A Brief Biography of Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
An Overview of the Life of the Modernist Writer
Oct 12, 2008
One of the most prominent literary figures of the twentieth century, Woolf is chiefly renowned as an innovative novelist, and in particular for her contribution to the development of the stream-of-consciousness narrative technique.
Early Childhood
Woolf was the daughter of the eminent literary critic and historian Sir Leslie Stephen and his second wife, Julia. While Woolf received no formal education, she was raised in a cultured and literary atmosphere, learning from her father's extensive library and from conversing with his friends, many of whom were prominent writers of the era. Her mother died in 1895, and, following the death of her father in 1904, Woolf settled in the Bloomsbury district of London with her sister, Vanessa, and her brothers Thoby and Adrian.
The Birth of Modernism
The Stephens’ house became a gathering place where such friends as J. M. Keynes, Lytton Strachey, Roger Fry, and E. M. Forster congregated for lively discussions about philosophy, art, music, and literature. A complex network of friendships and love affairs developed, serving to increase the solidarity of what became known as the Bloomsbury Group. Here she met Leonard Woolf, the author, politician and economist whom she married in 1912.
First Publications
Her first published works began appearing anonymously in 1904 in the Guardian. Journalism occupied much of her time and thought between 1904 and 1909. By the latter year, however, she was becoming absorbed in work on her first novel, published in 1915 as The Voyage Out.
Modernist Themes and Innovative Fiction
Woolf's fiction reveals an ongoing concern with the exploration of character and incident. In her third novel, Jacob's Room (1922), she attempted a wholly individual technique, minimising external action and illuminating aspects of her characters' personalities through a series of individual impressions revealed to the reader through interior monologue. Mrs. Dalloway (1925) represents Woolf's first successful attempt to produce a novel in her own distinctive narrative style, rejecting the boundaries of traditional narrative form.
To the Lighthouse was published in 1927, followed by The Waves (1931). Woolf never had children, as her doctors felt that it would be unwise due to her debilitating mental illness. She threw herself into the art of writing. Woolf's entire world was dedicated to writing about, producing, and teaching literature.
A Lasting Legacy
Woolf’s work is often overshadowed by the notoriety she has relating to her life. As a sufferer of mental illness and a victim of suicide, her achievements are often overlooked in favour of sensationalised reports of her sexuality, madness, and unconventional life. However, her contribution to feminism and literature are remarkable, and she remains a well-loved and much admired author and literary critic.
Sources:
Lee, Hermoine. Virginia Woolf Vintage Press, London ( 1997)
