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Odd Affinities: Virginia Woolf’s Shadow Genealogies
A new reading of Virginia Woolf in the context of “long modernism.”
In recent decades, Virginia Woolf’s contribution to literary history has been located primarily within a female tradition. Elizabeth Abel dislodges Woolf from her iconic place within this tradition to uncover her shadowy presence in other literary genealogies. Abel elicits unexpected echoes of Woolf in four major writers from diverse cultural Nella Larsen, James Baldwin, Roland Barthes, and W. G. Sebald. By mapping the wayward paths of what Woolf called “odd affinities” that traverse the boundaries of gender, race, and nationality, Abel offers a new account of the arc of Woolf’s career and the transnational modernist genealogy constituted by her elusive and shifting presence. Odd Affinities will appeal to students and scholars working in New Modernist studies, comparative literature, gender and sexuality studies, and African American studies.
In recent decades, Virginia Woolf’s contribution to literary history has been located primarily within a female tradition. Elizabeth Abel dislodges Woolf from her iconic place within this tradition to uncover her shadowy presence in other literary genealogies. Abel elicits unexpected echoes of Woolf in four major writers from diverse cultural Nella Larsen, James Baldwin, Roland Barthes, and W. G. Sebald. By mapping the wayward paths of what Woolf called “odd affinities” that traverse the boundaries of gender, race, and nationality, Abel offers a new account of the arc of Woolf’s career and the transnational modernist genealogy constituted by her elusive and shifting presence. Odd Affinities will appeal to students and scholars working in New Modernist studies, comparative literature, gender and sexuality studies, and African American studies.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2024
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September 26, 2025I always hate to report when a book of scholarship just doesn't work for me, but, alas, that's the case here. The subject—tracing Woolf's unexpected & unstated influences in the work of Nella Larsen, James Baldwin, & Roland Barthes—truly couldn't have been more tailored to my personal interests, but I just found that Abel would often take this (utterly fascinating!) concept of "odd affinities" to places & conclusions that didn't resonate with me.
A major highlight: a brilliant analysis of the resonances between Larsen's Passing with Mrs. Dalloway that was deeply insightful.
"By following surprising echoes in accordance with Woolf's own recommendation for 'reading at random' without concern for 'fixed labels & hierarchies,' I discover odd affinities that stray beyond her acknowledged paths of literary influence. These wayward genealogies yield new ways of reading the arc of 'long modernism' & of displacing Woolf from her perch as cultural icon while revealing less conspicuous traces of her presence."
A major highlight: a brilliant analysis of the resonances between Larsen's Passing with Mrs. Dalloway that was deeply insightful.
"By following surprising echoes in accordance with Woolf's own recommendation for 'reading at random' without concern for 'fixed labels & hierarchies,' I discover odd affinities that stray beyond her acknowledged paths of literary influence. These wayward genealogies yield new ways of reading the arc of 'long modernism' & of displacing Woolf from her perch as cultural icon while revealing less conspicuous traces of her presence."
Displaying 1 of 1 review