For most lovers of classic novels, Virginia Woolf is a name that is met with much praise and respect. However, for those who may not be keen on reading books that date back to the early 1900s, the author may just be a somewhat recognizable name.
Before starting my English minor at Ohio University, I personally hadn’t read much of Woolf’s novels, but after taking a course called English Lit: 1900 to Present, her works became some of my favorites. Writing from the female perspective, she was able to perfectly encapsulate a woman’s stream of consciousness, especially after facing trauma, which was inspiring to read.
Woolf was born in London, England, in 1882, and her parents were both heavily involved in literature and the arts. With many migrations to her family’s Talland House near the Cornwall coast, she began to notice the differences in her settings like city and country, winter and summer, as well as repression and freedom.
Her writing began after the death of her mother in 1895 when Woolf wrote an obituary for her. She also started writing letters to her siblings far away, including her brother Thoby. However, her writing was halted in 1904 after her father’s death, causing the writer to have a mental breakdown, which would become a focal point found in all her later works.
After working through her depression, Woolf re-emerged into the literary and arts scene of London, joining the historic Bloomsbury Group alongside her sister Vanessa. Made up of many radicals including Clive Bell, Lytton Strachey and John Maynard Keynes, the group inspired Woolf to write about their conversations and values, sparking her curiosity.
In 1910, Woolf was determined to reform the traditional approach to writing a novel, wanting to create a holistic embracing of life. She experimented with this on her first attempt, titled “Melymbrosia.” Three years later, she decided to scrap the novel’s original name, re-publishing it as “The Voyage Out.”
One element of Woolf’s writing that made it so relatable was the inspiration she found for her characters. Pulling from her own personal relationships, the writer based many of her characters on the Bloomsbury Group, as well as family. The novel also discussed a woman’s grappling with her sexuality, making Woolf one of the first female authors to address this during the early 1900s.
Falling into another battle with depression, Woolf regained her stamina in 1917, opening a printing press in London called the Hogarth Press. She began publishing her own work again, releasing “The Mark on the Wall” that year, a novel based on her own suicide attempt.
Throughout the next several years, Woolf planned out her novels, focusing on romantic triangles. Two years after opening her printing press, she released “Night and Day,” which follows a couple struggling to keep their marriage together because of their hidden desires for other people. With realistic dialogue and depictions of the time period and discussion of issues like class, politics and suffrage, the author grew in popularity for her brave views of the world.
Releasing short stories like “Monday or Tuesday,” Woolf’s next breakthrough didn’t come until 1922 with the release of “Jacob’s Room.” Based on the death of her brother, she writes from multiple perspectives of characters who knew a man named Jacob, writing about their experiences with him from his childhood to his death. An anti-war novel, Woolf grew more of an audience for accurate portrayal of loss and grief, allowing her to keep expanding on her writing.
Along with “Jacob’s Room” came one of her most notable novels, 1925’s “Mrs. Dalloway.” In a novel following multiple characters after the results of World War I, protagonist Mrs. Dalloway grapples with time and aging. Woolf also brought in other characters that interact with her and add more post-war perspectives, including a veteran dealing with shell shock and Dalloway’s husband and daughter.
The novel received overwhelming feedback for Woolf’s views on war, as well as trauma and life stages, making it a universal read for all, even now. Following “Mrs. Dalloway” was “To the Lighthouse,” arguably the writer’s most famous work from 1927. Focused on the Ramsay family and their experiences visiting the Isle of Skye in Scotland throughout various times, the novel was also praised for Woolf’s captivating writing style.
Woolf released other iconic novels like 1928’s “Orlando: A Biography” and 1929’s “A Room of One’s Own,” later transitioning into short stories and long-form pieces before her death in 1941. While her death was the result of her mental health struggles, Woolf’s work did not lose any of its significance following, with many literary figures upholding its worth for years to come.
Now taught in schools all around the world, Woolf has become a leading figure in literature for her bold voice and ability to capture universal issues and experiences. Without her work, literature would not have expanded into what it is now, and we should continue to honor her legacy and impact.
