Villarruel 1

Virginia Woolf

(Numero Cinq, 2015)

Lit Mod Media Period

Mrs. Holh
Westminster High School
HBUHSD
By:
Nadia Villarruel

Villarruel 2

Virginia Woolf was alive during the late 19th and the early 20th century. AustriaHungary declared war on serbia on July 28, 1914, causing the first world war to occur. The war
consisted of two different alliances, the Triple Entente which involved Russia, Britain and
France, and the Triple Alliance or Central Powers which involved Italy, Austria-Hungary, and
Germany. What initiated World War I was the assassination of the archduke of Austria-Hungary,
Franz Ferdinand. He was killed by Gavrilo Princip a nationalist from Serbia. From here on out a
domino effect was created, various countries began to declare war as well. On August 2nd 1914,
Turkey and Germany signed a treaty to form an alliance. The next day Germany declared war on
france and invades Belgium, leading Britain to declare war on Germany. Lastly Austria-Hungary
invades Russia on August 10, 1914. The war introduced several destructive weapons from tanks
to machine guns to chemical weapons. Trenches were soon built at every battle sight, they were
ditches that spread for miles. Soldiers would build them to protect themselves during battle or to
travel to certain areas without being seen. World War I ended with Germany surrendering on
November 11, 1918 along with the other nations agreeing to stop fighting. On June 28, 1919 the
Treaty of Versailles was signed by germany and the allied powers. The treaty was a form of a
peace settlement between the countries which helped confirm the end to World War I. The treaty
also allowed each country to gain or give something since the war was so destructive. The British
had to pay $32 billion dollars for war reparations, Italy gained nothing, and France received land
on the border of Alsace-Lorraine (The Week UK, 2014).

The 1920s or the roaring 20s as many refer to, made a huge impact on society. Henry
Ford created the first automobile assembly line which allowed cars to become developed. The
assembly line allowed cars to be built faster therefore costing less to make and sell. The

Villarruel 3
automobile not only was beneficial to the users but also supported many business. It allowed
people to get to places faster therefore allowing people to move to suburbs, auto related jobs
soon were created like gas stations and roads, in general an economic boom occurred. The radio
was also invented during this time period, it served as entertainment, news, and a form of
advertisement. Prohibition was a big role in the 1920s, along with the 18th amendment if
forbade the manufacture, distribution, and selling of any alcohol in the US. The Volstead Act was
created to enforce the amendment. Even Though alcohol was illegal people still found a way to
get ahold of it. Many went to speakeasies, they were secret bars which served alcohol and gave
entertainment. Another way to obtain alcohol were from bootleggers which sold alcohol. During
this time period more people were drinking than ever, even though it was illegal. On December
5, 1933 prohibition ended since people were still drinking, this was reinforced by 21st
amendment.

The great depression started on October 1929, it was a big turning point in history. What
led to the great depression were many things but one of the most important was the stock market
crashing. When the stock market crashed many people lost a lot of money, therefore they
borrowed money from the bank. People soon grew scared and went to their banks to retrieve
their money, therefore causing banks to close because no money was left from people that
retrieved their money and from loans they gave out. Since the stock market had crashed some
people stopped buying products, that caused factories to close which lead to people lose their
jobs. In general the great depression was an event in history which went in a downwards spiral
and lead many to poverty seen like never before. President FDR came up with his solution to the
great depression known as the New Deal. The plan of it was to fix the great depression and to
provide more jobs. The New Deal was actually various small programs and acts put together to

Villarruel 4
bring change. An example of one of the propositions was the Emergency bank act. In this act
there was a period in which all banks would close so the government can check on them and only
allowed the good banks to remain open, it was know as a bank holiday. FDR also did fireside
chats every night to explain to the people of the programs he has created and what improvements
are taking place. Although FDR did as much as he could many thought that he did too much or
too little.

World War II began on September 1st 1939 when Germany attacked Poland. Hitler, the
dictator of Germany wanted to expand the country he had already taken over Austria and
Czechoslovakia but wanted more. Britain and France allowed the takeover of those countries just
because they didnt another world war to occur. It wasnt until the morning of September 1st
1939 that

Germany attacked Poland in what was known as Blitzkrieg Lightning war.

