Reading Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf is regarded as one of the greatest British writers of the 20th century. This course studies two major works, To the Lighthouse (1927) and A Room of One’s Own (1929). We will also read some essays and short stories. Our aim is to study both her ideas and her literary techniques. What makes her work a delight to some, and a challenge to others? What is the relationship between her ideas and literary form? How did Woolf make her mark upon the development of the novel in the 20th century?

To get the most out of the course, you should read all the set texts before you come to Cambridge, and expect to reread them while you are here. In class, we will undertake some ‘close reading’ in the Cambridge tradition. This technique helps us to understand in very precise ways how an author is using language, and to grasp something of the richness and complexity of a literary work. We will also study Woolf’s life and historical context, including the First World War, which affected her deeply. We will also explore her ideas about women, education, and marriage. If you have time before you come, you might read other books by Woolf, such as Mrs Dalloway (1925), Three Guineas, or The Years from the 1930s. You might also read more of her essays, or her published diaries and letters, and the biographies of Woolf by Hermione Lee or Michael Whitworth.