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This digital document, covering the life and work of (Adeline) Virginia Woolf, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 8018 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
"So of course," wrote Betty Flanders, pressing her heels rather deeper in the sand, "there was nothing for it but to leave."Slowly welling from the point of her gold nib, pale blue ink dissolved the full stop; for there her pen stuck; her eyes fixed, and tears slowly filled them. The entire bay quivered; the lighthouse wobbled; and she had the illusion that the mast of Mr. Connor's little yacht was bending like a wax candle in the sun. She winked quickly. Accidents were awful things. She winked again. The mast was straight; the waves were regular; the lighthouse was upright; but the blot had spread. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Jacob's Nonlinear Narrated Discontented World
By far the greatest virtue of this book is Woolf's deviation from adopting a traditional narrative structure. Although Jacob is the main character of the story, the narration does not solely focus on him, or anything remotely connected to him, or for that matter proceed in a straight chronological order. At least once in the course of the story, the narration goes backwards, forward, digresses, ends abruptly, unfinished, omits transitions, constantly switches what is being narrated, addresses the reader, frequently alternates between different characters point of views, and ends ambiguously.

On the other hand, the content, of what is being narrated, falls woefully short of matching the innovative narration style Woolf adopts. Nothing of any kind of significance occurs in the book; to be quite honest, the events are rather mundane. Two incidents that happened in Jacob's childhood are described, he goes off to college, attends a couple social events, has a couple relationships with girls, travels to France and Italy, and gets into a couple of fights with his friend Bonamy.

So, since one aspect of the novel (the structure) speaks in its favor, and another aspect (the content) speaks against it, is this a book you should read?To be fair, I should mention that there is actually more content in the book, it just happens to be implicitly implied throughout most of the book, but becomes apparent towards the book's end.

Buried within the story's unspectacular content, is Woolf's discontent with society. She ridicules the writing of letters, the leaving of calling cards, gossip, and women's obsession with fashion. Jacob calls people beastly, feels disgusted at social gatherings he attends, the describes the happiest moment of his life as be completely isolated from humanity and society atop a mountain, has an interest in politics because he wants to change the world, and as war descend upon the world, he leaves his possessions behind and bids society adieu. And perhaps the most important thing to point out is that pretty much everyone that sees Jacob, comments that he is beautiful. I think that his outer appearance is a reflection of his inner self; he is beautiful because by being aloof and critical of society, he has not been tainted by it.

All this can be read as Woolf agreeing with Rousseau about the corrosive affects society has on man. Society instead of ennobling and enlightening man has quite the opposite effect; society corrupts man.

So, if breaking with tradition and discontentment are your cup of tea, then this is the book for you.

The Best Fiction by Woolf - Or Close To Her Best
Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941) was a well known writer, critic, feminist, and publisher. This was her third novel.

As background information, I read her first novel "The Voyage Out" published in 1915, skipped her second novel - which is considered to be a flop, Night and Day from 1919 - and then read "Jacob's Room," her third, then went on and read "Mrs. Dalloway," her fourth, and next read "To The Lighthouse," etc. Also, I read some of Woolf's non-fiction.

"The Voyage Out" is simple and straightforward work and it might remind the reader of a Jane Austen novel, but it set on a ship and then at a remote location. It is over 400 pages long, and has an Austen theme. After her second novel - which did not do very well - Woolf decided to be more risky and creative with the next book. She changed her style and approach to the novel and Woolf uses the stream of consciousness technique to bring a sense of the chaos and shortness of a young man's life around the time of World War I, Jacob's life, i.e.: from the pandemonium of Jacob's life as portrayed by Woolf through the use of the stream of the consciousness technique, we eventually have clarity in the novel. She carries this writing style on into the similarly chaotic story in the novel "Mrs. Dalloway."

The present story is about a young man Jacob Flanders who goes to Cambridge as a student, then he goes on a trip to Italy and Greece, and then returns and goes on to fight in World War I. Without giving away any of the critical plot elements and possibly ruining the enjoyment of reading the book, one can say that this is a bit of an odd book. It starts slowly; the reader is not certain what Woolf is trying to accomplish and where she is going with the story. But if you stay with the read one gets into the stream of consciousness feel and rythm which gives a strong feeling or sensation to what Woolf is trying to achieve.

This is an excellent novel written by Woolf at her prime and is similar to Mrs.Dalloway but covers a different subject matter. Her approach lends itself to the subject and it is quite effective as in "Mrs. Dalloway." If you want to read a conventional novel by Woolf, then I recommend her first novel, "The Voyage Out."

In any case, I enjoyed the read and recommend it as a good example of Virginia Woolf's writing.

A classic, best read with a class and a knowledgable prof
I'm taking a Virginia Woolf class this summer and Jacob's Room is the first book we read. I have to admit it was tough to get through and I didn't really like it on first glance, although every few pages there would be a line or phrase I enjoyed.However, the class discussion of the book was VERY interesting, and once the professor provided some background info and some reading tips that helped me understand the book and what Woolf was attempting to do with it, I found that I enjoyed it tons more.Elevated it from a two star book to a four star one..who knows, with a bit more cogitation, I might end up ranking it five stars!

