Two Stories by Leonard Woolf and Virginia Woolf

by Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf

“The Three Jews” by Leonard Woolf is a pretty straight forward parable about Jewish culture surviving within Anglican society. There are some interesting subtleties and questions posed but I think it inspires more curiosity about the author than the story itself. “The Mark on the Wall” is one of Virginia's famous flights. Is it “about” anything? Her flow of words, stream of consciousness spirits the reader away and makes one feel like they've fallen down the rabbit hole.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, Classics, Anthologies

Kindle Edition

First published June 22, 2017

About the author

(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."

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg

I made the proofing of this book for Free Literature and Project Gutenberg will publish it.

CONTENTS
THREE JEWS By L. S. WOOLF
THE MARK ON THE WALL By VIRGINIA WOOLF

[celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

la gracia que me hace que me haya costado leer este libro (compuesto solo de dos historias cortas y una introducción) “cinco años”

mi yo de 17 años empezó leyendo la historia de mark haddon y no llegó a la parte en la que se da cuenta de que es puramente sentimiento sáfico y lésbico, claramente, porque ni la acabé

y ahora leyéndolo (en el orden que es, menos mal) me ha gustado increíblemente, es cierto que al final son dos historietas y ni siquiera las vi tan relacionadas (entiendo que haddon se basó más en la vida de virginia woolf que en la propia historia corta que publicó woolf), pero me encanta el detallismo de esta edición. es que los ingleses?? cómo son para sus libros. que se publique de nuevo the mark on the wall, con la propia imprenta que fundó woolf en el salón de su casa, con los dibujos de dora y de mark haddon que es que son tan cuquitos, la edición es preciosa y mentiría si dijera que no he llorado

la forma en que entiende woolf la autopercepción en la cotidianidad <3

(gracias mazu por regalármelo!!)

[Ailis Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Minnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

I have read and reviewed Virginia Woolf's The Mark on the Wall as part of her short story collection Monday or Tuesday, a review of which you can find here. My rating above reflects my feelings about this collection as a whole, but below I will only discuss Leonard Woolf's half of this small book, the short story Three Jews.

There's actually not much to say about it. It's a story about a Jewish man going into a London teehouse and having a conversation with another Jewish man about antisemitism and the self-image of Jewish people, all of it quite accidental and introspective. It reminds me a little bit of what Virginia does when she lets two total strangers have a conversation about some deep topic, and especially the use of light and colour imagery at the beginning of the story is reminiscent of her style, but overall the comparison rather hurts Leonard because his story is simply not as playful and careless of constricting literary conventions as Virginia's; indeed, it rather feels like a very early experiment of hers. There are, however, some profound insights about being Jewish in the British Empire to be found in the dialogue, which were fascinating to me and which you wouldn't find in any of Virginia's writings because she was quite a bit of an antisemite herself.

Overall, this book probably has more sentimental value for being the very first one that the Woolfs printed in their Hogarth Press rather than being a very important foundational work. I personally enjoyed it but wouldn't say it's a must-read, since Virginia's short story is usually featured in every major anthology of hers and Leonard as a writer is largely forgotten nowadays.

[Alex Pelissier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked both short stories. They're pretty experimental, I would stay.
Since they're both very short it's a nice book to read when in a hurry.
It was my first time reading Leonard Woolf with Three Jews and I loved his descriptions. It was very pleasant to read and the end (no spoiler) was good.
As for the Mark on the Wall it's really Virginia Woolf, what more can we ask?
(won't give 5⭐ in comparison to the rest of her work. but it was still good!)

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed both of these short stories.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Virginia's story, brilliant as usual.
Didn't like Leonard's as much???

[T P Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A beautifully packaged little book but there's little in it to hold me. As the title suggests it's two stories - though two reflections might be more apt. The Virginia Woolf piece is a reflection on idleness and distraction. Mark Haddon engages with the same theme in a narrower, more negative context. Not enough meat in this!

