Passes” charts the degradation of the holiday home (which has been left to stand unoccupied) over a period of roughly ten years, during which family members die, and the First World War breaks out. This middle section is a wildly experimental piece of writing. The human focus is removed, allowing Woolf to range among viewpoints and present human suffering within a wider non-human context, thus challenging our anthropocentric presumptions without ever minimizing the reality of human pain.

The novel’s final section shows a depleted Ramsey family returning to their holiday home on the Isle of Skye, along with their guest, the artist Lily Briscoe, from the novel’s beginning. While the Ramseys make the long-delayed trip over water to the nearby lighthouse, Lily Briscoe paints in the garden. A meditation on love, family, and female artistic vision , To the Lighthouse is a novel as elegant as it is heartfelt.

5. Orlando , 1928

Having finished To the Lighthouse , Woolf wrote that she felt “the need of an escapade after these serious poetic experimental books, […] to kick up my heels & be off.” The “escapade” she then went on was to write Orlando , a novel-cum-mock-biography in which the eponymous Orlando lives for centuries, during which time they transition from male to female.

The inspiration behind Orlando came from Vita Sackville-West, a fellow writer and Virginia’s friend and lover. Sackville-West came from an aristocratic family and grew up at Knole, a country house and former archbishop’s palace in Kent. As a woman, Sackville-West could not inherit the property, though she felt strongly attached to it throughout her life. By having Orlando transition from male to female, Woolf points out the ridiculous nature of outdated inheritance laws. At the same time, however, Woolf writes Knole into her novel and so gives Vita a literary version of her beloved childhood home. Both an intimate love letter to Vita Sackville-West and an important novel about gender fluidity and queer love, Orlando is at once whimsical, philosophical, and stylish.

6. The Waves , 1931

If Woolf felt the need for a break from writing “these serious poetic experimental books” before writing Orlando , it is interesting to note that the next novel she wrote was even more poetic and experimental than any she had written before.

The Waves centers around six friends: Bernard, Neville, Louis, Jinny, Susan, and Rhoda. Told via their interlinked consciousnesses, the reader follows them from childhood to adulthood and the individual struggles they face. Louis, for example, is the most intelligent of the group but is unable to attend university and feels out of place as an Australian in England, and Rhoda struggles with anxiety and her self-esteem. At the center is their mutual friend, Percival, who (crucially) never speaks. Throughout her work, Woolf explored human interiority, though nowhere does she explore it so thoroughly as in The Waves .

7. Between the Acts , 1941

Focusing on the lead-up to and performance of a pageant play as part of a festival in a small village in southern England shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War , Between the Acts captures a moment of calm before the storm. Like Mrs Dalloway before it, the novel is set over a single day, on which the village’s annual pageant play is to be performed. While the pageant plays typically depict and celebrate English history, Miss La Trobe (the writer and artistic director of this year’s play) has subverted this format, and the play ends with a scene titled “Ourselves,” in which the players direct mirrors and other reflective objects at the audience. This, however, does not go down well with the audience, and Miss La Trobe feels the play has been a failure, though she is also hopeful for next year’s play…

Virginia Woolf, however, did not live to see the end of the war, and Between the Acts had to be published posthumously. Disappointed by the reception of her biography of Roger Fry and feeling unmoored and uncertain following the destruction of her London homes during the Blitz, she fell into a depression and suffered what was to be her final breakdown.

On March 28th, 1941, she waded into the River Ouse, with her pockets weighed down with stones, and drowned herself. She was 59 years old. She had suffered mental breakdowns throughout her life since her mother’s death, and she feared that she would not be able to survive another. Though her life was thus cut tragically short, she created a remarkable body of work – as the seven novels listed here attest.

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By Catherine Dent MA 20th and 21st Century Literary Studies, BA English Literature Catherine holds a first-class BA from Durham University and an MA with distinction, also from Durham, where she specialized in the representation of glass objects in the work of Virginia Woolf. In her spare time, she enjoys writing fiction, reading, and spending time with her rescue dog, Finn.

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Virginia Woolf

Table of content

• Short stories

Virginia Woolf was an English author, feminist, essayist, publisher, and critic, considered as one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century along with T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and Gertrude Stein. Her parents were Sir Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), who was a notable historian, author, critic and mountaineer, and Julia Prinsep Duckworth (1846–1895), a renowned beauty. According to Woolf’s memoirs, her most vivid childhood memories were not of London but of St. Ives in Cornwall, where the family spent every summer until 1895. This place inspired her to write one of her masterpieces, To the Lighthouse .