Anyway, as a means of seeing Virginia Woolf's development as a writer, Jacob's Room is invaluable. It's also a powerful book about the nature of consciousness and relationships, as well as a moving anti-war statement. If you're not a Woolf scholar, or at least familiar with her style, you'll probably get more out of it if you read it in a classroom setting lead by an informed guide.A cornerstone of 20th Century Lit, this book is definitely worth the effort.

A fresh edition of an ever-fresh book
"Jacob's Room" was Woolf's third novel, but the first where she felt free to trace "the flight of the mind" and discard any dead conventions which did not help convey her vision.Nor is there any elaborate stream-of-consciousness, in the late Henry James or Proustian manner:the real world is set before us with effervescent sensory detail, in that terse, suggestive, and witty style which makes her letters and essays so engaging.We are shown what life was like for Jacob Flanders, his adventures, friendships, travels, loves, right up to its abrupt ending:"It's not catastrophes, murders, deaths, diseases, that age and kill us; it's the way people look and laugh, and run up the steps of omnibuses."There isn't a dull page, and it reads as fresh and fast as if it had been written tomorrow morning.

The special feature of this Signet Classic is the introduction by Regina Marler, which offers one pertinent quotation or observation after another to orient the first-time reader, or refresh a return visitor.Her short course in the varied achievements of the Bloomsbury Group, those friends central to Woolf's development, is both assured and nuanced.Her placement of "Jacob's Room" in Woolf's career and the literary temper of the times shows how it anticipates the novel of the future while reflecting the recent painful past---the Great War that had ended just four years before it was published in 1922.Signet has given the text a very handsome presentation, and the up-to-date suggestions for further reading make one itch to visit the library.Woolf tempts us to "Think of a book as a very dangerous and exciting game which it takes two to play at"---and Marler furnishes the context we need to play along.

virginia who?
i'm sorry, but i couldn't even finish this book. i bought it used only because i thought oh, virginia is so famous! she must be wonderful! but was astonished at the lack of human thought that showed up, the lack of sense. i really had no idea of what was happening, even though i made it to pg. 100. jacob just runs on and on about sophocles, about greek philosophy--oh he's so deep. deep enough to make you regret getting this book. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
Virginia Woolf first novel, a tale of doomed loved, brought her instant acclaim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Flawed, but beautiful
I bought this book because I must own all by Woolf, as a matter of need rather than want--or so I feel. Although I'm able to recognize the shortcomings (far less than my own) that inevitably accompany experimental, modernist work, my opinion of her genius is curiously immune to these objective observations. She is like my literary mother, so I was chastised never to have known this novel existed until I began reading it.

As far as form and structure go, I feel Woolf tries too hard to be conventional: she can't ever quite fit into it properly, and you realize why it took her so long to complete the book. As always, however, she is a master of the character, something I didn't realize until the end, where every character is felt so strongly that I almost cried. I know.

However awkward the overall construction may be, and however much it may drag, you feel the beginnings of her future craft. The climax is it, where she finally catches the pace and throws you mercilessly against the ridiculously shallow aspect of everyday life. And the arbitrary but crushing beauty of love. I dreamt about it for days afterward.

A True Voyage Out
This novel is not necessarily the best overall story that I have read in terms of style and content.The plot follows a simplistic, sequential pattern and the supposed climax is not as surprising as it is portrayed to be.Luckily, this is not the reason to read this novel.The Voyage Out is in no way the greatest novel ever written, but the ideas that it represents and the thought that it provokes on topics ranging from imperialism to gender roles in society to love among intellectuals is more than worth the read.

We first meet Rachel aboard her father's ship and from the first conversation we are privey to, it is obvious that she is not an ordinary woman.She in no way realistically approaches her proper place in London Society and of course it is through Woolf's feminist viewpoint that we discover how much more of a human being Rachel can become by not following those patterns.In fact, we are introduced to many women throughout the novel, all ranging in their places from aristocratic wife to single author to inexperienced flirt to old widow and all that is in between.Woolf never truly tells which she prefers, but the reader is given an in depth look into the advantages of each lifestyle.

The men on the other hand are portrayed most basically as heartless, unpitying, logical beings, or in other words, the common man of that time, the common educated man of the time that is.Though each man has his own story, it is only Hewet, the one man who in hindsight acts as a woman, who is able to win the heart of Rachel and in fairness, fall madly in love with also.It is also shown in the end of the novel how there is a certain strength in men, a strength that can be both good and bad.The reader is surprised how some of the men handle disaster while they are dissapointed with how others could be so uncaring.

