Items of Interest || I am Compelled to Share Anything Woolf-ish
One of my favorite literary blogs, but.if.and.that., recently posted material regarding Virginia Woolf, one of my favorite authors— and of course I am compelled to share anything Woolf-ish.
Thanks for this, David. Woolf's voice sounds somewhat stiff and plummy to my Australian ears, but what she says is worth considering, especially as it links to Virginia Woolf's wonderful writing.
ReplyDeleteHave you heard Sylvia Plath's voice by any chance? For me SHE sounds very much a New England posh-phonetics, very plummy (as you said) and very sarcastic... also surprised me. So in the end Woolf's tone was less of a shock to my ears.
ReplyDeletePlath is/was fabulous. Though distressing. Again I have read too much about Plath as filtered through her role as Mother and as Wife - particularly troublesome due to the interest in Ted Hughes (whom I never have quite loved).
ReplyDeleteWoolf is one of my favourites too.
I'm reading "The Well of lonliness" by Radclyffe-Hall at the moment. Strange style. Though at times reminiscent of Woolf. Not at all easy with R-H though - she did proclaim, after all, that a woman's place was in the home!
I have a copy of "The Well of Loneliness" but have yet to read it-- my must-read list grows every term in ridiculous fashions.
ReplyDelete--and yes, Plath is distressing. Which increases my fondness of her voice and style. Wonderful metaphoric constructions.
ReplyDeleteJust finished the "Well"...and, well, mmmm it is pretty pedestrian as literature. It lacks so much. Woolf is in an entirely different league altogether.
ReplyDeleteIt is of its age. Replete with racist and sexist references and based upon a rather bizarre understanding of sexuality.
But for all that I can understand why it is special - and why we still read it today.
I am trying to conceive of a clever, witty response with a pun on Woolf. But my brain cells are zapped from a long day of grading.
ReplyDeleteI still will read "Well" if only for the experience. I will reread Woolf's Orlando as often as possible— and The Waves— if only to torture students with a sense of culture.
Could be my Irish-Scots bloodline. :)
Ah - there we go! That explains your poetry! Your Celtic bloodline...
ReplyDeleteAnd - not to scare you too much of course - means we are probably blood relatives.
Which leads me on to my favourite poet - the big cliche - Seamus Heaney... Though the Scottish Douglas Dunn is also wonderful. Oh - and the Welsh RS Thomas...and...there isn't enough space!!
Go forth and torture those students D-G! There will always be one - just lurking at the back - for whom you open doors of perception...