Between the Acts (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Bartholomew Oliver, retired from civil service and the disgruntled owner of Pointz Hall, where a historical pageant is being held.

Giles Oliver, Bartholomew’s son, a stockbroker who has longed to be a farmer. Recently on rather chilly terms with his wife, he is engaged in an affair with Mrs. Manresa.

Isa Oliver, Giles’s wife, secretly a writer of poetry. She suspects her husband’s unfaithfulness and fancies herself in love with Rupert Haines.

Mrs. Lucy Swithin, Bartholomew’s widowed sister. In her imagination, she lives in England’s historic past.

Mrs. Manresa, a cheerful, vulgar, and uninvited guest of the Olivers. She is carrying on an affair with Giles.

William Dodge, an uninvited and unwanted guest brought to the Olivers by Mrs. Manresa. Talking with Isa, he finds solace in his rejection and loneliness, as does she in hers.

Miss La Trobe, the lonely, frustrated writer and director of the historical pageant being presented at Pointz Hall.

Rupert Haines, a married gentleman farmer with whom Isa fancies herself in love.

George and

Caro, grandchildren of Bartholomew.

Eliza Clark,

Albert,

Mrs. Otter, and

Mr. Budge, villagers who act in the pageant.

Bibliography:

Gordon, Lyndall. Virginia Woolf: A Writer’s Life. New York: W. W. Norton, 1984. An analytical biography that integrates events in Woolf’s life with a thematic study of her works.

Hanson, Clare. Virginia Woolf. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994. A sophisticated study of gender in Woolf’s novels with specific attention to Woolf’s feminism and its consequences for her works. An unusual reading of Between the Acts focuses on gender tensions in the novel.

Rose, Phyllis. Woman of Letters: A Life of Virginia Woolf. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. A critical biography of the writer’s life and works. Includes extended discussions of all her works.

Rosenman, Ellen Bayuk. The Invisible Presence. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1986. Informed by psychological theory, this study examines the bonds between mothers and daughters in Woolf’s novels and her representations of the female artist. Includes a detailed chapter on Miss La Trobe in Between the Acts.

Rosenthal, Michael. Virginia Woolf. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979. Focuses on Woolf’s preoccupation with form. Includes an excellent chapter on Between the Acts.