Virginia Woolf Criticism
Virginia Woolf, a seminal figure in modern literature, is renowned for her innovative narrative techniques and profound thematic explorations, which delve into the complexities of truth, reality, and the female experience. Woolf's work is inherently tied to her rich personal history and feminist convictions, as discussed by Philip Tew. Her contributions to both literary and feminist thought have left a lasting impact on subsequent generations of writers and thinkers.
Her short fiction, particularly, exemplifies her distinct narrative style, characterized by the use of stream-of-consciousness techniques and introspective narratives. Stories such as "Kew Gardens" and "The Mark on the Wall" challenge traditional narrative forms by employing seemingly trivial details and interior monologues to unravel deeper existential themes. These works are critically examined in essays like A Conflict of Closure in Virginia Woolf's ‘A Mark on the Wall’ and The Snail and The Times: Three Stories ‘Dancing in Unity.’
Woolf's short stories are often viewed as experimental forays that laid the groundwork for her later, more expansive works. Criticism of her subsequent literature frequently highlights her symbolic use of windows and mirrors, as illustrated in Glass Breaking: Later Fiction. Her exploration of lesbian themes and the societal roles of women is particularly evident in stories like "Slater's Pins Have No Points," discussed in The Point of ‘Slater's Pins’: Misrecognition and the Narrative Closet, and "A Society," which critiques patriarchal norms.
Comparisons to contemporaries such as James Joyce underscore Woolf's narrative innovations, which expanded the boundaries of the short story form through what she termed "moments of being." This aspect of her work is explored in Virginia Woolf's ‘The Mark on the Wall’: An Einsteinian View of Art. Woolf's enduring influence on modern fiction is reflected in the sustained scholarly interest in her narrative style and socio-political themes, making her a continual subject of critical examination.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Woolf, Virginia (Short Story Criticism)
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Glass Breaking: Later Fiction
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Kurtz considers the symbolism of windows and mirrors in Woolf's later short fiction.
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Virginia Woolf's ‘The Mark on the Wall’: An Einsteinian View of Art
(summary)
In the following essay, Narey views “The Mark on the Wall” as an “artistic manifesto” of time and perspective influenced by the theories of Albert Einstein.
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The Point of ‘Slater's Pins’: Misrecognition and the Narrative Closet
(summary)
In the following essay, Clements regards “Slater's Pins Have No Points” as an “emblematic representation” of difficulties faced by lesbian writers and focuses “on the destructive and ultimately self-effacing practice of misrecognition.”
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A Conflict of Closure in Virginia Woolf's ‘A Mark on the Wall’
(summary)
In the following essay, Cyr explores the meaning of the mark in “The Mark on the Wall” and debates the sense of closure in the story.
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Stories about Storymaking
(summary)
In the following essay, Newman assesses Woolf's success as a storyteller, concluding that her stories “fail to satisfy the reader's desire for certainty.”
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Brownean Motion in ‘Solid Objects.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Greene assesses the influence of Thomas Browne on Woolf's fiction, particularly “The Mark on the Wall.”
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The Snail and The Times: Three Stories ‘Dancing in Unity.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Séllei finds thematic and stylistic similarities in “The Mark on the Wall,” “Kew Gardens,” and “An Unwritten Novel.”
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Lesbian Modernism in the Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf and Gertrude Stein
(summary)
In the following essay, Blackmer analyzes the lesbian-themed short stories of Woolf and Gertrude Stein to gain insight into their “distinctive approaches to creating lesbian modernist literature.”
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The Gender of Atheism in Virginia Woolf's ‘A Simple Melody.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Lackey perceives “A Simple Melody” to be a transitional work in Woolf's short fiction oeuvre and examines her portrayal of male atheism in the story.
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Sexing the Epiphany in ‘Moments of Being,’ Woolf's Nice Little Story about Sapphism
(summary)
In the following essay, Oxindine links the homoerotic and epiphanic moments in “Slater's Pins Have No Points.”
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Prologue: ‘The Journal of Mistress Joan Martyn’ and Wordsworth's Guide to the Lakes.
(summary)
In the following essay, Tremper investigates the influence of William Wordsworth's Guide to the Lakes on Woolf's “The Journal of Mistress Joan Martyn.”
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Incongruities; or, The Politics of Character: Departures
(summary)
In the following essay, Rosenfeld juxtaposes the style and themes of the two pieces collected in Two Stories: “The Mark on the Wall,” and Leonard Woolf's “Three Jews.”
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Woolf's Early Experimentation with Consciousness: ‘Kew Gardens,’ Typescript to Publication, 1917-1919
(summary)
In the following essay, Benzel speculates about the origin, creation, and revision of “Kew Gardens.”
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An Unfinished Story: The Freshwater Drafts of ‘The Searchlight.’
(summary)
In the following essay, de Gay traces the revision of “The Searchlight” into “A Scene from the Past,” and contends that the final version deserves more critical attention than it has been given.
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The First Orlando: The Laugh of the Comic Spirit in Virginia Woolf's ‘Friendships Gallery.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Westman maintains that “Friendships Gallery” best represents Woolf's development of a “new ‘art’ of biography that could negotiate the tension between fact and fiction” and identifies the story as the roots of her novel Orlando.
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What ‘It’ Is About: The Implicit in Virginia Woolf's Short Fictions
(summary)
In the following essay, Besnault-Levita analyzes Woolf's use of the pronoun “it” in her short fiction and explores “the implicit theories of meaning and interpretation behind the implicit as they are put to the test by Woolf's fictional prose.”
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Tales of Abjection and Miscegenation: Virginia Woolf's and Leonard Woolf's ‘Jewish’ Stories
(summary)
In the following essay, Schröder explores elements of anti-Semitism in Woolf's short story “The Duchess and the Jeweller” and Leonard Woolf's “Three Jews.”
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Maps, Globes, and ‘Solid Objects.’
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Henry investigates the influence of Bertrand Russell's theories of material phenomena on her “Solid Objects.”
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‘These Ghost Figures of Distorted Passion’: Becoming Privy to Working-Class Desire in ‘The Watering Place’ and ‘The Ladies Lavatory.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Levy argues that “The Watering Place,” “The Ladies Lavatory,” and “The Cook” reveal Woolf's exploration of the “fricative interrelationships between class, lesbian desire, and the occupation of public and private space.”
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Glass Breaking: Later Fiction
(summary)
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Special Commissioned Essay on Virginia Woolf, Philip Tew
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About Virginia Woolf
(summary)
In the following essay, Philip Tew argues that Virginia Woolf's writing and critical reception must be understood by examining her complex personal history, her feminist and modernist contributions, and the socio-cultural contexts of her era, illustrating how these elements influenced her work and feminist legacy.
- Woolf At Work
- Woolf's Era
- Woolf's Works
- Woolf On Woolf
- Woolf As Studied
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About Virginia Woolf
(summary)
- Further Reading