Product Description
Essays beginning at the time of her marriage to Leonard Woolf and ending just after the Armistice. More than half have not been collected previously. "In these essays we see both Woolf's work and her self afresh" (Chicago Tribune). Edited and with an Introduction by Andrew McNeillie; Index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Addictive
Reading Virginia Woolf's essays is a pleasure in itself, but reading them in chronological order adds the suspense of discovery. You want to discover how the writer's style evolved, and to find in these pages the roots of her future, mastery prose. Already her writing has gained much confidence and maturity since the last volume. And sometime a sentence or a passage jumps out, clever, lyrical and opinionated, which surprises you and draws you back pages later.

The annotations are extensive, including passages lifted from her diaries and her reading notes. They are revealing not only with respect to the content of the essays but to how Virginia Woolf composed them.


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Product Description
Who, if anyone, was responsible when Virginia Woolf wandered across the water-meadows and threw herself in the river Ouse? By examining the various strains which led to Woolf's tragically ending her life — the true nature of her marriage, her complex relationship with Vita Sackville-West, the pangs of sexual insecurity, and the lack of self-esteem —noted psychoanalyst Alma H. Bond illustrates how these influences coalesced to bring Woolf's life to a logical ending.

“…a masterpiece of its kind—a brilliant, original book that not only gives the reader new understanding of why Virginia Woolf committed suicide but also brings him new depths in the understanding of his own life…A flowing, emphatic style of writing that keeps you turning the page to learn more of the torment in Woolf’s life from infancy on that drove her to kill herself.” —Lucy Freeman, past President of Mystery Writers of America and author of The Beloved Prison: A Journey Through the Unknown Mind (St. Martin’s Press, 1989)

“Alma Bond’s work on Virginia Woolf and the relationship between her early life experience and her profound creative talents is a tour de force.” —Natatlie Shainess, M.D., New York, New York

“Outstanding—a profound and in-depth presentation.” —Barry M. Panter, M.D., Ph.D., President, American Institute of Medical Education, Burbank, California ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Who Killed Virginia Woolf - Inside The Mind of a Genius
Virginia Woolf, born to Leslie and Julie Stephen in 1862, came into a world that was stacked against her chances of emotional success.Both her parents and close family members had emotional problems she could not avoid.This background formed a vital part in preventing Virginia from forming a close bond with her mother.The result of this was that she suffered from unresolved emotional problems for the rest of her life.

All of her life, Virginia found herself immersed in the world of art and literature.Her father was considered by many to be her mentor in nurturing her talent at an early age.Leonard, her husband, protected her against outside pressure that most writers face from critics, editors and the like.Her lover, Vita Sackville - West, she was the conduit to allow Virginia's genius to reach its peak.Woolf always needed the help of others to survive.

Virginia ran into problems at the two most important stages of a child's emotional development.They are known as Symbiosis and the Rapprochement stages.If the infant experiences any breakdown in these processes, the consequences can be severe and last a lifetime.

Symbiosis occurs between the first to fifth month of a child's existence.It is the stage of sociobiological interdependence between mother and child.Rapprochment occurs around the age of two, where the child seeks to be reunited with the mother, after finding the outside world too hard to cope with.When Virginia wanted to be reunited with her mother, her mother was not available to her.This inability to be as one with her mother affected Virginia all of her life.It led her to be constantly plagued by alternating states of mania and depression.

The Stephen and Woolf family members had a repetitive behavior pattern.They only gave to others a little of themselves, to ensure they would not lose part of themselves.It did not occur to them that by allowing a part of themselves to be consumed by another being, in a caring and sharing relationship, that this would not destroy their self.Indeed it would strengthen their belief in themselves and make them a more emotionally robust person, to take on and conquer what the world might throw at them.

Virginia Woolf wrote: "Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written in his works."

Doctor Alma Bond believes that this is indeed true of the works of Virginia Woolf.The writer's internal anguish about what problems were confronting her at various stages of her life flowed through into her novels.This characteristic of Woolf, allowed the author to utilize her professional skills to present to the world the tormented soul of a very talented person.

This is the most interesting book I have read in a long while. I thoroughly recommend it to those who wish to be entertained and gain a better understanding of themselves as well.

Great Insight on Virginia Woolf
After seeing "The Hours" I knew I had to read more on Ms Woolf. What a great woman she was. What a great tragedy when the world lost her.

This book is definitely a must for anyone wanting to know Virginia Woolf.

This book had to be written
When I taught a graduate seminar on Virginia Woolf at Iowa State University, I told my students to read this book if they wanted, as students always do, to understand the multitude of reasons for Woolf's suicide.

