The mark on the wall

TheMarkontheWallAdelineVirginiaWoolfPARTONEAbouttheWriterAdelineVirginiaWoolf(néeStephen;25January1882–28March1941)ShewasanEnglishwriterwhoisconsideredoneoftheforemostmodernistsofthetwentiethcenturyandapioneerintheuseofstreamofconsciousnessasanarrativedevice.BorninanaffluenthouseholdinKensington,London,sheattendedtheKing'sCollegeLondonandwasacquaintedwiththeearlyreformersofwomen'shighereducation.AbouttheWriterMother:JuliaStephenEnglishphilanthropistandaPre-RaphaelitemodelFather:SirLeslieStephenKCBEnglishauthor,critic,historian,biographer,andmountaineerAbouttheWriterSister:VanessaBellEnglishpainterandinteriordesigner,amemberoftheBloomsburyGroupHusband:LeonardSidneyWoolfEnglishpoliticaltheorist,author,publisherandcivilservantAbouttheWriterGodfather:JamesRussellLowellAmericanRomanticpoet,critic,editor,anddiplomat.Aunt:JuliaMargaretCameronBritishphotographerAbouttheWriterWhyamIsoincrediblyandincurablyromanticaboutCornwall?One’spast,Isuppose;Iseechildrenrunninginthegarden…Thesoundoftheseaatnight…almostfortyyearsoflife,allbuiltonthat,permeatedbythat:somuchIcouldneverexplain.——VirginiaWoolfMarch22,1921StIves,CornwallAbouttheWriterThesuddendeathofhermotherin1895,whenVirginiawasthirteen,andthatofherhalf-sisterStellatwoyearslater,ledtothefirstofVirginia'sseveralnervousbreakdowns.Thedeathofherfatherin1904provokedhermostalarmingcollapseandshealmostkilledherself.Modernscholars(includinghernephewandbiographer,QuentinBell)havesuggestedherbreakdownsandsubsequentrecurringdepressiveperiodswerealsoinfluencedbythesexualabusetowhichsheandhersisterVanessaweresubjectedbytheirhalf-brothersGeorgeandGeraldDuckworth(whichWoolfrecallsinherautobiographicalessaysASketchofthePastand22HydeParkGate).AbouttheWriterTheBloomsburyGroupAgroupofassociatedEnglishwriters,intellectuals,philosophersandartists,thebestknownmembersofwhichincludedVirginiaWoolf,JohnMaynardKeynes,E.M.ForsterandLyttonStrachey.ThisloosecollectiveoffriendsandrelativeswerecloselyassociatedwithCambridgeUniversityandlived,workedorstudiedtogethernearBloomsbury,London,duringthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury.AccordingtoIanOusby,althoughitsmembersdeniedbeingagroupinanyformalsense,theywereunitedbyanabidingbeliefintheimportanceofthearts.Theirworksandoutlookdeeplyinfluencedliterature,aesthetics,criticism,andeconomicsaswellasmodernattitudestowardsfeminism,pacifism,andsexuality.AbouttheWriter(VirginiaWoolfisthebeardedfigureonthefarleft)DreadnoughthoaxAbouttheWriterVirginiaStephenmarriedthewriterLeonardWoolfon10August1912.Despitehislowmaterialstatus(WoolfreferringtoLeonardduringtheirengagementasapennilessJew)thecouplesharedaclosebond.Indeed,in1937,Woolfwroteinherdiary:Love-making—after25yearscan'tbeartobeseparate...youseeitisenormouspleasurebeingwanted:awife.Andourmarriagesocomplete.AbouttheWriterTheGreenRichmondTheRoundHouseAbouttheWriterMuchexaminationhasbeenmadeofWoolf'smentalillness.IreneCoates'sbookWho'sAfraidofLeonardWoolf:ACasefortheSanityofVirginiaWoolfholdsthatLeonardWoolf'streatmentofhiswifeencouragedherillhealthandultimatelywasresponsibleforherdeath.Thoughextensivelyresearchedfromthefeministperspective,thisviewisnotacceptedbyLeonard'sfamilyandsomecritics.VictoriaGlendinning‘sbookLeonardWoolf:ABiographyarguesthatLeonardWoolfwasnotonlysupportiveofhiswifebutenabledhertoliveaslongasshedidbyprovidingherwiththelifeandatmospheresheneededtoliveandwrite.Virginia'sowndiariessupportthisviewoftheWoolfs'marriageAbouttheWriterDearest,IfeelcertainthatIamgoingmadagain.Ifeelwecan'tgothroughanotherofthoseterribletimes.AndIshan'trecoverthistime.Ibegintohearvoices,andIcan'tconcentrate.SoIamdoingwhatseemsthebestthingtodo.Youhavegivenmethegreatestpossiblehappiness.Youhavebeenineverywayallthatanyonecouldbe.Idon'tthinktwopeoplecouldhavebeenhappiertillthisterriblediseasecame.Ican'tfightanylonger.IknowthatIamspoilingyourlife,thatwithoutmeyoucouldwork.AndyouwillIknow.YouseeIcan'tevenwritethisproperly.Ican'tread.WhatIwanttosayisIoweallthehappinessofmylifetoyou.Youhavebeenentirelypatientwithmeandincrediblygood.Iwanttosaythat—everybodyknowsit.Ifanybodycouldhavesavedmeitwouldhavebeenyou.Everythinghasgonefrommebutthecertaintyofyourgoodness.Ican'tgoonspoilingyourlifeanylonger.Idon'tthinktwopeoplecouldhavebeenhappierthanwehavebeen.V.AbouttheWriter——Whydoessomeonehavetodie——Someonehastodieinorderthattherestofusshouldvaluelifemore——Andwhowilldie?——Thepoetwilldie.Thevisionary.“为什么一定有人要死？”伦纳德问弗吉尼亚。“为了对比，”弗吉尼亚说，“为了让活着的人更加懂得和珍惜生活。”“那么谁会死？”雷纳德又问。“诗人，”弗吉尼亚说，“那些心怀梦想的人”。AbouttheWriterEpitaph：AgainstyouIwillflingmyself,unvanquishedandunyielding,ODeath!我要纵身向你扑去，我永不认输，也永不屈服，哦，死亡！PARTTWOTheMarkOnTheWallByVirginiaWoolfMARKParagraphsReadingThemesBriefIntroductionStructureTheMarkOnTheWallByVirginiaWoolfTheMarkontheWallisthefirstpublishedstorybyVirginiaWoolfandherfirstnovelof“streamofconsciousness”Itwaspublishedin1917(1919)asapartofthefirstcollectionofherandherhusband’sworks,calledTwoStories.ThecollectionwaspublishedbyHogarthPresswhichwasestablishedbyWoolfandLeonardinthebasementoftheirhouse.TheMarkontheWalliswritteninthefirstperson.