Essays on the Self by Virginia Woolf
Introduced by Joanna Kavenna
I guess it was going to be a given that, having been drawn back to Virginia by my wonderful read of “To the River”, I would want to pick up something Woolfian pretty soon. Fortunately, I had this beautiful little collection of essays standing by, courtesy of Notting Hill Editions, and it was just the thing I needed…
The book was actually issued in 2014, and I’m not sure how I managed to miss it at that time, since I do follow the Notting Hill releases keenly. This is one of their Classic Collection volumes, beautifully presented as always with cloth-covered hard boards, high quality printing and production standards, plus a lovely integral bookmark. So an aesthetically pleasing item in its own right!
The most elementary remarks upon modern English fiction can hardly avoid some mention of the Russian influence, and if the Russians are mentioned one runs the risk of feeling that to write of any fiction save theirs is a waste of time. If we want understanding of the soul and heart where else shall we find it of comparable profundity? (Modern Fiction)
As for the contents, well this is Virginia Woolf so it’s going to be good… The collection draws together essays by Woolf that consider the ‘self’ in all its variations: from the self of the artist, the social self, the self behind the mask, how the artist maintains their sense of self in the face of all odds, and so on. Taking this kind of thing as its stepping off point, however, the works featured here range far and wide over the rights of women, modernity, the future of the novel, the art of specific authors and so on. Woolf is never dull, and whether writing novels, short stories, letters, diaries or essays like these, her language is captivating and her linguistic flights unmistakable.
… reading, you know, is rather like opening the door to a horde of rebels who swarm out attacking one in twenty places at once – hit, roused, scraped, bared, swung through the air, so that life seems to flash by; then again blinded, knocked on the head… (A Letter to a Young Poet – Woolf on the effect of a good book…)
I confess I always feel a little inadequate when I’m writing about Virginia Woolf; so much has been written about her, she herself was a peerless author, so whatever can I bring to the table? Nevertheless, I’ll give my thoughts for what it’s worth… And first up I must say that this collection served to remind me just how glittering and brilliant Woolf’s prose really was; I’ve never read anything like it, and I don’t think anyone else could ever write like her. The way she plucks the most unlikely imagery out of the ether and spins a sentence that knocks you sideways is unparalleled. There are so many examples in just this slim collection, and when I think of the body of work she left behind I get quite speechless. When you think of the periods of illness she suffered and the relative shortness of her life, the achievement is even more immense.
The art of writing, and that is perhaps what my malcontent means by ‘beauty’, the art of having at one’s beck and call every word in the language, of knowing their weights, colours, sounds, associations, and thus making them, as is so necessary in English, suggest more than they can state, can be learnt of course to some extent by reading – it is impossible to read too much… (A Letter to a Young Poet)
As usual, I can’t really pick favourites, as each essay is marvellous; I’ve read several before, including “Modern Fiction” and “A Letter to a Young Poet”, and I would say they’re even more of a delight on a return visit. A particular treat, however, was “Evening over Sussex: Reflections in a Motor Car”, where Woolf allows several selves to argue the toss around her, whilst capturing vividly the sensation of driving through the countryside. It was published in “The Death of the Moth”, which I’m sure I have and which I’m sure I’ve read, but this wasn’t that familiar. It was stunning, however!
I have sometimes dreamt, at least, that when the Day of Judgement dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesman come to receive their awards – their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble – the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when he sees us coming with our books under our arms, ‘Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.’ (How Should One Read a Book?)
The selections in this lovely volume range from 1919 to December 1940 – so not long before Woolf’s tragic death; that last piece, a short extract from her diary where she reiterates her individuality, is particularly moving (but then nowadays I tend to find everything about Woolf moving). And reading this collection certainly makes me feel like immersing myself in her peerless prose for a while. Poignantly enough, I found that as I was making my way through the essays I could hear them in my head; I have a copy of the surviving recording of Woolf and her tone and inflection had obviously lodged in my mind so that the words I was reading were being replayed as if in her voice. It was a very odd experience, but added to the joy of reading this.
There are a lot of collections of Virginia Woolf’s essays available (including some Complete volumes which I am gradually collecting…) However, they can be a little overwhelming, and I can recommend this lovely Notting Hill Editions book as a great way to start with her non-fiction. It contains some of her most important essays, gives a real sense of the variety and range of her writing, and the erudite introduction by Joanna Kavenna is a fascinating adjunct to the essays. I really don’t know how I missed this one first time round, but I’m so glad I caught up with it now! 😀
Review copy kindly provided by the publisher – for which many thanks!
Marina Sofia
Mar 01, 2019 @ 07:42:14
Ah, so pleased to see that you share my life for VW. So thoughtful, eloquent, a poet’s way of looking at the worl, coupled with ferocious intelligence and no-nonsense attitude.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 01, 2019 @ 11:51:31
That’s it exactly. What a wonderful mind she had – I could read her endlessly!
Kim
Mar 01, 2019 @ 07:54:49
Alright, I am going to read some Virginia Woolf – I started To the Lighthouse a few years ago and it didn’t grab me. Thanks for the inspiration!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 01, 2019 @ 11:50:50
No probs! If you want her fiction, I wouldn’t necessarily say TTL is the best place to start – I read Mrs. Dalloway first and it blew my mind. And this book is a wonderful introduction to her essay writing.