The character sketches set forth in this book are nothing short of spectacular in everything they represent.I consider myself well read and it is this book that I would say most accurately portrays the idea of falling in love.It is not love at first sight, nor is it a burning passion that cannot be quenched.Instead, it is two ordinary, if not so unonrdianary, people who realize that their lives just might not be the same without each other in it.There are no fireworks, there need be none and as the book is being read, a strange joy begins to creep up inside of one.Then again, all joy is not meant to last forever and I must admit that the lasting impressions is one of depression, not joy.This is not necessarily a bad thing though.Somehow, Woolf is able to show us through a seemingly random cast of 19th century characters that the world today has perhaps not changed as much as we would like to believe and it is that timelessness that makes this novel more than worth the small time it takes to read it

Opening to love and humanity
Rachel Vinrace, a young woman not quite acquainted with the ways of the world, accompanies her aunt and uncle (the Ambroses) to South America, where she eventually falls in love with a young aspiring writer. Swirling around this tale of doomed love are the many other characters who all influence each other and are themselves influenced. Most of the novel is about Rachel, but Helen Ambrose is equally central to the story, as a comparison to her niece and in her own internal voyage. Chronicling the inner lives of her characters, Woolf, in her first novel, explores the awakening of first love, the influences of men (and the culture they have control over) upon women, the confusions we as human beings have in our daily communications with others. Originally entitled "Melymbrosia", "The Voyage Out" went through many revisions as Woolf claimed language for her own uses and effectively began a new literature (for her time), where the internal life and the interconnectedness of humanity are the central themes.

Indications of Genius
"The Voyage Out" was Virginia Woolf's first novel.This work is much more even and mature than many writer's first books, however.True, "Voyage Out" is a much more typical novel of the time (it was published in 1915).Her later works would be much more experimental, and "Voyage Out" indicates some of this - the multiple viewpoints and emphasis placed on character's inner lives are both key aspects of this work.And Woolf's mastery of the English language; her ability to write of both the "big events" and the "everydays" of life in a new and exciting way that skirts the melodrama of some of the earlier Victorian novelists is in full flower.Michael Cunningham's introduction, while pretty basic as far as biography and literary criticism go, is a good introduction to Woolf that doesn't put too much of an emphasis on her life over the merits of her work, a tendency that is all too frequently indulged in.Most people nowadays have heard of Virginia Woolf, and may know that she was mad and committed suicide; most people are, however, not aware of the key place she plays in the development of the English novel, and of the power her works still have.Cunningham has some interesting things to say about the place her writing and particularly her fiction play in our view of literature.(Michael Cunningham's most recent novel, "The Hours", is a sort of improvisation which plays off of and comments on Woolf's novel "Mrs Dalloway"; "The Hours" also features Virginia as a character.One more interesting note about "The Voyage Out" is that it introduces us to Richard and Clarissa Dalloway who will go on, of course, to be key players in "Mrs Dalloway"). Just as Cunningham's essay is a good introduction to Woolf Scholarship and Biography, "The Voyage Out" is a good place to start.Not only is it the first of her works, but perhaps more immediately accessible than some of the later works.However, this accessibility is not at the expense of greatness - "The Voyage Out" is not a "lesser Woolf novel" by any means.On the contrary, it deserves to stand with "Mrs Dalloway", "To the Lighthouse" and "The Waves" as a key part of her work. ... Read more

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Simply beautiful
Of all of Virginia's diaries (there are five volumes), volumes 3 and 4 are perhaps the most interesting, if only because they span the period in which she wrote her classics such as Orlando, To The Lighthouse, and The Waves (which itself literally spans the period between Vol 3 and Vol 4.)

If you read the collected Diaries and Woman Of Letters by Phyllis Rose, you will gain a vital series of insights into the life and thoughts of this most haunting of female writers.

Whenever I think of Virginia, I always think of the lines from "Vincent" by Don Maclean...

This world was never meant
for one as beautiful as you...

If you have never read any Virginia Woolf, I would respectfully suggest you rent a copy of Sally Potter's Orlando. While Sally takes artistic license with the novel, she has created a very sympathetic work of Art.

This diary above all gives you many insights into her thought processes and her writing career, including her reactions to the publication of her works and their reception by the public and the sub-species known as Critics.

Recommended. ... Read more

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This acclaimed bibliography of Virginia Woolf, prepared with the late Leonard Woolf's agreement and co-operation, has been greatly expanded since its first publication in 1957 and the revised editions of 1967 and 1980. The need for a fourth revised edition is the result both of the explosion of new editions of existing books, and of the appearance of much previously unpublished material. Section A, Books and Pamphlets, has increased from 54 to 79 items; Section AA, Composite Editions, is a new section with nine items; Section C, Contributions to Periodicals, has increased by 78 items, including 56 unsigned reviews; Section D, Translations, has increased from 207 to 557 items; Section F, Letters, is new in that it now itemizes only uncollected letters. Studies of variant editions and texts are noted in the entry for the work concerned. The bibliography is an essential tool for all interested in Woolf. ... Read more

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