What pushed the US into getting involved in World War II was the attack on Pearl Harbor by
Japan. The US had placed an embargo on them to stop trade but they were upset and didn't want
to so he decided to attacked pearl harbor. The US declared war on December 7th, 1941, in a
battle between the Allies and the Axis powers. This war was thought to have ended the great
depression because of the demand of weapons which soon helped provided many people jobs
even women. The war ended on May 8th 1945 by the surrender of Germany (Rosenberg, 2015).

During this time period many crucial events in history were being taking place, and many
famous authors soon became known. George Orwell was famous for expressing his distrust in
totalitarianism. His famous novel 1984 reflected aspects of social and political life of the US, it
was a parallel to the Stalins Soviet Union. C. S. Lewis was an author who arose during this time
period with a different style that George Orwells. C. S. Lewis had a style which allowed our

Villarruel 5
imaginations to explore, an example of this is his series of The Chronicles of Narnia, which were
taken place during World War II, four children were sent on an adventure to a magical world
through a wardrobe they discovered.

Adeline Virginia Woolf or more commonly known as Virginia Woolf was born on
January 25, 1882 in Kensington London England. Virginia was raised in a well established
household. Her father Sir Leslie Stephen was an author a historian and a mountaineer. Her
mother Julia Prinsep Stephen was born in India, she was a model for various painters, who soon
became a nurse and wrote a book about the career. Both of her parents were remarried so she had
seven siblings in total, four half siblings and three full siblings. Virginia was taught at home just
like her sisters, only two of her brothers went to school and attended Cambridge University.
Growing up Virginia lived a happy life. She wrote a newspaper entitled The Hyde Park Gate
News, which was about her family. Her mother then died in 1895 suddenly at the age of 49
which left Virginia in a nervous breakdown, which worsened when her sister Stella died two
years later. Following the death of her father in 1904, Virginia along with her sister Vanessa were
sexually abused by her two half brothers, George and Gerald Duckworth. The incident lead her
to have a huge nervous breakdown and was then institutionalized . Despite the dark times
Virginia still managed to attend Kings college in London for four years, in which she took
classes in Latin, german, and Greek. Since she was part of the Ladies department in her college,
she was introduced to radical feminist reforms, which soon influenced her writings (biography,
n.d.).

Throughout Virginias life she encountered many hardships. The passing of her mother,
father, and sister, and being sexually abused as a young girl, all which created a huge impact in

Villarruel 6
her life. She was known to suffer from severe depression and various mood swings. As time
progressed she got worse, lacking sleep, headaches, and heard voices. In 1932 she wrote in a
letter stating My own brain is to me the most unaccountable of machineryalways buzzing,
humming, soaring, diving and then buried in mud. And why? Whats this passion for? shes
asking herself whats going on in her head and whats it all (NAMI.org, 2012)

Virginia first met Leonard Woolf her husband, while she visited her brother Thoby at
Trinity College in 1900. Their love wasnt at first sight in fact she was engaged to one of
Leonards friends, Lytton Strachey in 1909. He then withdrew the engagement the next day after
proposing and wrote a letter to Leonard telling him that he should be with Virginia and that
theres no one more perfect for him than her. Leonard was ecstatic and proposed to Virginia,
since she barely knew him she thought it was foolish and said no. Two years later he returned to
England and rented a room in Virginias and her brothers house. They began dating shortly after
that. While they were dating Leonard proposed once again numerous times, until finally she said
yes. They got married on August 10, 1912 at St. Pancras registry office. The couple hoped to
have children but Since Virginia was sexually abused as a child, it lead her to become
traumatized of any sexual activity. She was advised by her doctor to refrain motherhood since
she had mental health issues. Throughout the rest of their marriage, they both continued to
support each other through thick and thin (Brooks, 2012) .

Since her youth Virginia was young she was introduced to all forms of art and literature
which inspired her to become the writer she was. What influenced Virginia the most in becoming

Villarruel 7
a writer were her parents. Her father Leslie Stephen was an author himself, he wrote works such
as The Playground of Europe, Swift, etc. He was known as the best advocate in the evolutionary
of ethics in the late nineteenth century, from his book The Science of Ethics which soon became
a textbook. Her mother was a model for various painters. She later became a nurse and wrote a
book about the profession. Another thing that allowed Virginia to become a writer were
connections. Her father was friends with William Thackeray, George Henry Lewes, and various
others writers. Her mothers aunt Julia Margaret Cameron was a famous photographer of the
19th century (biography, n.d.). Virginia was known as a modernist writer of the 20th century,
various of her works included the themes of feminism, consequences of war, hierarchy, and
gender relations. Her writings also touched the concepts of industrialization, horrors of the war,
and urbanization. Virginia was known to use a literary device called stream of consciousness,
which allowed readers to feel as if they were inside the mind of a character and got to see their
feelings and thoughts. She referred this writing style as Thoughts spoken out loud are not
always the same as those on the floor of the mind. Nature was also inspiration to many of her
novels such as To the Lighthouse. She would spend her summers in a beach town called St. Ives
with her family in the southwestern part of England. Walking toward the bay you would be able
to see the Godrevy lighthouse, the lighthouse which inspired the novel. Virginia and her
husband were part of the Bloomsbury Group also known as Bloomsberries, which was started by
her brother Thoby and his friends from Cambridge. The Bloomsbury Group were a group of
intellectuals, writers, and artists. They would gather in Bloomsbury London, where they would
discuss ideas and share their works. Being part of this group was what inspired Virginia to write
Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and A Room of Ones Own. (Brooks, 2012)

Villarruel 8
Some of Virginias best works include Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and A Room of
Ones Own. The novel Mrs. Dalloway was chosen in 2005 by TIMES Magazine as one of one
hundreds best novels written in english since the year of 1923, and in 1997 the novel became a
movie (biography, n.d.). Throughout the novel Virginia uses Mrs. Dalloway to resemble an
independent women, something in which during her time wasnt really appropriate. Mrs.
Dalloways character develops through her actions, an example of that is when she throws a part
and organizes it herself without needing the aid of a man or anybody. In the character of
Septimus we get to learn about post war trauma which followed by depression. Stream of
consciousness is what allows us to learn more about characters by giving us an internal view of
thoughts and emotions.

Virginia had various suicide attempts throughout her life as well as many mental
breakdowns from depression. Leonard her husband, maintained by her side through it all, but on
March 28, 1941 she succeeded in committing suicide. Just after the blitzkrieg attack on Poland,
Virginia left her home wearing an oversized coat which she filled her pockets with rocks. She
walked into the River Ouse and the stream took her, drowning and killing her. Her body wasnt
found until three weeks after the incident (biography, n.d.). Before her passing she left a note for
her husband quote from the letter states I dont think two people could have been happier than
we have been. She also left a letter to her sister Vanessa, stating that she couldnt fight any
longer and to take care of her beloved husband Leonard. After her passing she continued to
inspire many who read her books including members of various feminist movement. She
became known as one of the most well known authors of the 21st century (Brooks, 2012).

Villarruel 9

Works Cited

Brooks, Rebecca. 'The Marriage Of Virginia And Leonard Woolf'. The Virginia Woolf Blog. N.p.,
2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. Retrieved From:
http://virginiawoolfblog.com/the-marriage-of-virginia-and-leonard-woolf/
The Week UK,. 'How Did The First World War Start?'. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 Apr.

Villarruel 10
2015.Retrieved from: <http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-news/first-worldwar/59782/how-did-the-first-world-war-start>.
NAMI .org | Virginia Woolf - You Are Not Alone'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
http://www2.nami.org/template_eoy.cfm?
Section=not_alone&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=14
7561
Numero Cinq,. (2015). Retrieved 27 March 2015, from
http://numerocinqmagazine.com/2014/12/06/natural-supernaturalism-emily-dickinsonsvariations-on-the-romantic-theme-of-an-earthly-paradise-patrick-j-keane-2/virginiawoolf/
Rosenberg, Jennifer. 'How Did World War II Begin?'. About.com Education. N.p., 2015. Web. 17
Apr. 2015. Retrieved from :
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiistarts.htm
"Virginia Woolf Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.biography.com/people/virginia-woolf-9536773#death>.