The message of this fable-like children’s story by Virginia Woolf is that kindness can lead to rich rewards. A frail old widow is so poor that sometimes she goes without food to give her dog its bone. One day, she learns that her miserly brother has died and left her a house and £3,000. The house, which is inhabited by a foul-mouthed parrot, is in terrible condition and there is no sign of her brother’s money. She treats the parrot kindly, and the clever bird not only saves her life, but also leads her to his gold. More…
Archives
Kew Gardens
Rather than a unified plot, this Virginia Woolf story describes a series of unrelated events over a few minutes of time. A married couple exchange memories of earlier visits to the gardens; an eccentric old man accompanied by a carer talks nonsense to the flowers; two elderly women break into their small talk to gossip about the old man; an infatuated young couple create their own memories for later visits; a purposeful snail decides on the best path to its destination. Themes: peace and beauty amid turmoil, isolation, memories, regret, aging, romance, gender roles, aimlessness vs. focus and determination. More…
The New Dress
Virginia Woolf’s middle-aged, lower middle-class protagonist has gone to great lengths to have the perfect dress made for an upper middle-class party. The moment she arrives, she sees that the dress is “not right”. Highly embarrassed, she imagines everyone is mocking her. At first, she blames her situation on her working class upbringing and fantasizes about what might have been if her family had been wealthy. Then, in a moment of introspection, she remembers the good times in her life, commits to a plan for self-improvement, and leaves the party early. Themes: insecurity, self-consciousness, class, poverty, alienation, self-discovery. More…
The Duchess and the Jeweller
This story by Virginia Woolf reflects the period in which the moral decadence of British aristocracy led to its loss of respect among the people and the rising influence of newly rich commoners. It also shows how both groups could be equally ruthless in achieving their goals. The Duchess represents the aristocracy, corruptly trying to sell a fake set of pearls by taking advantage of the Jeweller’s interest in her daughter. The Jeweller represents the newly rich, craving social acceptance and willing to waste £20,000 buying fake pearls to achieve it. Themes include greed, vanity, social class, appearance, deception, racism. More…
A Haunted House
If you read Virginia Woolf‘s A Haunted House expecting it to be a horror story, you will come away disappointed. Rather than scary, the best word I can think of to describe it is bittersweet. Sweet because two ghosts are still very much in love after hundreds of years; sad because the ghostly couple appear to be anxiously searching for something. Although the central theme of the story is the immortality of love, it also carries the message that life is short, and we should treasure each moment with those we love. Other themes include loss, time, memories, the supernatural. More…