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Ignacio Peña · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a little bit of publishing history and also got to dip into a couple of stories from two of my favorite writers, so this was a brief and enjoyable read.

[Gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My individual ratings:

“The Three Jews” - 2.5/5
“The Mark on the Wall” - 3.5/5

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mark on The Wall felt like what most early or first stories of writers do: embryonic. There's nothing really special about it, the main themes she'll later explore are there, the ending makes the whole story feel like a silly joke.

The other story, St Brides Bay, I simply couldn't care for it. Another contemporary self-aware story on how thoughts ebb and flow, obviously inspired by yours truly. Oh, joy! Let's recontextualize Woolf's work as a museum piece that doesn't seem to prove anything, as Woolf so explicitly mocks in The Mark on The Wall!

The insecurity of the publishers seeps from cutting out Leonard's story and have it replaced with a story that was obviously commissioned for this edition. It's a missed opportunity to simply reprint the original and allow the work to speak for itself.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teacup? Check
Tea? Sassafras at the ready

Published in 2017 by Hogarth Press in honor of the centenary of such.

From Virginia Woolf's first printed story from the Press "The Mark on the Wall"

"And the novelists in future will realise more and more the importance of these reflections, for of course there is not one reflection but an almost infinite number; those are the depths they will explore, those the phantoms they will pursue, leaving the description of reality more and more out of their stories, taking a knowledge of it for granted, as the Greeks did and Shakespeare perhaps; but these generalisations are very worthless."

[Juliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Two Stories', a 2017 republishing of Virginia Woolf's 'The Mark On The Wall' alongside Mark Haddon's newly commissioned 'St Brides Bay. Having never read that particular Woolf story, I was enchanted by its wonderfully erratic pace and its clear frustration with the world the voice finds itself confined to, with its lack of progress and distracting stains. Haddon's story is great in its simplicity, its delicacy and its hopefulness, and I can only imagine Woolf would have enjoyed it too. Plus, just check out the beautiful hardback top-and-tail edition these stories are published in...

[Desislava Ilieva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Марк, за втори път не можем да се разберем с теб. Ако бях погледнала внимателно и бях прочела и твоето име, щях да се замисля дали изобщо да купя книгата. Интересува ме каква е логикага в изданието да има разказ на Марк Хадън при положение, че оригиналното издание включва един разказ на Вирджиния и един на Ленърд Улф. Разказът на Вирджиния също не ме впечатли и има по-скоро историческо значение, тъй като поставя началото на Хогърт прес.

[Heidi C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the introspective part written by Virginia W., which has a pleasant ephemeral touch.
Leonard W. 's story which reflects the Jewish self-image is interesting, but is clearly written not without effort.
Ik hield vooral van het introspectieve verhaal van Virginia W. in haar aangename, vluchtige stijl.
Het verhaal van Leonard W. waarin het joodse zelfbeeld aan bod komt is interessant, maar is duidelijk niet moeiteloos geschreven.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little edition to celebrate the centenary of The Hogarth Press. The two stories are The Mark On The Wall by Virginia Woolf and St Brides Bay by Mark Haddon.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lovely. Loved Virginia Woolf’s story but no surprise there. I actually really enjoyed Haddon’s story too and will read them again in a few months.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf, which was the first of her stories to be published by Hogarth Press. I though the second short story by Mark Haddon was a lovely edition, with both short stories complimenting each other well. It's also a lovely little edition

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every time I read Woolf I confirm that no, I still don't like the style of modernist literature, although I like the content of her stories.

[BlurryBug · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Fun to see the history of the Hogarth Press
The short story from Mark Haddon was a bit rambly but not bad.
Virginia Woolf's story was very typical her style and I enjoyed it but nothing mind shattering.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy birthday Hogarth; even though you are no longer an independent entity. Mark Haddon's new story complements Virginia Woolf's original story.

[Chara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but was expecting more perhaps because of Woolf?