Most biographies skirt the responsibilities of the other people in Woolf's life -- the exact topic that Alma Bond takes on so thoroughly.This book had to be written exactly because other writers have not been willing to examine all dimensions of Woolf's death.Hurray for Alma Bond for applying her psychoanalist's expertise on this literary/historical subject! ... Read more

Product Description
In this brilliantly imagined book, author Danell Jones mines the diaries, essays, correspondence, and fiction of a literary legend to create an unforgettable master class in the art of writing. Using Virginia Woolf’s own words, this inspiring, instructive, and entertaining guide will delight fans, students, and teachers alike—and at last give Woolf a classroom of her own.

Imagine what it might be like if Virginia Woolf were teaching a writers’ workshop. What would she say? What elements of her own experience would writers today find valuable? Now one need only to look within these pages to find out. For here, perched at the podium of a classroom, Woolf shares her wisdom on a range of matters, including:

The value of experimentation
How to use a journal for inspiration
The importance of reading, walking, and practicing
Methods for learning from great writers

Also included are “writing sparks”—exercises for writers of all levels—inspired by Woolf’s best-known works, plus the original sources of all of Woolf’s quotes for deeper exploration. Let Woolf’s utterly unique vision guide you to your own distinct voice at the same time that you deepen your appreciation and knowledge of her as a revolutionary writer and thinker. This practical reference motivates and inspires readers to embrace their personal vision through the spirit of one of the foremost literary talents of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Interesting Idea
Here's a great idea for a book: a workshop teaching the views of a famous author. As far as this book goes, it accomplishes that. However, there are only about 50 pages of actual material based on Virginia Woolf, the rest is exercises apparently of the author's own creation. It's hard to believe that with the mountain of diaries and essays that Virginia Woolf wrote, there is only 50 pages of material.

So, I'm glad I only checked this out of the library, because there really isn't much here. However, if similar books come out I'll definitely read those too, though with lower expectations.

An Adventure in Writing!Beautifully written and researched workshop.
If you enjoy writing or are learning how to write this book is a great tool. I and my teenage daughter explored this book together; it takes away the fears/blocks and gives you the convenience to develop your own writing style. All High School English creative writing classes should include some of this book in their lesson plans. Virginia Woolf is a unique writer and person and that comes through in the book as well. This book is for all levels of writing; be unique, be disciplined and the book will give you all the encouragement, and inspiration you need. At the very least it will teach you how not to bore people with your writing any more! My daughter has started writing her first novel at age 13.

Virginia Woolf Writers Workshop
As a layman seeking to understand the magic of Virginia Woolf, I found that her approach to creativity opened a new vista to my eyes.Reading Jones' treatment to the complex Woolf was like taking a course in painting principles and becoming to appreciate the combination and mixture of colors.Upon having gained that new appreciation, one could go out in the nature about them and perhaps see the colorful beauty of the world for the first time.Jones' text opens the eyes of the reader to the complexity of an author's task.

Through this work I have gained a new found admiration for the laborous task that faces a serious author. Obviously Jones has employed the work ethic of Woolf.J. G. Pastrick ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A Trifle
The book is slight and practically written out of nothing at all, like a dust fairy.

Lee takes apart the recent novel THE HOURS and shows why it is not accurate about the facts of Virginia Woolf's life, then shows why the movie is even less accurate.Well, duh.

She is on firmer ground when she describes what happened to Shelley's heart, which was supposedly plucked from his burning body by a friend, Edward Trelawney, after the poet's drowning death in Italy in July, 1822, with a volume of Keats tucked into one pocket.The witnesses to this burning scene all wrote very different accounts of it later, and Lee asks, sensibly enough, if any of them can be believed.Perhaps the organ plucked from the body was not the heart at all, but Shelley's liver.

The best piece might be her analysis (it's slight and inconsequential, but it is still analysis of a sort) of a number of differing interpretations by Jane Austen's biographer about an occasion on which she fainted when her mother told her that the family would be moving to Bath.It is amusing seeing what different folk believe about this faint and about the move to Bath.Biographers build up their cases like lawyers on the one hand, novelists on the other.

She can be scathing about other biogaphers, especially poor Claire Tomalin, who gets it (twice!) for her admittingly annoying habit of extrapolating the pattern of any one person's life out of background information about the period.Richard Holmes, the esteemed biographer of Shelley, won't be so happy reading this book if he thought he had a friend in Hermione Lee.She poses as an author who has not only thought through all the problems of biography but as one who has licked them; there isn't a passage or sentence in which she describes any uncertainty about her own motives or results.Pity. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Good condition
As I live in Freshwater I thought it would be facinating to see what the antics of the locals was like. Very funny, and book is in perfectly good condition...

