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The Virginia Woolf Reader
Presents five short stories, essays, correspondence, and selections from four novels by the prominent British author
371 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1984
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About the author
Virginia Woolf
1,824 books28.7k followers(Adeline) Virginia Woolf was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 16, 2009
this book made me a lesbian. seriously.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
April 25, 2018Confirmed, I just can't appreciate Woolf's work. I've tried several other things by her unsuccessfully, wanted to give her one more chance with this. But still no. The short story "The Mark on the Wall" is about as brilliantly written as I can just barely access, but I can't say I enjoyed it. The other short stories that I could 'understand' I could not appreciate. The beginning of each essay bored me, sorry. And I skipped the rest.
December 3, 2025
i remember at wellesley first-year orientation i told someone i didn't like virginia woolf and thought she was 'over-rated' (what does that mean) because i wanted to look cool and i need everyone to know i was literally an idiot
very motivated to re-read orlando now!!!
very motivated to re-read orlando now!!!
May 10, 2024
Mrs. Woolf had me THINKING with this one. Definitely the kind of book I wanted to annotate the whole way through. It was interesting to read excerpts of her work and then essays and speeches in which she talks about her thought process. It really gives insight into what motivates her style of writing and the significance it holds to her throughout her creative process. A dense read for sure, but so worth it!!
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January 28, 2018Read selections for class spring 2018.
July 15, 2025
I didn’t finish it because it inspired me to read ALL of her writings, which I am now doing, rather than just small snippets of her work.
December 18, 2015
This slim volume collects segments from Virginia Woolf’s most noted works. For the first read, I have skipped the extracts from her major novels, and that from “A room of One’s Own”, which I have read and reviewed elsewhere, and would prefer to re-read them in whole. Hence this first read contains only initial thoughts on the pieces that follows.
Memoire: A Sketch of the Past
One can hear Woolf’s meditative and thoughtful voice clearly as she narrated her childhood impressions. The deep loss and sorrow of mother, the tyrannical and arid father, the unbalanced family life tilted ever precariously after the death of the eldest sister Stella, and the pain suffered in such a young age. This brings to mind much of the beauty and longing in “To The Light House”.
Short stories
Except for “The Mark on the Wall”, the rest of the stories are accessible in their tightly wound plot and punchlines. “The Legacy” has a touch of Guy de Maupassant’s ironic wit, while the other three shows much the stream-of-consciousness of Woolf herself.
Essays:
“Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown” illuminated the difference of traditional novel-writing versus the modernistic approach. The difference is expanded in more depth in “Modern Fiction”.
“Jane Austen” is the must-read for Austen novel readers., while “Life Itself” showed how ordinary life is actually lived through minute experience of the world and the conversation we have with ourselves.
This expertly compiled collection showcased Virginia Woolf’s mastery of English language and her deep understanding of modernity expressed through the art of writing.
Memoire: A Sketch of the Past
One can hear Woolf’s meditative and thoughtful voice clearly as she narrated her childhood impressions. The deep loss and sorrow of mother, the tyrannical and arid father, the unbalanced family life tilted ever precariously after the death of the eldest sister Stella, and the pain suffered in such a young age. This brings to mind much of the beauty and longing in “To The Light House”.
Short stories
Except for “The Mark on the Wall”, the rest of the stories are accessible in their tightly wound plot and punchlines. “The Legacy” has a touch of Guy de Maupassant’s ironic wit, while the other three shows much the stream-of-consciousness of Woolf herself.
Essays:
“Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown” illuminated the difference of traditional novel-writing versus the modernistic approach. The difference is expanded in more depth in “Modern Fiction”.
“Jane Austen” is the must-read for Austen novel readers., while “Life Itself” showed how ordinary life is actually lived through minute experience of the world and the conversation we have with ourselves.
This expertly compiled collection showcased Virginia Woolf’s mastery of English language and her deep understanding of modernity expressed through the art of writing.
June 21, 2020
"a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction;"(p 170)
This is a great introduction to the writings of Virginia Woolf. It spans her oeuvre with selected short stories and essays; there are also excerpts from several novels, her diary and letters, and her autobiographical writings. Especially welcome is a twenty-page long excerpt from her famous essay A Room of One's Own.
The editor, Mitchell A. Leaska, provides a thoughtful preface detailing the choices he made in compiling these selections. The result is a representative collection of her writings that demonstrates with the breadth of her interests and her inimitable style of writing. Readers who are new to Virginia Woolf and those who are familiar with her works should welcome this anthology.
This is a great introduction to the writings of Virginia Woolf. It spans her oeuvre with selected short stories and essays; there are also excerpts from several novels, her diary and letters, and her autobiographical writings. Especially welcome is a twenty-page long excerpt from her famous essay A Room of One's Own.
The editor, Mitchell A. Leaska, provides a thoughtful preface detailing the choices he made in compiling these selections. The result is a representative collection of her writings that demonstrates with the breadth of her interests and her inimitable style of writing. Readers who are new to Virginia Woolf and those who are familiar with her works should welcome this anthology.
August 1, 2022
The entire collection was charming, insightful, and profound, in ways that entirely altered my first impression of the author. Each story captivated and moved me, and I understood the complexity of her character as a writer. I felt mixed emotions after finishing the book; gratitude for getting to know her better as a writer, and sadness for having to return the book to the library.
I definitely recommend this piece for anyone who would want a starter guide to her works. Woolf is notorious for an intricate writing style, so having this lenient exposure to her works will slightly help with understanding her methods.
I definitely recommend this piece for anyone who would want a starter guide to her works. Woolf is notorious for an intricate writing style, so having this lenient exposure to her works will slightly help with understanding her methods.
February 19, 2020
Pivotal text for relaxing
August 26, 2020
Only read the non-fiction. Really enjoyed the essay on Jane Austen and the Letter to Young Poet. Also really liked the Journal entries. Will look for a longer collection of her diary.
March 13, 2024
A nice compilation of all of Virginia Woolf’s various works.
January 24, 2012
The book gives you a look at Woolf's brilliance from three perspectives: excerpts from her novels, early short stories, and essays and speeches. In her short stories, she begins to write about the internal world of the characters, and in her essays and speeches, through personal examples, she makes a case for women's equal status as intellectual and demonstrates the pain of being shut out of libraries and university life.
November 21, 2020
An excellent collection of Virginia Woolf's works. It includes all different kinds of works that really show just how varied her interests were. I have used this as a reference in almost every essay I've ever written on Woolf or her different works. This book is perfect for anyone who wants an overview of her work
December 10, 2007
What I love about this reader is it gives a sample of all of her writing, from essays to books to her private journals and letters. Mitchell Leaska also wrote a fabulous biography on Woolf entitled, Granite and Rainbow: The Hidden Life of Virginia Woolf, which is extremely fabulous.
September 9, 2007
I've never fully enjoyed Woolf, but her memoir and personal essays are really great. I like her now.
January 1, 2011
A good introduction to Woolf.
March 23, 2014
A collection of highlights. I can't believe I hadn't read it earlier in my writing life. How did I not read this 'til now?
May 23, 2015
主要是为了那篇评论《一个自己的房间》，伍尔夫很有才华，这是毋庸置疑的
May 1, 2015
"All extremes of feeling are allied with madness"...:)
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October 9, 2009Virginia Woolf Reader by Virginia Woolf (1984)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews