The Importance

of Virginia
Woolf
Sofia Arhipov

10th grade
 Introduction
In the early 1900s, new industrial forms of
mass media and production forced the
traditional artist to double down on what made
their medium special, This movement was
called Modernism. So painting and
photography were moving against
hyperrealism in favor of color and form, and
literature, started examining human
consciousness and the universe that can exist in
the moment.
Modern Age Writers
Virginia Woolf is at the forefront of British
modernism and with Joyce(Ulysses) who
pushed it to its experimental peak, but
Woolf is much more digestible (her work)
than Joyce, and is much more beautiful.
Joyce wanted to push language to the
point that it would be breaking down, and
Virginia Woolf wanted to do the same
with the human soul. And as you go with
her on this journey into the deep dark of
ourselves you will slowly start to feel a
new understanding of identity and how
we interact with people. Even though she
had an extremely sad ending you come to
understand the incredible inherent beauty
of her works.
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a prominent
literary figure of the 20th century. With her
experimental writing style, Woolf shared her
criticisms on gender, identity, and mental
illnesses, inviting others to rethink their
beliefs. Woolf’s ability to characterize the
female experience in a male-dominated
society emphasized the pressures of society
that limited women. As she pushed the
boundaries of activism and literature, her
contribution to feminism cannot be
exaggerated; she is recognized by many as
one of the best and brightest writers of the
20th century.
Woolf’s works
 Biography
Virginia Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen in 1882 to an upper class family in
London, England. Her mother, Julia Stephen, and her father, Sir Leslie Stephen, both had
children from previous marriages resulting in a rather large blended family. Woolf’s
siblings included Thoby, Adrian, and Vanessa, along with other half siblings. While she
was growing up, Woolf did not attend school. However, she had a tutor who educated her
in English literature and the classics. Her father took an interest in her education as well,
and giving Woolf and her siblings private lessons in which he recommended literature and
worked on improving their writing. Despite Woolf’s success, throughout her life she
continued to battle a number of nervous breakdowns during which she claimed to hear
voices and refused to eat leading to multiple suicide attempts. And as World War II began
Woolf committed suicide by weighing her pockets down with stones and walking into the
river Ouse, eventually drowning herself.
Woolf’s main influence on modern literature
was her “stream of consciousness”
approach to prose and the use of interior
monologue in a way the books of her
predecessors and contemporaries did not.
In addition to being a talented novelist, she
was also an art critic, essayist and a vocal
advocate for women rights and the freedom
of self expression. Virginia’s close
relationships with her sister and husband
were fostered by her deep involvement in
the Bloomsbury group. The group was a
collective of artists, writers, and
intellectuals who were prominent in
England in the early 20th century.
The Memoir Club by Vanessa Bell, 1943
 Why discriminate? Nothing should
be named lest by so doing we change
it. Let it exist, this bank, this beauty,
and I for one instant, steeped in
pleasure.
—The Waves, Virginia
Woolf
 Conclusion

Having marked her presence on the Time's list of the 100

best English-language novels written since 1923 and
exploring concepts of individuality, self and community,
stream of consciousness as a narrative device and various
other modern concepts of writing, Virginia Woolf came out
to be a modern voice of the women.