I must confess I had been wanting to read some of Virginia Woolf's books for some time but have never got round to doing it. Having decided to start by reading a concise biography (by best selling writer Alexandra Harris) on her recently, which according to her author "is meant as a first port of call for those new to Woolf and as an enticement to read more" has in fact got me enthusiastic enough to finally do it.
There were quite a few paragraphs I felt like copying down because they resonated as the approach I have taken in regards to the issues being referred to.
"(...) an early exploration of the possibility that writing about the past might be a powerful and positive way of setting it to rest."
"She tested her responses to other people, working out how far she wanted company and how often she wanted to be alone."
"People cannot be explained from the outside, and all we can do is to keep on guessing."
"(...) tried to include those things that didn't seem important but which, with hinsight, might turn out to be the diamonds of the dust heap. (...) she was feeling for the significance of unremarkable things, knowing that emotion accrues in places you might not at first suspect. (...) the thought of days slipping by unrecorded filled her with a sense of lost. She hated to think of life allowed to waste like a tap left running."
There were quite a few paragraphs I felt like copying down because they resonated as the approach I have taken in regards to the issues being referred to.
"(...) an early exploration of the possibility that writing about the past might be a powerful and positive way of setting it to rest."
"She tested her responses to other people, working out how far she wanted company and how often she wanted to be alone."
"People cannot be explained from the outside, and all we can do is to keep on guessing."
"(...) tried to include those things that didn't seem important but which, with hinsight, might turn out to be the diamonds of the dust heap. (...) she was feeling for the significance of unremarkable things, knowing that emotion accrues in places you might not at first suspect. (...) the thought of days slipping by unrecorded filled her with a sense of lost. She hated to think of life allowed to waste like a tap left running."
"(...) never stopped asking about how significant moments should be marked in a secular age."
Worth reading and re-reading.
Worth reading and re-reading.
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