The sudden death of her mother in 1895, when Virginia was 13, and that of her half-sister Stella two years later, led to the first of Virginia’s several nervous breakdowns. but it was the death of her father in 1904 provoked her most alarming collapse and she was briefly institutionalised. Some scholars have suggested that her mental instability was also due to the sexual abuse to which she and her sister Vanessa were subjected by their half-brothers George and Gerald Duckworth.

Woolf came to know the founders of the the Bloomsbury Group. She became an active member of this literary circle. Later, Virginia Stephen married writer Leonard Woolf on 10 August 1912. Despite his low material status (Woolf referring to Leonard during their engagement as a “penniless Jew”) the couple shared a close bond.

Virginia’s most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One’s Own (1929), with its famous dictum, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” In some of her novels she moves away from the use of plot and structure to employ stream-of-consciousness to emphasise the psychological aspects of her characters.

After completing the manuscript of her last (posthumously published) novel, Between the Acts , Woolf fell into a depression similar to that which she had earlier experienced. On 28 March 1941, Woolf put on her overcoat, filled its pockets with stones, and walked into the River Ouse near her home and drowned herself. Woolf’s body was not found until 18 April 1941. Her husband buried her cremated remains under an elm in the garden of Monk’s House, their home in Rodmell, Sussex.

Her final writing were these words addressed to her husband:

“I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can’t even write this properly. I can’t read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that—everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer. I don’t think two people could have been happier than we have been.”

Rose, Phyllis (1986). Woman of Letters: A Life of Virginia Woolf. Routledge. p. 243. ISBN 0-86358-066-1. Retrieved 24 September 2008.

Essays by Virginia Woolf

• Women and Fiction

Short stories by Virginia Woolf

• A Haunted House
• An Unwritten Novel
• Blue & Green
• In the Orchard
• Kew Gardens
• Monday Or Tuesday
• Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown
• Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street
• The Mark On The Wall
• The String Quartet

Virginia Woolf

A short biography of virginia woolf, virginia woolf’s writing style, stream of consciousness technique.

Past stage on this adventurous, long, long voyage, …”

An interesting point to observe in the novels of Virginia Woolf is the difference between the rhythmic devices and the symbolic objects . For example, in the novel, To the Lighthouse , there is an extraordinary evocative meaning behind its literal appearance. A relationship between the Ramsay family and the material construction on the stony cliff beside the coast is drawn.

 Poetic Style of Virginia Woolf

Feminism in virginia woolf’s writings, works of virginia woolf, short stories.

Virginia Woolf Best Books 📚

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Virginia Woolf is best known for her masterpiece, ‘To the Lighthouse’ in which she employs the stream-of-consciousness style to examine and critique the lives of the Ramsays.

Article written by Charles Asoluka

Degree in Computer Engineering. Passed TOEFL Exam. Seasoned literary critic.

One of the more significant novelists of the 20th century is thought to be Virginia Woolf. Along with modernists like Marcel Proust , Dorothy Richardson, and James Joyce , she was a pioneer of the use of stream of consciousness as a literary device. She is best known for her books like ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ (1925) , ‘To the Lighthouse’ (1927), and ‘Orlando’ (1928).

Woolf was also outspoken on a variety of hot-button issues, some of which are now viewed as progressive and others as reactionary. She was a fierce feminist in an era when women’s rights were hardly acknowledged and when chauvinism was in vogue, she was also anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist, and pacifist.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ describes a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictitious upper-class woman living in post-First World War England. It is among Woolf’s most well-known books. Two short tales, “Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street” and the unfinished “The Prime Minister,” served as the basis for the novel. The evening’s party, as well as Clarissa’s preparations for it, are both covered in the book. Simple actions are taken by the title character, Clarissa Dalloway: she buys some flowers, strolls around a park, receives a visit from an old acquaintance, and throws a party. She converses with a man who formerly harbored feelings for her and still thinks she found peace by wedding her politician husband. She converses with a female acquaintance who she formerly had feelings for. She then learns of a wretched lost soul who threw himself from a doctor’s window onto a row of railings in the book’s last pages. The narrative moves backward and forwards in time from an internal viewpoint to create a picture of Clarissa’s life and the interwar social order. Through several interconnected anecdotes, the book discusses how time functions in personal experience.

