The Measure of Life: Virginia Woolf's Last Years
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Marder, Herbert, PUBLISHER: Cornell University Press, This elegantly written narrative tells the story of Virginia Woolf's life as a working writer from until her suicide in -- turbulent years that inspired powerful social criticism and major novels. Focusing on Woolf during the approach and arrival of World War II, and looking closely at her stand against totalitarianism and her vivid depictions of Britain under siege, Herbert Marder puts Woolf into new perspective. He creates a remarkable portrait of a mature and renowned writer during a time of worldwide crisis. A constant awareness of personal danger, Marder says, colored Woolf's decisions in the years leading up to the war. A manic depressive, she had tried to kill herself in her youth, and still thought of suicide. No matter how bright the present moment seemed (her friends all relished her wit and vivacity) Woolf knew that severe illness and depression lay in wait for her. The Measure of Life traces a pattern of recurring references to water and drowning strongly suggesting that Woolf anticipated her suicide many years before the event. Marder's account of her death pays special attention to her relationship with her doctor and distant cousin, Octavia Wilberforce. An appendix contains Wilberforce's letters about Woolf's last months, including some previously unpublished passages. The Measure of Life adopts a style very close to the mood and spirit of Woolf's own writing. Marder shows the importance of small details of daily life, the unspoken quarrels and casual displays of courage that provide a key, as Woolf herself believed, to the hidden roots of our existence. In this compelling biography Marder brings Woolf to life not by trying to explain her actions but byestablishing her presence and letting the reader see events as she saw them.