Virginia Woolf
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The History of Literature #502 — Persuasion by Jane Austen
Harold Bloom called Persuasion “the perfect novel.” Virginia Woolf said “In Persuasion, Jane Austen is beginning to discover that the world is larger, more mysterious, and more romantic than she supposed.” In this episode, the first of three parts, Jacke takes a look at Jane Austen’s novel of missed opportunities and second chances. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. Continue reading
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The History of Literature #435 – The Story of the Hogarth Press Part 2 – The Virginia Woolf Story That Changed Everything
In our last episode, we looked at the decision by Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard to purchase a printing press and run it out of their home. What began as a hobby – a relief from the strains of writing – soon turned into a genuine business, as The Hogarth Press met with success. Continue reading
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The History of Literature #434 – The Story of the Hogarth Press Part 1 – Virginia Woolf’s First Self-Published Story
Virginia Woolf has long been celebrated as a supremely gifted novelist and essayist. Less well known, but important to understanding her life and contributions to literature, are her efforts as a publisher. In the decades that she and her husband operated the Hogarth Press – starting with a hand-operated printer they ran on their dining Continue reading
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The History of Literature #387 – Loving Virginia Woolf | Fashion in Literature (with Lauren S. Cardon)
What’s it like to be in love with a genius? How does one express oneself? Jacke takes a look at a beautiful 1926 love letter that Vita Sackville-West sent to Virginia Woolf. Then Professor Lauren S. Cardon, author of FASHIONING CHARACTER: Style, Performance, and Identity in Contemporary American Literature, stops by for a discussion of how Continue reading
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The History of Literature #334 – Katherine Mansfield
Born into a well-to-do family in New Zealand, Katherine Mansfield began writing fiction at the age of 10. But it was in England and continental Europe that her writing took flight, as she drew upon Chekhov and the new spirit of Modernism to advance (and perfect) the short story form before dying a tragically early Continue reading
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The History of Literature #228 – England vs France – A Literary Battle Royale
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AuQE0er0OzsD8n4sL0CbI?si=pvlSWPemRx68FTJ2kpEK1w “Our dear enemies,” a French writer once said of the English. Englishman John Cleese called them “our natural enemies” and joked “if we have to fight anyone, I say let’s fight the French.” With the exception of a few big twentieth-century alliances, the French and the English have been at each others’ throats for Continue reading
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The History of Literature #201 – Virginia Woolf (with Gillian Gill)
http://traffic.megaphone.fm/ADL7953694278.mp3 Through novels like To the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway, and essays such as “A Room of One’s Own,” Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) has inspired generations of followers, particularly young women. But who were the women who inspired Virginia Woolf? In this episode, Jacke talks to author Gillian Gill, whose works include biographies of Mary Baker Eddy, Florence Nightingale, Continue reading
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History of Literature #69 – Virginia Woolf and Her Enemies (with Professor Andrea Zemgulys) / Children’s Books
Early in her career, novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) wrote a critical essay in which she set forth her views of what fiction can and should do. The essay was called “Modern Fiction” (1919), and it has served critics and readers as a guide to Modernism (and Woolf) ever since. But while it’s easy to follow her Continue reading
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Virginia Woolf Speaks
Ah, this is EXACTLY what I would have guessed her voice sounds like. This extended metaphor is a little long, but it earns its length. Enjoy! Happy Thursday! Continue reading
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Virginia Woolf on How to Read a Book
Via Maria Popova’s Brainpickings (of course!), we get this amazing overview of Virginia Woolf’s amazing advice on how to read a book. The whole post is worth reading, but here’s a taste: To read a novel is a difficult and complex art. You must be capable not only of great fineness of perception, but of Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 