[Mary Vermillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this lovely book in Heathrow before heading home from England. It resonated with my time there during Pride and with much that I’ve been thinking about lately.

Created to mark the centenary of Hogarth Press, the book bears the same title as the press’s first publication. It contains Virginia Woolf’s “Mark on the Wall,” which appeared in the original Two Stories, but instead of Leonard Woolf’s “Three Jews,” this book features “St Brides Bay,” by Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time.

Haddon’s story is a glorious tribute to Virginia Woolf and an interesting update of “Mark.” Although Woolf’s story is in first-person and Haddon’s in third, both stories feature protagonists who wrestle with their shifting thoughts.

Woolf’s narrator tries to convince herself that “there’s no harm in putting a full stop to one’s disagreeable thoughts by looking at a mark on the wall” (18). Throughout her stream of consciousness, she tries to determine what it is. Similarly, Haddon’s main character tries to identify “the light far out” (3). Ship? Plane? Star? Woolf’s narrator doesn’t identify her mark until the story’s end, but Haddon’s names hers about two-thirds in and then begins an internet search.

Because of Woolf’s depression and suicide, her narrator makes me think of Tennyson’s Mariana: an embowered woman, mired in her obsessive thoughts as the wind blows through the trees around her: “The tree outside the window taps very gently on the pane. I want to think quietly, calmly, spaciously, never to be interrupted, never to have to rise from my chair, to slip easily from one thing to another, without any sense of hostility, or obstacle. I want to sink deeper and deeper, away from the surface, with its hard separate facts” (8).

She returns to trees near the end of the piece, but first there is this portrait of Shakespeare: “To steady myself, let me catch hold of the first idea that passes. Shakespeare. Well, he will do as well as another. A man who sat himself solidly in an arm-chair, and looked into the fire, so—. A shower of ideas fell perpetually from some very high Heaven down through his mind” (8).

I often use Shakespeare as my own “mark on the wall,” a star to my wandering bark, and although Woolf’s narrator abandons him for more “pleasant” thoughts, I wonder if Woolf shares my penchant given her praise for Shakespeare’s “androgynous mind” in A Room of One’s Own.

In “Mark,” the narrator’s room seems confining rather than liberating, yet the end of Woolf’s story offers a soaring riff on trees:

Wood is a pleasant thing to think about. It comes from a tree; and trees grow, and we don’t know how they grow. For years and years they grow, without paying any attention to us, in meadows, in forests, and by the side of rivers—all things one likes to think about. The cows swish their tails beneath them on hot afternoons; they paint rivers so green that when a moorhen dives one expects to see its feathers all green when it comes up again. I like to think of the fish balanced against the stream like flags blown out; and of water-beetles slowly raiding domes of mud upon the bed of the river. I like to think of the tree itself: first the close dry sensation of being wood; then there is the grinding of the storm; then the slow, delicious ooze of sap. I like to think of it too on winter’s nights standing in the empty field with all leaves close-furled, nothing tender exposed to the iron bullets of the moon, a naked mast upon an earth that goes tumbling, tumbling, all night long. The song of birds must sound very loud and strange in June; and how cold the feet of insects must feel upon it, as they make laborious progresses up the creases of the bark, or sun themselves upon the thin green awning of the leaves, and look straight in front of them with diamond-cut red eyes. One by one the fibres snap beneath the immense cold pressure of the earth, then the last storm comes and, falling, the highest branches drive deep into the ground again. Even so, life isn’t done with; there are a million patient, watchful lives still for a tree, all over the world, in bedrooms, in ships, on the pavement, lining rooms where men and women sit after tea smoking their cigarettes. It is full of peaceful thoughts, happy thoughts, this tree. I should like to take each one separately—but something is getting in the way....Where was I? What has it all been about? […] I can’t remember a thing. Everything’s moving, falling, slipping, vanishing...There is a vast upheaval of matter. (19-21)

Then this reverie is interrupted by “someone” announcing that they are going to buy a newspaper. Of all things! Beautiful trees reduced to pulp. And the narrator’s attempt to find peace and meaning interrupted by the news.