It is an illustration of stream-of-consciousness storytelling because each scene closely follows a certain character’s fleeting ideas. Throughout the entire book, Woolf blurs the line between direct and indirect speech, freely switching between omniscient description, indirect interior monologue, and soliloquy. Woolf’s use of a stream-of-consciousness style offers readers access to the characters’ thoughts and emotions. Additionally, she adds a depth of psychological reality that Victorian novels were unable to. The mundane is seen in a new light as psychological processes are revealed in her work, memories vie for attention, thoughts pop into one’s head out of the blue, and the profoundly momentous and the insignificant are given equal weight. Woolf’s prose is incredibly poetic as well. She possesses a unique talent for making the typical ebb and flow of the mind sing.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Ramsay, a wife, mother of eight children, and hostess to the guests who fill the holiday home in the Hebrides where an expedition to the lighthouse may or may not happen are at the center of this world in the novel ‘To the Lighthouse’ , which is a portrait of a family’s vacation in the years before and after World War I. ‘To the Lighthouse’ is filled with Mrs. Ramsay’s spirit, which is no small effort given the circumstances. The Window, Time Passes, and The Lighthouse are the three divisions of ‘To the Lighthouse’ . The Ramsays have several friends and coworkers join them for their family holiday, which is depicted in the first portion as having conflicts. Section one is focused on a planned trip to the legendary lighthouse.

Early in the first section, we also get to know the painter Lily Briscoe. She is trying to create a painting of Mrs. Ramsay and James, but she is dubious of her abilities as an artist after Charles Tansley says that women are unable to write or paint. This thought will recur in Lily’s mind—or perhaps, say Virginia’s mind—for the rest of her life.

Woolf employs her method of many views and stream of consciousness once more. This makes reading To The Lighthouse feel like living in the pages, giving the reader a very personal experience.

The main theme of this book is human contact, which is also one of its most depressing messages. Although these individuals interact frequently and are constantly scrutinized by one another, they will never be able to fully comprehend one another. “She wouldn’t have met him.” He’d never meet her. She reasoned that all human relationships were like that, with male and female relationships being the worst. They all make an effort to leave their impressions on one another, but in the end, they are only left with their viewpoints and opinions about the others rather than a shared understanding of what drives their modern counterparts’ behavior and who they truly are on the inside.

With its numerous unique themes, ‘To the Lighthouse’ is an engrossing, engaging, and thought-provoking book that inspires unending study and reflection.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

This book was particularly written by Woolf for her close “friend” and fellow author Vita Sackville-West, not for her readers. Because of this, Woolf writes in a way that is out of character for her; it is not at all serious and instead assumes the shape of a literary ode, paying respect to reading and writing.

Orlando, a young man from the Elizabethan era who is going to transform, is the protagonist of the first chapter. Orlando, a female writer from the 20th century, also appears toward the story’s conclusion. The entire book is a fictionalized account of Vita Sackville-West’s prior life as Orlando, which she is said to have led before she met Virginia Woolf.

Orlando’s heart was broken when he was very young, and it is now irreparably damaged as a result of being abandoned and left in ruins. Life must continue. He utilizes books and writing as tools to escape the horrors of reality and finds comfort in doing so. He starts with poetry, giving his self-pitying and woe-spawned ideas a suitable outlet. By honing his craft, he aspires to achieve recognition and celebrity. If he fails, if the idealized writer fails, suicidal and inferiority complexes start to follow him. And as such, he attempts to push forward. Indeed, that much so that he goes into womanhood.

‘Orlando’ is a satirical and bizarre read that continues to confound and befuddle readers to this day. Nonetheless, Woolf attempted to employ modernist styles to critique society and, as such, garnered rave reviews from critics.

What is a noteworthy aspect of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ ?

Woolf’s literature is notable for its in-depth treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Even though documenting symptoms were prevalent in the 1940s when World War II veterans were being treated for “mental disorders,” the fact that Woolf goes into this subject as early as 1925 is very profound considering that PTSD was not officially acknowledged until the 1970s.

Was Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ a homage to James Joyce’s Ulysses ?

