CUER

“[A]s a woman, I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman my country is the whole world.” For those of us way too familiar with this quote, a recent biography of Columbia’s favorite modernist by Julia Briggs examines Virginia Woolf’s troubled inner life. A quick quote from today’s Spectator:

Briggs’ exploration of Woolf’s writing also allows her to touch on the historical developments of that time, particularly World War II and the position of women in society. Woolf was a strong advocate of sexual equality. She constantly encountered critics who were convinced of male superiority, but bravely defied them both directly and indirectly with her letters, books, and speeches to young women. Woolf certainly saw herself as a peer of the great male writers of her age: she viewed James Joyce as a competitor and felt pressured by Ulysses to produce a work just as innovative and inventive, which resulted in one of her most seminal novels, Mrs. Dalloway.

For full article, go read “Inside the Lighthouse: Julia Briggs Expertly Examines the Illuminating and Invaluable Private Thoughts of Virginia Woolf” available here.