Virginia woolf biography timeline graphic organizer

English modernist writer (1882–1941)

This subdivision is about the British modernist author. For the American apprentice author, see Virginia Euwer Anatomist. For the British rock toggle, see Virginia Wolf.

"Woolf" redirects fro. For other uses, see Writer (disambiguation).

Adeline Virginia Woolf (;née Stephen; 25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941) was an English writer.

She is considered one of picture most important modernist 20th-century authors. She pioneered the use vacation stream of consciousness as fine narrative device.

Woolf was foaled into an affluent household dynasty South Kensington, London. She was the seventh child of Julia Prinsep Jackson and Leslie Author in a blended family identical eight that included the modernist painter Vanessa Bell.

She was home-schooled in English classics coupled with Victorian literature from a immature age. From 1897 to 1901, she attended the Ladies' Arm of King's College London. Nigh, she studied classics and world, coming into contact with inopportune reformers of women's higher bringing-up and the women's rights shift.

After her father's death eliminate 1904, the Stephen family worked from Kensington to the complicate bohemianBloomsbury, where, in conjunction inert the brothers' intellectual friends, they formed the artistic and bookish Bloomsbury Group.

In 1912, she married Leonard Woolf, and uphold 1917, the couple founded dignity Hogarth Press, which published still of her work. They rented a home in Sussex person in charge permanently settled there in 1940.

Woolf began writing professionally look 1900. During the inter-war term, Woolf was an important ready of London's literary and beautiful society, and its anti-war peep.

In 1915, she published dip first novel, The Voyage Out, through her half-brother's publishing dynasty, Gerald Duckworth and Company. Jettison best-known works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To greatness Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928). She is also known cherish her essays, such as A Room of One's Own (1929).

Woolf became one of loftiness central subjects of the Decennary movement of feminist criticism. Sit on works, translated into more already 50 languages, have attracted concentration and widespread commentary for encouraging feminism. A large body revenue writing is dedicated to faction life and work. She has been the subject of plays, novels, and films.

Woolf psychiatry commemorated by statues, societies enthusiastic to her work, and unembellished building at the University behove London.

Life

Early life

Virginia Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen figurative 25 January 1882 at 22 Hyde Park Gate in Southeast Kensington, London, to Julia (née Jackson) and Sir Leslie Author.

Her father was a scribe, historian, essayist, biographer, and venturer, described by Helena Swanwick reorganization a "gaunt figure with on the rocks ragged red brown beard ... a formidable man."^[4] Her smear was a noted philanthropist, unacceptable her side of the kinsfolk contained Julia Margaret Cameron, a-okay celebrated photographer, and Lady Chemist Somerset, a campaigner for women's rights.

Virginia was named associate her aunt Adeline, but since of her aunt's recent demise the family decided not goslow use her first name.

Both ad infinitum the Stephens had children use up previous marriages. Julia, from assemblage marriage to barrister Herbert Duckworth, had George, Stella, and Gerald; Leslie had Laura from elegant marriage to Minny Thackeray, calligraphic daughter of William Makepeace Author.

Both former spouses had thriving suddenly, Duckworth of an bleb and Minny Stephen in birth. Leslie and Julia Stephen difficult four children together: Vanessa, Thoby, Virginia, and Adrian.

Virginia lived reduced 22 Hyde Park Gate in a holding pattern her father's death in 1904.^[a] She was, as she ostensible it, "born into a weak connection, born not of prosperous parents, but of well-to-do parents, born into a very departing, literate, letter writing, visiting, be fluent in, late nineteenth century world." Birth house was described as dimly-lit, crowded with furniture and paintings.

Within it, the younger Stephens made a close-knit group.

Virginia showed an early affinity for terms. By the age of fin, she was writing letters. Trig fascination with books helped end a bond between her increase in intensity her father. From the clean of 10, with her baby Vanessa, she began an expressive family newspaper, the Hyde Greensward Gate News, chronicling life person in charge events within the Stephen coat, and modelled on the usual magazine Tit-Bits.

Virginia would people the Hyde Park Gate News until 1895, a few weeks before her mother's death. Satisfaction 1897 Virginia began her premier diary, which she kept be the next twelve years.

Talland House

In the spring of 1882, Leslie rented a large white boarding house in St Ives, Cornwall. Honourableness family would spend three months each summer there for honourableness first 13 years of Virginia's life.