‘Mrs. Dalloway’ is frequently regarded as a response to James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ , which is frequently cited as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. However, Virginia Woolf denied any deliberate “method” to the book, writing in 1928 that the structure came about “without any conscious direction.”

Is ‘To the Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf autobiographical?

‘To the Lighthouse’ , many critics opine,  can be viewed as autobiographical in the same way James Joyce’s ‘Portrait of the Artist as a Young man’ is autobiographical. Virginia permeates ‘To the Lighthouse’ even though she isn’t there in any literal sense. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey are representations of her parents. Although Lily Briscoe isn’t their daughter, Virginia Woolf’s transformation from a restrained Victorian girl to an inventive Edwardian lady is essentially what we read about Lily.

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Biography of Virginia Woolf

In 1878, Leslie Stephen and Julia Jackson Duckworth married, which was the second marriage for both of them. They gave birth to Adeline Virginia Stephen four years later, on the 25th of January at 22 Hyde Park Gate, London. Virginia was the third of their four children. Leslie Stephen began his career as a clergyman but soon became agnostic and took up journalism. He and Julia provided their children with a home of wealth and comfort.

Though denied the formal education allowed to males, Virginia was able to take advantage of her father's abundant library and observe his writing talent, and she was surrounded by intellectual conversation. The same year Virginia was born, for instance, her father began editing the huge Dictionary of National Biography . Virginia's mother, more delicate than her husband, helped to bring out the more emotional sides of her children. Both parents were very strong personalities; Virginia would feel overshadowed by them for years.

Virginia would suffer through three major mental breakdowns during her lifetime, and she would die during a fourth. In all likelihood, the compulsive drive to work that she acquired from her parents, combined with her naturally fragile state, primarily contributed to these breakdowns. Yet other factors were important as well. Her first breakdown occurred shortly following the death of her mother in 1895, which Virginia later described as "the greatest disaster that could have happened." Some have suggested that Virginia felt guilt over choosing her father as her favorite parent. In any case, her father's excessive mourning period probably affected her adversely.

Two years later, Virginia's stepsister, Stella Duckworth, died. Stella had assumed charge of the household duties after their mother's death, causing a rift between her and Virginia. Virginia fell sick soon after Stella's death. The same year, Virginia began her first diary.

Over the next seven years, Virginia's decision to write took hold and her admiration for women grew. She educated herself and greatly admired women such as Madge Vaughan, daughter of John Addington Symonds, who wrote novels and whom Virginia would later illustrate as Sally Seton in Mrs. Dalloway .

Her admiration for strong women was coupled with a growing dislike for male domination in society. Virginia's feelings were likely affected by her relationship to her stepbrother, George Duckworth, who was fourteen when Virginia was born. In the last year of her life, Virginia wrote to a friend regarding the shame she felt when, at the age of six, George fondled her. Similar incidents recurred throughout her childhood until Virginia was in her early twenties. In 1904, her father died, shortly after finishing the Dictionary and receiving a knighthood. Though freed from his shadow, Virginia was overcome by the event and suffered her second mental breakdown, combined with scarlet fever and an attempted suicide.

When she recovered, Virginia left Kensington with her three siblings and moved to Bloomsbury, where she began to consider herself a serious artist. She immersed herself in the intellectual company of her brother Thoby and his Cambridge friends. This group, including E.M. Forster and Lytton Strachey, later formed what was known as the Bloomsbury Group, under the Cambridge don G.E. Moore. They were dedicated to the liberal discussion of politics and art. In 1906, Thoby died of typhoid fever and Virginia's sister married one of Thoby's college friends, Clive Bell. Virginia was on her own.

Over the next four years, Virginia would begin work on her first novel, The Voyage Out (1915). In 1909, she accepted a marriage proposal from Strachey, who later broke off the engagement. She received a legacy of 2,500 pounds the same year, which would allow her to live independently. In 1911, Leonard Woolf, another of the Bloomsbury Group, returned from Ceylon, and they were married in 1912. Woolf was the stable presence Virginia needed to control her moods and steady her talent. He gave their home a musical atmosphere. Virginia trusted his literary judgment. Their marriage was a partnership, though some suggest their sexual relationship was nonexistent.

