In my reading of E.M. Forster's lecture on Viginia Woolf, I was left intrigued by his statement "I have not the least faith that anything which we now value will survive historically...and may be another generation will dismiss Virginia Woolf as worthless and tiresome" (205). I was left to wonder "Just what legacy has she left behind?" I am by no means and expert on Virginia Woolf, thus my examination of what she left behind will be pitifully amateurish at best. I suppose I'll begin by stating that I'd never once read any of her works prior to this course, however her name was familiar to me (much like Florence Nightnengale) though I couldn't tell you who she was. Despite my ignorance, the fact that her name persists is perhaps the strongest evidence of her modern relevance. When it comes to tangible remnants, it's easy to point to her body of works including: The Waves, The Voyage Out, and The Common Reader. Of course her novel Mrs. Dalloway proved the inspiration for Michael Cunningham's, The Hours, which has been made into a movie. However, Virginia Woolf's legacy does not end with her name and books. Something much more important remains.
We know from Vanessa Bell's elaboration of her and her sister's childhood, that Virginia was beautiful and brilliant (to the point of arousing jealousy) ever since she was young. Forster sums her up by simply saying "she liked writing" (205) and "frittered away her broader effects by mischievousness" (206). So, from just this information alone we can gather that this lady is rather out of the ordinary.
Behind the words penciled upon the pages there is a philosophy, a driving force, a passion, a goal. This is the real legacy, the one we have transferred to us secretly and invisibly as we read her works. Do I know what this legacy is yet? No. I've not the experience with her literature that esteemed individuals such as Forster possess. But I do know that her name lives on, giving her a kind of immortality. That can only mean that she left an impression on not just somebody, but a great many people.
The purpose of this entry is to ask a question.
What can we learn from the life and works of Viginia Woolf?
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So as not to look like a cop out, I'll answer my own question. Feel free to post your own unique responses in your comment.
As stated earlier I have only limited experience with Virginia Woolf, but I've been left with an impression that she wrote because she loved it dearly, devoting herself to her works entirely. Forster called her works "analogous to a sensation", which can only mean that she did a hell of a good job of generating emotion in her writing! When I see how enduring Virginia has become, along with the praise she recieves, I'm left with powerful message.
Do what you love. Do it well and make it your own. You'll be remembered.
National Gallery on Writing
16 years ago
Lee, you've asked a central question that literary critics ask of every work we love (and even those that irritate). You're right that we haven't read her fiction yet (soon!), but we have read some of her work: her essays on reading and her introduction to her sister's art. Each of these works reveals some of the character of a woman Forster described as a lover of writing, too.
ReplyDeletePrior to this class the only piece by Virginia Woolf I had read was "The Mark on the Wall." I agree with you whole-heartedly on your opinion of her legacy. While I was reading that piece, I remember feeling as though I was being dragged through her thought process, catching various snippets and bits of insight into who she is. Have you ever tried to write out your train of thought? It is extremely hard, and her ability to do so in such a clear way is remarkable. I actually wrote an exceptionally long paper in one of my English classes on how Virginia Woolf was one of the first to really write about alternate realities (essentially, how she wrote the Matrix). I am pretty sure my teacher thought I was insane. It is a short piece and I highly suggest you check it out sometime!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything else by Virgina Woolf either. Before this course I had very limited knowledge of her, but this is what I knew: She was a woman who made a name for herself at a time when few women were able to claim this accomplishment. That alone says something about her strength of character. There is even a play called "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". In my opinion, and this is completely my opinion, she would be proud just to be remembered at all because it prooves that she achieved something signifigant in a world where men dominated the intellectual realm.
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