Virginia Woolf and Nineteenth-Century Women Writers: Victorian Legacies and Literary Afterlives

The first comprehensive analysis of Virginia Woolf's literary biography.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 27 April 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

This captivating book delves into the profound influence of Virginia Woolf on the literary legacies of nineteenth-century women of letters through her diverse journalism. It presents a series of captivating case studies, exploring the impact of Woolf's writings on notable figures such as Jane Austen, Mary Russell Mitford, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Margaret Oliphant, and Mary Augusta Ward. By examining Woolf's responses to her literary predecessors, the book offers fresh insights into her self-positioning within the literary canon and the intricate interplay between biographical innovation and Victorian legacies in her non-fiction.

What emerges from this study is a profound demonstration that Victorian narratives and tropes of female professionalism continue to shape Woolf's representations of nineteenth-century women writers, even during her celebrated era of Modernist fame. It contextualizes the overt feminism of A Room of One's Own within Woolf's more ambiguous literary biography, arguing for its status as a transitional and post-Victorian body of work.

Through meticulous analysis and thoughtful interpretation, this book sheds light on the enduring legacy of Virginia Woolf on the literary world, highlighting her profound impact on the lives and works of these remarkable women writers. It serves as a valuable contribution to the field of literary studies, offering new perspectives and deepening our understanding of the complex interplay between gender, history, and literature.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474485623