Virginia fell ill more frequently as she grew older, often taking respite in rest homes and in the care of her husband. In 1917, Leonard founded the Hogarth Press to publish their own books, hoping that Virginia could bestow the care on the press that she would have bestowed on children. (She had been advised by doctors not to become pregnant after her third serious breakdown in 1913. Virginia was fond of children, however, and spent much time with her brother's and sister's children.) Through the press, she had an early look at Joyce's Ulysses and aided authors such as Forster, Freud, Isherwood, Mansfield, Tolstoy, and Chekov. She sold her half interest in the press in 1938.

Before her death, Virginia published an extraordinary amount of groundbreaking material. She was a renowned member of the Bloomsbury Group and a leading writer of the modernist movement with her use of innovative literary techniques. In contrast to the majority of literature written before the early 1900s, which emphasized plot and detailed descriptions of characters and settings, Woolf's writing thoroughly explores the concepts of time, memory, and consciousness. The plot is generated by the characters' inner lives, rather than by the external world.

In March 1941, Woolf left suicide notes for her husband and sister and drowned herself in a nearby river. She feared her madness was returning and that she would not be able to continue writing, and she wished to spare her loved ones.

Over the course of her many illnesses, however, Woolf had remained productive. Her intense powers of concentration had allowed her to spend ten to twelve hours at a time writing. Her most notable publications include Night and Day , The Mark on the Wall , Jacob's Room , Monday or Tuesday , Mrs. Dalloway , To The Lighthouse , Orlando , A Room of One's Own , The Waves , The Years , and Between the Acts . In total, her work comprises five volumes of collected essays and reviews, two biographies ( Flush and Roger Fry ), two libertarian books, a volume of selections from her diary, nine novels, and a volume of short stories.

Study Guides on Works by Virginia Woolf

Between the acts virginia woolf.

The occupants of a British manor house usually become the focus of a novel due to whatever particular machinations are at work to drive the narrative. Those machinations usually range from throwing suspicion of a murder onto one another in order...

• Study Guide

Jacob's Room Virginia Woolf

Published in 1922, Jacob’s Room was the first novel Virginia Woolf published herself through Hogarth Press, the in publishing house she co-founded. The novel represented another break with tradition by becoming the work that Woolf herself admitted...

The Mark on the Wall Virginia Woolf

“The Mark on the Wall” is Virginia Woolf’s first short story and an example of her pioneering, modernist style with stream-of-consciousness and introspection. Of the story, she wrote, “I shall never forget the day I wrote 'The Mark on the Wall'—...

• Lesson Plan

Moments of Being Virginia Woolf

Published posthumously, Moments of Being is a fragmented and disjointed collection of autobiographical sketches that is curiously close to the fundamental spirit of Woolf's experiments in stream-of-consciousness fiction. One way of approaching...

Monday or Tuesday Virginia Woolf

“Monday or Tuesday” is a short story collection that was written by one of the most innovative writers of the 20th century, Virginia Woolf, between 1917-1921. This collection was published by The Hogarth Press, London, and it included eight...

Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf

In Jacob's Room, the novel preceding Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf works with many of the same themes she later expands upon in Mrs. Dalloway. To Mrs. Dalloway, she added the theme of insanity. As Woolf stated, "I adumbrate here a study of...

Orlando Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando stands as one of those works of literature that could not be fully appreciated in its time because it appears to have been written specifically for a future zeitgeist. Issues explored in the novel on the subject of...

A Room of One's Own Virginia Woolf

In late October, 1928, Virginia Woolf delivered a lecture on "Women and Fiction" at Newnham and Girton, the two women's college at Cambridge, England. Woolf had written the lecture in May; in 1929, she expanded it into what is now "A Room of One's...

Three Guineas Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf stands out as one of the most significant and iconic female voices in the history of English literature. A key exponent of Modernism along with writers such as E.M. Forster and James Joyce, Woolf was a champion of female...

To the Lighthouse Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse (1927) is widely considered one of the most important works of the twentieth century. With this ambitious novel, Woolf established herself as one of the leading writers of modernism. The novel develops innovative literary...

The Voyage Out Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf is a world-famous creative writer, critic, and theorist of modernism. The Voyage Out is Woolf's first novel, the characters of which go overseas to relax on the coast of South America. As Woolf's descriptions reveal, the characters...