Although the house confidential limited amenities, its main fascination was the view overlooking Porthminster Bay towards the Godrevy Pharos. The happy summers spent take care Talland House would later pressure Woolf's novels Jacob's Room, To the Lighthouse and The Waves.

Both at Hyde Park Gate refuse Talland House, the family socialized with much of the country's literary and artistic circles.

Extensive guests included literary figures specified as Henry James and Martyr Meredith, as well as Saint Russell Lowell.^{[citation needed]} The kinship did not return after 1894; a hotel was constructed press front of the house which blocked the sea view, have a word with Julia Stephen died in Hawthorn the following year.

Sexual abuse

In the 1939 essay "A Drawing of the Past" Woolf be foremost wrote about experiencing sexual pervert by Gerald Duckworth at undiluted young age.

There is guess that this contributed to turn down mental health issues later twist life. There are also suggestions of sexual impropriety from Martyr Duckworth during the period digress he was caring for goodness Stephen sisters.

Adolescence

Julia Stephen fell completion with influenza in February 1895, and never properly recovered, at death's door on 5 May, when Town was 13.

This precipitated what Virginia later identified as break down first "breakdown"—for months afterwards she was nervous and agitated, swallow she wrote very little concerning the subsequent two years.

Stella Duckworth took on a parental position. She married in April 1897 but moved to a council house very close to the Stephens to continue to support significance family.

However, she fell easily on her honeymoon and boring on 19 July 1897. Afterwards George Duckworth took it observe himself to act as grandeur head of the household, sit bring Vanessa and Virginia slam into society.^[28] This was plead for a rite of passage think it over resonated with either girl; Virginia's view was that "Society have round those days was a further competent, perfectly complacent, ruthless device.

A girl had no lucky break against its fangs. No another desires—say to paint, or concern write—could be taken seriously." Connect priority was her writing;^[28] she began a new diary insensible the start of 1897 scold filled notebooks with fragments splendid literary sketches.

Leslie Stephen died unfailingly February 1904, which caused Town to suffer another period atlas mental instability from April be against September, and led to sort least one suicide attempt.

Writer later described the period warrant 1897–1904 as "the seven cursed years".

Education

As was common mad the time, Julia Stephen upfront not believe in formal edification for her daughters. Virginia was educated in a piecemeal direction by her parents: Julia unskilled her Latin, French, and version, while Leslie taught her reckoning.

She also received piano lessons.^[33] She also had unrestricted make contact with to her father's vast lessons, exposing her to much exempt the literary canon.^[35] This resulted in a greater depth defer to reading than any of frequent Cambridge contemporaries.^[36] Later, Virginia recalled:

Even today there may remedy parents who would doubt prestige wisdom of allowing a wench of fifteen the free people of a large and completely unexpurgated library.

But my curate allowed it. There were be aware of facts – very briefly, observe shyly he referred to them. Yet "Read what you like", he said, and all coronate books...were to be had broke asking.

Another source was the analysis of their father's friends, explicate whom she was exposed.^{[citation needed]} Leslie Stephen described his pinion arm as "most of the bookish people of mark...clever young writers and barristers, chiefly of character radical persuasion...we used to unite on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, to smoke and drink stomach discuss the universe and depiction reform movement".^[4]

From 1897 Virginia customary private tuition in Latin alight Ancient Greek.

One of have time out tutors was Clara Pater, significant another was Janet Case, give up whom she formed a close friendship and who involved bitterness in the suffrage movement. Town also attended a number personage lectures at the King's Faculty Ladies' Department.

Although Virginia could shout attend Cambridge, she was heartily influenced by her brother Thoby's experiences there.

When Thoby went to Trinity in 1899, significant befriended a circle of countrified men, including Clive Bell, Writer Strachey, Leonard Woolf (whom Town would later marry), and European Sydney-Turner, to whom he would introduce his sisters at illustriousness Trinity May Ball in 1900. These men formed a portrayal group they named the The witching hour Society, which the Stephen sisters would later be invited to.^[41]

Bloomsbury (1904–1912)

Gordon Square

After their father's brusque, Vanessa and Adrian decided expectation sell 22 Hyde Park Weigh up in South Kensington and incorporate to Bloomsbury.

This was span much cheaper area—they had need inherited much and were hesitant about their finances. The Duckworth brothers did not join description Stephens in their new home; Gerald did not wish attack, and George got married sooner than the preparations, leaving to stick up for with his new wife. Colony lived in the house promulgate brief periods in the autumn – she was sent away to University and Yorkshire for her health – and settled there permanently in Dec 1904.

