One of the most well-known female writers from the 20th century, Virginia Woolf is a modernist, known for her numerous essays, biographies, letters, and diaries, in addition to her many works of fiction.
But Woolf’s fame is not just connected with her writing; even her personal life has added to the public’s fascination with her. Being a central figure in the highly influential Bloomsbury Group, she got entangled in several scandalous affairs.
But her most lasting legacy may perhaps be the throughts and ideas that helped shape our current ideas about feminism, mental health, and sexuality.
Best Virginia Woolf Books to Start Reading
If it’s your first time reading Virginia Woolf’s books, don’t be intimidated! Here are some of the best places to start:
1. Mrs. Dalloway (1925)
In this book, Clarissa Dalloway is an English woman in high society in the middle of preparing for a party she’s hosting. Woolf tells about the intricacies of society during that time through Clarissa’s thoughts, giving us a perfect example of a narrative using the stream of consciousness approach, bringing the reader into a sense of knowing the character intimately.
2. Jacob’s Room (1922)
Set in England before the war, this novel revolves around Jacob Flanders, but tells his story from the perspective of all the other characters around him. This actually gives us more of a character study than a story with a plot structure and a definite storyline .
3. Kew Gardens (1921)
This short story is set in the London botanical garden on a hot day in July, featuring four groups of people who pass by a flowerbed. Woolf expertly describes the flowerbed and the surroundings, and connects it to the movements of the people.
4. The Waves (1931)
Known as Woolf’s most risk-taking experiment in writing, this novel is made up of soliloquies by each of the six characters in the book: Bernard, Louis, Jinny, Neville, Rhoda, and Susan. She also throws in a seventh character named Percival, whom the readers don’t hear in his own voice.
5. A Room of One’s Own
In this classic essay, Woolf imagines William Shakespeare having a sister who could not write a single word. But what if this sister would have been able to create just like her brother had? Through this book, Woolf encourages other women to express their feelings through writing, just like she herself does.
6. The Voyage Out (1915)
Woolf’s first published novel tells the story of Rachel Vinrace, who journeys to South America aboard her father’s ship. But she ends up thrown into a mythical voyage of self-discovery. In this novel, Clarissa Dalloway, the protagonist in her bestselling work Mrs. Dalloway, makes her first appearance, in the midst of Woolf’s satirizing of the Edwardian lifestyle.
7. To the Lighthouse (1927)
In this semi-autobiographical novel, Woolf writes about the Ramsay family, telling about their life in the summer home near a lighthouse in Scotland’s Isle of Skye. Throughout the summer, the family hosts a wide variety of guests, but the summer ends with war and death.
8. Orlando: A Biography (1928)
Despite its title, this book is actually a fictional work, with a semi-biographical slant inspired when Woolf’s lover took her to her family estate and lamented the fact that she would’ve inherited it if she had been born male. The book includes satirical shots at gender and self-knowledge.
9. “The Legacy” (1940)
In this short story, well-known politician Gilbert Clandon is pondering why his late wife had left everything in order, with little gifts for almost all her friends, before she was hit by a car and killed six weeks ago. Now, he’s waiting for her secretary Sissy Miller, for whom his wife left a brooch.
What Is Virginia Woolf’s Style of Writing?
Virginia Woolf was one of the most well-known writers who expertly used the stream of consciousness technique, which is considered one of the most challenging narrative forms in writing.
Perhaps the way that Woolf processed her own feelings through writing contributed to her prowess in this technique, bringing us into every nook and cranny of her characters’ thoughts.
Why Did Virginia Kill Herself?
Sadly, Woolf endured many traumas in her childhood, and struggled with mental illness for the majority of her life. She eventually ended her life by drowning herself in a river, leaving behind a heartbreaking suicide note.
Her death, though tragic, spurred a team of researchers to study her writings and create an app that can predict a person’s suicidal tendencies using their writings. The team hopes to have the app alert caregivers of any negative change in a patient’s writing, giving them time to intervene and avert suicide.
Not only has Woolf left us an important legacy in her many writings, but this research will alo hopefully play a major role in helping other people struggling with mental illness.
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