The Waves Virginia Woolf

The Waves is the seventh novel published by Virginia Woolf. By 1931 when the book hit stores, it had undergone a rather significant change from its manuscript form. Woolf started writing this novel with the intention of the title being “The Moths....

Women and Writing Virginia Woolf

Women and Writing is a nonfiction book published in 1979 by the British author Virginia Woolf. While she is most commonly known for her novels and for her works of fiction, Virginia Woolf was also the author of many nonfiction books and...

The Years Virginia Woolf

The Years is a short novel penned by Virginia Woolf that actually started out life as lecture given by Woolf to the National Society for Women's Service, in January 1931. Woolf was conscious that much of her work represented women from a...

The Best Virginia Woolf Stories Everyone Should Read

‘ The Mark on the Wall ’. In this short story, the narrator tells us about a mark she noticed on the wall; what follows is, essentially, is eight pages of stream of consciousness as we follow the narrator’s thoughts, memories, and daydreams. The mark on the wall is jumping-off-point , but the ‘life’ of the story resides in what goes on in the narrator’s mind: Woolf is telling us that the material world is not everything, since there is an almost spiritual delight in the life of the mind which conventional fiction seldom takes into account. The rock group Modest Mouse took their band name from a phrase in this story.

‘ An Unwritten Novel ’. In this story, the female narrator is travelling on the train from London to the south coast. She is a people-watcher, and takes an interest in her fellow passengers, all of whom are trying to avoid making eye contact with the other people in the carriage. All, that is, except one: a woman sitting across from the narrator, who stares straight ahead, and who, the narrator surmises, harbours some secret. The narrator proceeds to invent a whole life for this unknown woman, riding high on the life of the imagination and letting her creative spirit off the leash. We’ve d iscussed this story here .

‘ A Haunted House ’. In less than two pages of prose, Woolf explores, summons, and subverts the conventions of the ghost story , offering a modernist take on the genre. The narrator describes the house where she and her partner live, telling us that whenever you wake in the house, you hear noises: a door shutting, and the sound of a ‘ghostly couple’ wandering from room to room in the house. The narrator claims to be able to hear this ghostly couple talking to each other. It’s clear they’re looking for something – but what they’re looking for is not revealed until the very end of the story…

‘ Solid Objects ’. In just half a dozen pages, Virginia Woolf charts the growing obsession with a small lump of glass-like substance which a man named John finds on the beach. John finds another, and then another, collecting them and gathering them on his mantelpiece. Having denounced politics at the beginning of the story, John eventually enters Parliament, but even now he becomes distracted by his magpie-like attraction to shiny objects he spies while out and about. These ‘pretty stones’ seem to matter to him more than his life or career – but what precisely is the attraction? This is the most baffling of the five stories on this list – but it is loaded with potential meanings about the relation between life and art, big and small, the real and the intangible.

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3 thoughts on “The Best Virginia Woolf Stories Everyone Should Read”

I love VW so so much. Thank you.

Now I have to read “A Haunted House” to uncover the mystery and what are those stones? Thanks for sharing!

Reblogged this on Lengua y Literatura Universal .

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A Room of One's Own (The Virginia Woolf Library) Paperback – December 27, 1989

“I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.” In A Room of One’s Own , Virginia Woolf imagines that Shakespeare had a sister—a sister equal to Shakespeare in talent, and equal in genius, but whose legacy is radically different. This imaginary woman never writes a word and dies by her own hand, her genius unexpressed. If only she had found the means to create, argues Woolf, she would have reached the same heights as her immortal sibling. In this classic essay, Woolf takes on the establishment, using her gift of language to dissect the world around her and give voice to those who are without. Her message is a simple one: women must have a steady income and a room of their own in order to have the freedom to create. With a Foreword by Mary Gordon

• Print length 128 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Mariner Books Classics
• Publication date December 27, 1989
• Reading age 14 years and up
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• ISBN-10 0156787334
• ISBN-13 978-0156787338
• Lexile measure 1150L
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books Classics; First Edition (December 27, 1989)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0156787334
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0156787338
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1150L
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• #14 in Feminist Theory (Books)
• #17 in Essays (Books)
• #358 in Classic Literature & Fiction

About the authors

Virginia woolf.