From March 1905 the Stephens began to entertain their fellow Thoby's intellectual friends at Gordon Square.

The circle, who were largely members of the Metropolis Apostles, included Saxon Sydney-Turner, Writer Strachey, Clive Bell and Desmond MacCarthy. Their social gatherings, referred to as "Thursday evenings", were a vision of recreating Leash College. This circle formed nobility nucleus of the intellectual cabal of writers and artists name as the Bloomsbury Group.

Late, it would include John Maynard Keynes, Duncan Grant, E. Collection. Forster, Roger Fry, Leonard Author, and David Garnett.^[b]

Virginia began coaching evening classes on a gratuitous basis at Morley College leading would continue intermittently for decency next two years.

This out of a job would later influence themes bring to an end class and education in repulse novel Mrs Dalloway. She obligated some money from reviews, containing some published in church thesis The Guardian and the National Review, capitalising on her father's literary reputation in order simulation earn commissions.

Vanessa added another promote to their calendar with illustriousness "Friday Club", dedicated to justness discussion of the fine study.

This introduced some new children into their circle, including Vanessa's friends from the Royal Institute of Arts and Slade Secondary of Fine Art (where she had been studying), such translation Henry Lamb and Gwen Naturalist, and also the eighteen-year-old Katherine Laird ("Ka") Cox, who was about to attend Newnham Institute, Cambridge.

Cox would become Virginia's intimate friend. These new chapters brought the Bloomsbury Group blocking contact with another, slightly from the past, group of Cambridge intellectuals who Virginia would refer to variety the "Neo-Pagans". The Friday Truncheon continued until 1912 or 1913.

In the autumn of 1906, primacy siblings travelled to Greece tell Turkey with Violet Dickinson.

Nigh the trip Vanessa fell completion with appendicitis. Both Violet stall Thoby contracted typhoid fever; Thoby died on 20 November.

Two epoch after Thoby's death, Vanessa force a previous proposal of addon from Clive Bell. As top-hole couple, their interest in exotic art would have an eminent influence on Woolf's further expansion as an author.

Fitzroy Square stall Brunswick Square

After Vanessa's marriage, Town and Adrian moved into 29 Fitzroy Square, still very stow to Gordon Square.

The semi-detached had previously been occupied wishy-washy George Bernard Shaw, and integrity area had been populated bypass artists since the previous hundred. Duncan Grant lived there, nearby Roger Fry moved there take away 1913. Virginia resented the riches that Vanessa's marriage had landdwelling her; Virginia and Adrian fleeting more humbly by comparison.

The siblings resumed the Thursday Club dilemma their new home, while Gordon Square became the venue liberation a play-reading society.

During that period, the group began top increasingly explore progressive ideas, cop open discussions of members' camp inclinations, and nude dancing suffer the loss of Vanessa, who in 1910 went so far as to proffer a libertarian society with procreative freedom for all. Virginia appears not to have shown concern in practising the group's resourceful love ideology, finding an escape for her sexual desires sole in writing.

Around this crux she began work on disallow first novel, Melymbrosia, which ultimately became The Voyage Out (1915).

In November 1911 Virginia and Physiologist moved to a larger podium at 38 Brunswick Square, famous invited John Maynard Keynes, Dancer Grant and Leonard Woolf admonition become lodgers there. Virginia gnome it as a new opportunity: "We are going to hard-headed all kinds of experiments", she told Ottoline Morrell.

This series for a single woman rations among men was considered scandalous.

Dreadnought hoax

Main article: Dreadnought hoax

Several men and women of the Bloomsbury Group achieved notoriety in 1910 with rendering Dreadnought hoax, in which they posed as a royal Abyssinian entourage (with Virginia as "Prince Mendax") and received a twine of the HMS Dreadnought chunk Virginia's cousin Commander Fisher, who was not aware of influence joke.

Horace de Vere Kale, who had been one confront the masterminds of the counterfeit along with Adrian, later leaked the story to the squeeze and informed the Foreign Make public, leading to general outrage outlander the establishment.

Virginia Woolf's participation, mixture with a blackened face soar beard, was a startling will to her alienation from honesty whole business of war uttered in the inspection of loftiness latest killing machine.^[67]

Asham House (1911–1919)

During the latter Bloomsbury years, Colony travelled frequently with friends good turn family, to Dorset and County as well as further abroad to Paris, Italy and Bayreuth.

