Search results for ""Author Jane de Gay""

This wide-ranging study demonstrates that Woolf, despite her agnostic upbringing, was profoundly interested in, and knowledgeable about, Christianity as a faith and a socio-political movement.

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There is growing critical interest in the connections between literature and Christianity, but Virginia Woolf's work has so far attracted little attention because of her agnostic upbringing and her famous statement that 'certainly and emphatically there is no god.' This study fills a gap by revealing that Woolf was profoundly interested in, and knowledgeable about, Christianity even though she was not convinced by it. The book sheds new light on her work by examining her allusions to Christian ideas, art, architecture and literature. The book takes a strongly contextual approach, first revealing the extent of the Christian influences on Woolf's upbringing, including an analysis of the far-reaching and multi-dimensional influence of the Clapham Sect, and then drawing attention to the continuing influence of Christianity on modernism and within Woolf's circle. It shows that Woolf's feminist criticism draws on a highly-informed critique of religious ideas about gender and that her explorations of the 'mystic' and 'spiritual' engage with theological debates about sacred space, time and eternity, the soul, salvation and deity.

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REVIEWS FROM HARDBACK EDITION: 'A number of interesting and powerful themes emerge in this study of Virginia Woolf's relation to the literary past...The strong account of Woolf's relation to tradition in Virginia Woolf's Novels and the Literary Past will surely facilitate further study of the gender politics of Modernism.' - Times Literary Supplement 'An important intervention at a time in which there is particular interest in Woolf's relationship to the past.' Professor Laura Marcus, University of Sussex 'Essential and intellectually provocative reading for Woolf scholars and for common readers alike.' Vara Neverow, University of Connecticut Now available in paperback, this is the first book to explore Virginia Woolf's preoccupation with the literary past and its profound impact on the content and structure of her novels. It analyses Woolf's reading and writing practices via her essays, diaries and reading notebooks and presents chronological studies of eight of her novels, exploring how Woolf's intensive reading surfaced in her fiction. The book sheds light on Woolf's varied and intricate use of literary allusions; examines ways in which Woolf revisited and revised plots and tropes from earlier fiction; and looks at how she used parody as a means both of critical comment and homage. Key Features * The first book-length study of intertextuality in Virginia Woolf's novels * Offers a challenging and provocative new perspective on Woolf's art as a novelist * Develops detailed close readings offering fresh insights into individual works * Presents complex ideas in a lucid and accessible fashion

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The first book to explore Virginia Woolf's preoccupation with the literary past and its profound impact on the content and structure of her novels. It analyses Woolf's reading and writing practices via her essays, diaries and reading notebooks and presents chronological studies of eight of her novels, exploring how Woolf's intensive reading surfaced in her fiction. The book sheds light on Woolf's varied and intricate use of literary allusions; examines ways in which Woolf revisited and revised plots and tropes from earlier fiction; and looks at how she used parody as a means both of critical comment and homage. Key Features * The first book-length study of intertextuality in Virginia Woolf's novels; * Offers a challenging and provocative new perspective on Woolf's art as a novelist; * Develops detailed close readings offering fresh insights into individual works; * Presents complex ideas in a lucid and accessible fashion.

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