Virginia Woolf is now recognized as a major twentieth-century author, a great novelist and essayist and a key figure in literary history as a feminist and a modernist. Born in 1882, she was the daughter of the editor and critic Leslie Stephen, and suffered a traumatic adolescence after the deaths of her mother, in 1895, and her step-sister Stella, in 1897, leaving her subject to breakdowns for the rest of her life. Her father died in 1904 and two years later her favourite brother Thoby died suddenly of typhoid.

With her sister, the painter Vanessa Bell, she was drawn into the company of writers and artists such as Lytton Strachey and Roger Fry, later known as the Bloomsbury Group. Among them she met Leonard Woolf, whom she married in 1912, and together they founded the Hogarth Press in 1917, which was to publish the work of T. S. Eliot, E. M. Forster and Katherine Mansfield as well as the earliest translations of Freud. Woolf lived an energetic life among friends and family, reviewing and writing, and dividing her time between London and the Sussex Downs. In 1941, fearing another attack of mental illness, she drowned herself.

Her first novel, The Voyage Out, appeared in 1915, and she then worked through the transitional Night and Day (1919) to the highly experimental and impressionistic Jacob's Room (1922). From then on her fiction became a series of brilliant and extraordinarily varied experiments, each one searching for a fresh way of presenting the relationship between individual lives and the forces of society and history. She was particularly concerned with women's experience, not only in her novels but also in her essays and her two books of feminist polemic, A Room of One's Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1938).

Her major novels include Mrs Dalloway (1925), the historical fantasy Orlando (1928), written for Vita Sackville-West, the extraordinarily poetic vision of The Waves (1931), the family saga of The Years (1937), and Between the Acts (1941). All these are published by Penguin, as are her Diaries, Volumes I-V, and selections from her essays and short stories.

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Customers find the main theme very important as a historical time capsule. They also appreciate the writing style as wonderful, straightforward, and sarcastic. Readers describe the content as insightful, eloquent, and true of the sexes. However, some find the entertainment value boring and tiresome.

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Customers find the writing style wonderful, experimental, descriptive, shrewd, and profound. They also say the short critiques of classic authors are funny and unique. Readers also say that the logic is solid and consistent. They describe the book as an enjoyable and fairly quick read that marries vivid paintings and academic writing.

"...book came in a matter of days in perfect condition, lightweight, perfect read for a day at the beach!" Read more

"... Simple enough read , intelligent, and entertaining." Read more

"... This book is witty , from the first moment when the author tries to cross the lawn of an Oxbridge college and is stopped by a beadle because only the..." Read more

"...This is a book about Women and fiction. It is well researched and written with what I believe I can safely call a fanatical zeal. But gently...." Read more

Customers find the book insightful, brilliant, and a great introduction to feminist literature. They also say it's deep and thoughtful, and true of the sexes still.

"...There are inspiring thoughts in this book on women and writing that I am taking to heart." Read more

"... Great intro to feminist literature and is not too long...." Read more

"...It’s such a fantastic reminder of all of the societal factors that have held women back and the basic necessities we need to be able to have..." Read more

Customers find the main theme of the book wonderful, important as a historical time capsule, and excellent. They also say it's still relevant and important.

"Wonderful book and very important as a historical time capsule . Great intro to feminist literature and is not too long...." Read more

"...not only an enjoyable and fairly quick read, but it is also an important milestone in not only feminist literature, but literature as a whole...." Read more

" Excellent picture drawn of the history of allowing women to become educated, enter universities...." Read more

"...There is a sense of human history here that is often missing in commentary on women's issues. Straightforward and generous. Enjoy." Read more

Customers find the emotional tone of the book sombre and bittersweet.

"...She makes sombre interesting points though. If you line her other writing you may like this more then i did." Read more

"Really liked the book. It had some good thought provoking ." Read more

" Bittersweet , yet sweet nonetheless...." Read more

Customers find the book terribly boring, tiresome, and lose interest very quickly. They also say it begins pompous and trivial.

"...It began quite pompous, trivial . Within the next ten pages after I felt that I was enthralled with her process. I am still enthralled...." Read more

"... Some pages are boring and redundant ." Read more

"...is good, but the way this book is structured and written is terribly boring and tiresome. I would never read anything from her again...." Read more

"...Torture, to be honest with you. So boring . After a few pages I gave up. I got Mrs. Dalloway too so maybe I'll have a look at that at some point." Read more

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