Haddon’s story also ends with the main character forced to confront a disagreeable present.

Both stories address my own struggle to live more mindfully. Perhaps, I can better cultivate my own mindfulness by reading more writing that features stream of consciousness.

But back to Haddon’s main character: a middle-aged divorcee who has just witnessed her daughter marry another woman. Reminiscent of Clarissa Dalloway and Sally Seton, Haddon’s mother of the bride recalls her own long-ago passion for a woman:

Where was Lucy now? she wondered.

Christ. It just poured through, didn’t it? This slippery thing we called mind. Words and pictures gathering and wheeling like murmurations of starlings. No centre, no purpose, just shapes against the dusk.

She had believed, once upon a time, that it would all become clear, that she would finally reach a point on the graveled strand where she could turn and see it whole. (13)

This moment speaks to me because my partner and I have been writing a memoir about our marriage and I’ve been reflecting on my coming out process. I’m grateful that memories of my own long-ago “Lucy” helped me make sense of myself and my passions.

I loved reading Haddon’s story after celebrating Pride in London. I also appreciated the artwork by Haddon and by Dora Carrington, a Bloomsbury artist who was included in the Tate’s Queer British Art http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-..., a fabulous exhibit marking the fiftieth anniversary of England’s partial decriminalization of male homosexuality. The exhibit was the first ever dedicated to queer British art.

Lastly, I enjoyed learning about the Hogarth Press via the introduction before each story. Yet I was sad to learn that Hogarth is now an imprint of the world’s largest publisher, Penguin Random House. Nothing against Penguin—I just hate to see the little guy get swallowed up. So I was also dismayed to discover that Hatchards, where I purchased the book, is now part of Waterstones.

But to end with a celebration of Two Stories, here is a 1912 painting by Dora Carrington:

[Sara! · Rating 3 out of 5]

A physically beautiful collection I got this summer at Hatchards in London, but the stories themselves were pretty underwhelming. For short stories, I’ve read much better. 2.5 stars.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Mark Haddon first which was okay but the erudite Virginia left me wanting more... time to tackle some more Woolf.

[Samuel Maina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story told in the unmistakable stream of consciousness about a snail on the wall brings a lot to mind especially when the author takes on thing and focusses on it in an environment. A reflection on idleness. This has the ability to distract and be on an abstract plane. Here is an example:
“To steady myself, let me catch hold of the first idea that passes. Shakespeare. Well, he will do as well as another. A man who sat himself solidly in an arm-chair, and looked into the fire, so? A shower of ideas fell perpetually from some very high Heaven down through his mind. He leant his forehead on his hand, and people looking in through the open door, for this scene is supposed to take place on a summer’s evening, But how dull this is, this historical fiction!“
Stream of consciousness narration has a way of creating many conflicting ideas pop in the mind you would almost be forgiven to force yourself to slow down the pace and take a seat. I think she was talking about the war and it’s devastation to nature.
The mark on the wall would have been anything from a nail, a rose-leaf, a crack in the wood or anything else apart from a snail. The author communicates about nature and its old game of self-preservation according to the nature of the philosophy of Whitaker “The Archbishop of Canterbury is followed by the Lord High Chancellor; the Lord High Chancellor is followed by the Archbishop of York. Everybody follows somebody…”
Art should have ideas behind it, and such is the mystery of life, the inaccuracy of thought and the ignorance of humanity. I am still yet to figure out by this line… “Why, if one wants to compare life to anything, one must liken it to being blown through the Tube at fifty miles an hour landing at the other end without a single hair pin in one’s hair! Shot out at the feet of God entirely naked!”
The author talks about wood; you could almost feel how the wood feels…..an eruption of so many emotions. “Wood is a pleasant thing to think about. It comes from a tree; and trees grow and we don’t know how they grow.”