Fun! Fun! Fun!
For anyone who enjoys Virginia Woolf, this play is a great find.Anyone who is involved in Women Studies, Photography, or Humanities needs to add this book to their bookshelf.Freshwater: A Comedy connects Virginia Woolf with her aunt, photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.My suggestion is pick up any book on Julia Margaret Cameron to get the full effect of the eccentricies and fobiles of the wealthy and famous of the 1900's.

May the farce be with you
Woolf's only play is a farce about her great-aunt, Julia Cameron, a famous Victorian photographer. The edition with drawings by Edward Gorey is marvelous and succinct. I am not sure I got all the references nor the inside humor (and it all seems like one big private joke [this play was intended for private enjoyment after all]), so I am not as moved as I usually am by Woolf's work, and yet it has a sort of magic and wit. Overall it's a welcome addition to one's collection of Woolf or Gorey, even if it is nearly inaccessible to the layman.

A Woolf-lovers must!
I stumbled upon this book while looking for Edward Gorey illustrations and have since bought two to give as gifts!Freshwater gives the reader insight into Virginia's life, humor, times, and friends.An amusing, quickread that makes you want to get a group of people together to act it out. ... Read more

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The penultimate volume of Woolf's letters, when the author was between the ages of 50 and 53, covers the composition of the Years and the death of Lytton Strachey and Roger Fry. "Her wit flashes, often unexpectedly, in letters of almost every kind" (New Yorker). Edited by Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann; Introduction by Nigel Nicolson; Index.
... Read more

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The penultimate volume of Woolf's letters, when the author was between the ages of 50 and 53, covers the composition of the Years and the death of Lytton Strachey and Roger Fry. "Her wit flashes, often unexpectedly, in letters of almost every kind" (New Yorker). Edited by Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann; Introduction by Nigel Nicolson; Index.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

virginia woolf 101
I had not read any Virginia Woolf before and I thought she would be difficult. This book was a very pleasant surprise. I found her very readable and the introductions to each section were very helpful. Overall this was a great introduction to her work - a snippet of each kind of writing to get an idea of each of the styles in which she wrote.

Excellent Overview of a Brilliant Author
This compact anthology presents a fine selection of fiction and nonfiction by one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. The selections of essays and memoirs are especially good, and while it can't do full justice to Woolf's longer works, this volume does include several excerpts from her best novels. If you have never read Virginia Woolf before, start with her brilliant book-length essay "A Room of One's Own" (represented here by too brief a portion) along with this anthology. And, for those who have already discovered her work, this collection makes a nice sampler and refresher - a book to pull off the shelf whenever you want to dip into that extraordinary mind (and prose) again. ... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics eBook has twelve novels and short stories by English modernist writer Virginia Woolf, including her first novel, 'The Voyage Out.'Includes an active table of contents for easy navigation.

Contents:

The Voyage Out (1915)
The Mark on the Wall (1917)
Night and Day (1919)
Kew Gardens (1919)
Solid Objects (1920)
An Unwritten Novel (1920)
A Haunted House (1921)
Monday or Tuesday (1921)
The String Quartet (1921)
A Society (1921)
Blue and Green (1921)
Jacob’s Room (1922)
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Early, less famous works
This is a good buy, but notice that because of copyright law there are none of the books for which Virginia Woolf is famous nowadays, like TO THE LIGHTHOUSE or MRS. DALLOWAY or ORLANDO. JACOB'S ROOM, the last book included in this collection, is the first one in which Virginia Woolf began to write in the way that was to make her one of the leading modern authors. At $2, you can't go far wrong, but be afraid of this Virginia Woolf. ... Read more

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A groundbreakingreassessment of Englishcultural life in thethirties and forties.In the 1930s and 1940s, while the battles for modern art and modernsociety were being fought in Paris and Spain, it seemed to some abetrayal that John Betjeman and John Piper were in love with a provincialworld of old churches and tea shops.

Alexandra Harris tells a different story: eclectically, passionately,wittily, urgently, English artists were exploring what it meant to bealive at that moment and in England. They showed that “the modern”need not be at war with the past: constructivists and conservativescould work together, and even the Bauhaus émigré László Moholy-Nagywas beguiled into taking photos for Betjeman’s nostalgic An OxfordUniversity Chest.

A rich network of personal and cultural encounters was the backdropfor a modern English renaissance. This great imaginative projectwas shared by writers, painters, gardeners, architects, critics, andcomposers. Piper abandoned purist abstracts to make collages on theblustery coast; Virginia Woolf wrote in her last novel about a villagepageant on a showery summer day. Evelyn Waugh, Elizabeth Bowen,and the Sitwells are also part of the story, along with Bill Brandt andGraham Sutherland, Eric Ravilious and Cecil Beaton. 60 color and 20 black-and-white illustrations ... Read more