Cathy746books
Mar 01, 2019 @ 09:34:17
I hadn’t heard of this collection before but it sounds wonderful.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 01, 2019 @ 10:15:47
It’s a great introduction to her essays, that’s for sure. Mind you, I’m of the opinion that everything she wrote was genius! 😀
Simon T
Mar 01, 2019 @ 13:57:38
It’s a lovely volume, isn’t it? I think I reviewed it for Shiny New Books when it came out, or perhaps for my own blog. My only slight criticism/bafflement was the intro that said something along the line that nobody had thought about Woolf and selfhood before – and I think every undergraduate English student would disagree!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 01, 2019 @ 15:42:12
It’s beautiful – such a lovely book! But as for your bafflement, I’m not an academic so I guess I didn’t pick up on that element – although, yeah, thinking about it Woolf and selfhood should be fairly obvious! 😀
heavenali
Mar 01, 2019 @ 16:49:15
This sounds like a lovely little collection, nice to know the physical book is equally pleasing. I ‘m sure someone else reviewed it recently so it’s already on my radar. I have been thinking of reading some more Woolf for a while. I never did get around to The Years when I did my year of Woolf, and I have another collection of essays too.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 01, 2019 @ 21:31:47
It’s a beautiful book physically and the contents are just marvellous too. Fortunately there’s plenty of Woolf out there tomread! 😁
Caroline
Mar 02, 2019 @ 08:22:17
I love her very much as well. Maybe Proust was an equally luminous writer but he hasn’t written so many essays. Are many of these taken from A Common Reader? I downloaded The Death of the Moth but it felt wrong readin Woolf on the kindle.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 02, 2019 @ 09:08:07
She is most definitely one of my favourite authors – both for her fiction and non fiction (and letters and diaries, all of which I read/lived back in the day!) The essays come from a number of different sources (I can’t quite recall which and I haven’t got it in front of me right now). And yes – Woolf definitely needs to be a physical book for me!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 02, 2019 @ 10:13:44
I just went and checked and they seem to be drawn mainly from the two Common Readers and The Death of the Moth as well as some uncollected ones which are probably in the volumes of complete essays…
Caroline
Mar 02, 2019 @ 14:02:34
OK. Thank you for having a look. I’ve got one of the Common Readers. It came highly recommend. Not sure which one I have. Anyway, I got no excuses to greedily buy this book too, even though it sounds like a nice edition. 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 02, 2019 @ 19:14:57
It *is* pretty – and I must admit it’s made me think I should tackle the collected volumes I have! 😀
bookbii
Mar 02, 2019 @ 12:21:45
Lovely review. I have found Woolf’s non-fiction quite daunting, considering she was largely self-taught she is both erudite and insightful. I love what you say about her turns of phrase; I agree, there is no one at all like her.
Lady Fancifull
Mar 02, 2019 @ 17:59:32
Oh a wonderful review. And peerless quotes to remind up why
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 02, 2019 @ 19:12:49
Thanks, Lady F! Trouble is, I find just about everything Woolf writes to be profound and quotable so she’s quite hard to write about… 😉
madamebibilophile
Mar 02, 2019 @ 20:08:09
What a gorgeous edition. I know exactly what you mean about feeling inadequate to review Woolf, Kaggsy – I always feel like a gibbering wreck! But you did a great job – lovely review 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 02, 2019 @ 21:03:43
Thanks Madame B – she’s such a genius I feel completely feeble, but nevertheless I’m always determined to try and share some thoughts!
Liz Dexter
Mar 03, 2019 @ 19:05:30
A lovely review of a lovely book. And I know what you mean – I struggled reviewing The Common Reader and incorporating the odd bit in my research too!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 03, 2019 @ 19:29:46
Thanks Liz! It’s easy to feel intimidated by Woolf, but I love her work so I’m going to have my say! 😀
Brian Joseph
Mar 03, 2019 @ 21:18:04
Thanks for stopping by my blog Kaggy. I have been reading some of your posts. Your blog is impressive.
I have only read Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. I found that to be well worth reading. I tend to like to read essays but great fiction authors. I find that they provide a lot of insight. With that, I think that I would read more of Woolf’s fiction before I tried these essays.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 04, 2019 @ 09:17:46
Thanks Brian – most kind – and thanks for stopping by the Ramblings!
Mrs. Dalloway was my intro to Woolf and I loved it so much I went on to read everything I could read by her. I would definitely think reading more of her fiction would be a good way to go – I love it! 😀
“… our relationship to nature has become warped.” @NottingHillEds #ReadIndies | Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Feb 26, 2021 @ 06:31:55
Some recent shorter reads #Woolf #Cocteau @renardpress | Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Apr 08, 2024 @ 07:00:40
ellenandjim
Apr 09, 2024 @ 05:24:10
Woolf’s depictions of watery worlds of all sorts are often mesmerizing. She never forgot her early St Ives/Cornwall experieneces, and loved the London Thames. I love her essays and find most of them easier to read & understand than her later fiction
kaggsysbookishramblings
Apr 09, 2024 @ 11:36:54
They are – her prose and descriptions are just wonderful. As for her prose, I’ve just been re-reading The Years, and do find it and Between the Acts very approachable!!