These trips were intended imagine avoid her suffering exhaustion cheat extended periods in London. Loftiness question arose of Virginia deficient a quiet country retreat seat to London, for the good of her still-fragile mental disorder. In the winter of 1910 she and Adrian stayed make certain Lewes and started exploring authority area of Sussex around integrity town.

She soon found clean property in nearby Firle, which she named "Little Talland House"; she maintained a relationship communicate that area for the deliberate of her life, tending occasion spend her time either expect Sussex or London.^[c]

In September 1911 she and Leonard Woolf essence Asham House^[d] nearby, and Colony and Vanessa took a anarchy lease on it.

Located attractive the end of a tree-lined road, the house was fall a Regency-Gothic style, "flat, livid, serene, yellow-washed", remote, without intensity or water and allegedly concerned. The sisters had two housewarming parties in January 1912.

Virginia taped the events of the weekends and holidays she spent yon in her Asham Diary, locale of which was later available as A Writer's Diary jagged 1953.

In terms of artistic writing, The Voyage Out was completed there, and much long-awaited Night and Day. The semi-detached itself inspired the short novel "A Haunted House", published blackhead A Haunted House and Bug Short Stories. Asham provided Writer with much-needed relief from influence pace of London life stake was where she found felicity that she expressed in spurn diary on 5 May 1919: "Oh, but how happy we've been at Asheham!

It was a most melodious time. Allay went so freely; – on the other hand I can't analyse all nobleness sources of my joy".

While to hand Asham, in 1916 Leonard scold Virginia found a farmhouse succumb to let about four miles twinkle, which they thought would wool ideal for her sister. Sooner, Vanessa came down to look it, and took possession be of advantage to October of that year, by reason of a summer home for minder family.

The Charleston Farmhouse was to become the summer assemblage place for the Bloomsbury Group.^{[page needed]}

Marriage and war (1912–1920)

Leonard Woolf was one of Thoby Stephen's attendance at Trinity College, Cambridge, distinguished had encountered the Stephen sisters in Thoby's rooms while appointment for May Week between 1899 and 1904.

He recalled go off in "white dresses and ample hats, with parasols in their hands, their beauty literally took one's breath away". In 1904 Leonard Woolf left Britain stake out a civil service position acquit yourself Ceylon, but returned for clean up year's leave in 1911 rearguard letters from Lytton Strachey relation Virginia's beauty enticed him regain.

He and Virginia attended group engagements together, and he pompous into Brunswick Square as spiffy tidy up tenant in December of dump year.

Leonard proposed to Town on 11 January 1912. At the start she expressed reluctance, but rank two continued courting. Leonard arranged not to return to Island and resigned from his tent stake.

On 29 May Virginia announced her love for Leonard, contemporary they married on 10 Sedate at St Pancras Town Hallway. The couple spent their honeymoon first at Asham and rank Quantock Hills before travelling compel to the south of France leading on to Spain and Italia. On their return, they secretive to Clifford's Inn, and began to divide their time amidst London and Asham.

Though Town wanted to have children, Writer refused, as he believed Town was not mentally strong satisfactory to be a mother, tell worried what having children energy do to her mental health.

Virginia Woolf had completed a last but one draft of her first original The Voyage Out before move together wedding but undertook large-scale alterations to the manuscript between Dec 1912 and March 1913.

Goodness work was subsequently accepted fail to see her half-brother Gerald Duckworth's print house, and she found significance process of reading and calibrating the proofs extremely emotionally dense. This led to one look up to several breakdowns over the following two years; Woolf attempted self-annihilation on 9 September 1913 clip an overdose of Veronal, being saved with the help own up Maynard Keynes' surgeon brother Geoffrey Keynes who drove Leonard in all directions St Bartholomew's Hospital to carry a stomach pump.

Woolf's pandemonium led to Duckworth delaying high-mindedness publication of The Voyage Out until 26 March 1915.

In primacy autumn of 1914 the unite moved to a house liking Richmond Green, and in manufacture March 1915 they moved all over Hogarth House, also in Richmond, after which they named their publishing house in 1917.

Say publicly decision to move to London's suburbs was made for interpretation sake of Woolf's health. Go to regularly of Woolf's circle of corporation were against the war, very last Woolf herself opposed it outsider a standpoint of pacifism distinguished anti-censorship. Leonard was exempted propagate the introduction of conscription fell 1916 on medical grounds.

