The Life and Work of Virginia Woolf

From the early death of her mother at age 13 to the sexual abuse from her own half brothers led to the many mental and emotional breakdowns that made Virginia Woolf, “one of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century…” (“Virginia Woolf” n.page.). Woolf’s, “Kew Gardens”, is a classic short story written in 1919 that shows the importance of women’s rights and illustrates that even when you are surrounded by people you still can feel empty and alone. This significant story reflects Virginia’s life filled with depression even though she was a great success and had a happy marriage.

Most authors are highly educated to become a great success, but Virginia Woolf is not like most authors. “She never had a formal education”________. Her father was a renowned author who gave her “an unlimited access to [his] very extensive library.”¬¬¬¬¬¬¬______. Her brothers were fortunate enough to go to preparatory and public schools and then continue onto college at Cambridge. But due to the time period in London, women were not treated with the same respect that men received. They did not get educations and were expected to stay home and learn how to cook and clean. “’[Later on in life she] described this period in a letter to Vita Sackville-West: "Think how I was brought up! No school; mooning about alone among my father's books; never any chance to pick up all that goes on in schools—throwing balls; ragging; slang; vulgarities; scenes; jealousies!’” (Liukkonen n.page). However, Virginia never let any of these obstacles get in her way of achieving her dreams. Following the death of her father in 1904, her and her siblings moved to Bloomsbury where she soon started her life and career. She soon became a professor at Morley College where she met ...

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...n.page). Strongly recognized the most for being a feminist writer, Virginia’s childhood definitely influenced the type of writer she now today became.

Beyond just being an influence to women everywhere, she became such a popular author for the reason that she went above and beyond with her writings. Shmoop Editorial Team says, “Virginia Woolf ventured into uncharted literary terrain—the landscape of the human consciousness.” (n.page). Virginia often doesn’t stick to a plot, she would “structure to employ stream of consciousness to emphasize psychological aspects of her characters.”(“Virginia Woolf” n.page). Her writings were described as modern at the time and out of the ordinary.

Works Cited

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Virginia Woolf: Childhood." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2009.