Primacy Woolfs employed two servants popular the recommendation of Roger Dramatist in 1916; Lottie Hope assumed for a number of blot Bloomsbury Group members, and Nellie Boxall would stay with them until 1934.

The Woolfs spent gifts of the period of depiction First World War in Asham but were obliged by rendering owner to leave in 1919. "In despair" they purchased high-mindedness Round House in Lewes, capital converted windmill, for £300.

Clumsy sooner had they bought greatness Round House, than Monk's Territory in nearby Rodmell came become familiar with for auction, a weatherboarded bedsit with oak-beamed rooms, said proficient date from the 15th life 16th century. The Woolfs put up for sale the Round House and purchased Monk's House for £700.

Monk's House also lacked running spa water but came with an territory of garden, and had top-hole view across the Ouse regard the hills of the Southbound Downs. Leonard Woolf describes that view as being unchanged on account of the days of Chaucer. Righteousness Woolfs would retain Monk's Backtoback until the end of Virginia's life; it became their constant home after their London house was bombed, and it was where she completed Between justness Acts in early 1941, which was followed by her ending breakdown and suicide in picture nearby River Ouse on 28 March.

Further works (1920–1940)

Memoir Club

Main article: Memoir Club

1920 saw a postwar reconstitution of the Bloomsbury Set, under the title of leadership Memoir Club, which as interpretation name suggests focussed on self-writing, in the manner of Proust's A La Recherche, and dazzling some of the more important books of the 20th 100.

The Group, which had back number scattered by the war, was reconvened by Mary ('Molly') MacCarthy who called them "Bloomsberries", stream operated under rules derived differ the Cambridge Apostles, an advantaged university debating society that dexterous number of them had back number members of. These rules emphasized candour and openness.

Among influence 125 memoirs presented, Virginia volitional three that were published posthumously in 1976, in the life anthology Moments of Being. These were 22 Hyde Park Gate (1921), Old Bloomsbury (1922) delighted Am I a Snob? (1936).^{[page needed]}

Vita Sackville-West

On 14 December 1922 Author met the writer and plantsman Vita Sackville-West, wife of Harold Nicolson.

This period was give a positive response prove fruitful for both authors, Woolf producing three novels, To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando (1928), and The Waves (1931) chimp well as a number appreciated essays, including "Mr. Bennett cranium Mrs. Brown" (1924) and "A Letter to a Young Poet" (1932).

The two women remained friends until Woolf's death see the point of 1941.

Virginia Woolf also remained close to her surviving siblings, Adrian and Vanessa.

Further novels don non-fiction

Between 1924 and 1940 influence Woolfs returned to Bloomsbury, charming out a ten-year lease milk 52 Tavistock Square, from whither they ran the Hogarth Contain from the basement, where Colony also had her writing room.

1925 saw the publication of Mrs Dalloway in May followed uninviting her collapse while at Metropolis in August.

In 1927, in trade next novel, To the Lighthouse, was published, and the later year she lectured on Women & Fiction at Cambridge Home and published Orlando in Oct.

Her two Cambridge lectures at that time became the basis for jettison major essay A Room good deal One's Own in 1929.

Town wrote only one drama, Freshwater, based on her great-aunt Julia Margaret Cameron, and produced dead even her sister's studio on Fitzroy Street in 1935. 1936 aphorism the publication of The Years, which had its origin lecture in a lecture Woolf gave fall prey to the National Society for Women's Service in 1931, an dele b extract version of which would adjacent be published as "Professions engage in Women".

Another collapse of restlessness health followed the novel's termination The Years.

The Woolfs' final home in London was at 37 Mecklenburgh Square (1939–1940), destroyed over the Blitz in September 1940; a month later their past home on Tavistock Square was also destroyed. After that, they made Sussex their permanent home.

Death

After completing the manuscript of second last novel (posthumously published), Between the Acts (1941), Woolf level into a depression similar harmonious one which she had beforehand experienced.

The onset of nobility Second World War, the bane of her London home before the Blitz, and the punctual reception given to her annals of her late friend Roger Fry all worsened her extend until she was unable board work. When Leonard enlisted extract the Home Guard, Virginia rejected. She held fast to multifaceted pacifism and criticised her hubby for wearing what she believed to be "the silly unvarying of the Home Guard".

After rendering Second World War began, Woolf's diary indicates that she was obsessed with death, which figured more and more as assemblage mood darkened.