Unit-4-Portrait-of-an-Actress

AWagnerMatinee–WillaCather1IV.PortraitofanActressAbouttheauthorWoolf----Virginia(Stephen)Woolf,1882–1941,Englishnovelist.Shewasaninnovativeinfluenceonthe20th-cent.novel.Withherhusband,LeonardWoolf,shesetuptheHogarthPressin1917.TheirhomewasthecenterfortheBLOOMSBURYGROUUP.InherwritingsheconcentratedontheflowofordinaryexperiencethroughtheSTREAMOFCONSCIOUSNESStechnique.Herproseispoetic,symbolic,andvisual.Woolf’snovelsincludeMrs.Dalloway(1925),TotheLighthouse(1927),Orlando(1928),TheWaves(1931),andBetweentheActs(1940).HercriticismiscontainedinTheCommonReader(1925)andvolumesofessays,letters,anddiaries.Shealsowrotetwofeministtracts,ARoomofOne’sOwn(1929)andThreeGuineas(1938).VirginiaWoolfrevoltedagainstwhatshecalledthe‘materialism’ofmajorBritishnovelistsoftheearly1900’s.Bythisshemeanttheirpreoccupationwithoutward,visibleevents.Shefeltitwasmoreimportanttoshowtheinneressenceofacharacterinfictionbyrevealingthecharacter’sthoughtsandconcentratingonprecise,significantdetailsabouthim.ShefollowedthepathwhichJamesJoycehadopenedup,andthenbranchedoffinanewdirection.VirginiaWoolf’sstoriesoftenreflectherconcernaboutwomen.Shesufferedinherownexperienceasaneminentwomanintellectual,andencounteredspecialdifficultiesasawomanwriter,inatimewhenevenuniversitylibrariesweresometimesclosedtowomen.Herpointofviewwasalwaysprogressiveandopen-minded,andsheencouragedotherstoliberatetheirmindslikewise.Inherworks,VirginiaWoolfwantedtoemphasizethecontinuousflowofpeople’sexperiencesinlife,andtoshowhowexternalcircumstancesonlyaffectapersontothedegreethathenoticesthemortakesaccountofthem,eachaccordingtohisowntypeofcharacter.Shewantedalsotoshowthecontradictionsoftime,whichalwaysexistsinthepresenttense,yetflowsunbrokenthroughtheyearsandcenturies.Inhermostpopularnovels,Mrs.DallowayandToTheLighthouse,sheshowedhertechnicalmasteryasawriter.Bothbookshaveatightlyorganizedform,inwhichthetimeoftheactionisveryshort,allowingspaceformuchdetail,andinwhichimagesrecurlikerhymesinapoem.Heruseofverylongsentences,difficultsyntaxandlargevocabularysometimesmakeherbookshardtoread.AWagnerMatinee–WillaCather2BackgroundnotesBloomsburyGroup----BloomsburyisasectionofLondon,neartheBritishMuseumandtheuniversities,withseveralsquaresandsmallparkssurroundedbyprivatehouses.ThenamewasgiventoanumberofBritishwriters,philosophersandartistswholivedthereandmetforinformaldiscussionsateachother’shousesbetween1907and1930.Theydiscussedquestionsofartandphilosophywithopenminds,seekingthedefinitionsof‘good’,‘true’and‘beautiful’.Theyexaminedallideascommonlyheldbythesociety,lookingforelementsofinsincerityandfalselogic.Theydidnotformasingleschoolofthought,althoughtheysharedmanyideas.Thegroup’simportancelayinthehighnumberofbrilliant,talentedpeoplewhomadeBloomsburythecentreofprogressivenewthinkinginBritain.Ingeneral,itsmemberscriticizedtheVictorianconservatismofBritishsocietyinmattersofreligion,moralityandart,andtheysoughttruththroughtheuseofreason.VirginiaWoolfwasoneofthefirstmembers.OthersmembersincludedLyttonSTRACHEY,LeonardWOOLF,E.M.FORSTER,V.SACKVILLE-WEST,RogerFRY,CliveBell,andJohnMaynardKEYNES.streamofconsciousness----Literarytechniqueforrecordingthethoughtsandfeelingsofacharacterwithoutregardtotheirlogicalassociationornarrativesequence.Thewriterattemptstoreflectalltheforcesaffectingthepsychologyofacharacteratasinglemoment.IntroducedbytheFrenchwriterEdouardDujardininWe’lltotheWoodsNoMore(1888),thetechniquewasusednotablybyJamesJOYCE,VirginiaWOOLFandWilliamFAULKNER.Aboutthetextcomeon----appearonormoveto(thestage)WhenLawrenceOlivercameonforthefirsttime,theaudienceapplauded.Thenextplayercameonfiveminuteslate.Peopleclappedandshoutedandmadehercomeonagainandagain.CaptainBrassbound’sConversion----aplaywrittenbyGeorgeBernardShaw.thestagecollapsedlikeahouseofcards----Thisisofcoursemetaphorical.TheidesisthatwhenEllenTerryappearedonthestageasLadyCicely,itwasasifthestagehadsuddenlyAWagnerMatinee–WillaCather3ceasedtoexist.Shewasthecentralfigure,castingalltheotheractorsintotheshade.aripe,richlyseasoned“cello”----A‘cello’madeofelaboratelyseasonedwood,thatis,woodmadespeciallyhardforuse.Season’:--toharden(wood)tomakeitreadyforusebydryingitgradually:Thesedayswoodisrarelyseasonedinthetraditionalwayandistreatedwithpreservativeinstead.itgrated,itglowedanditgrowled----Noticetherepetitionoftheletter‘g’whichsoundsanoteofpassionandrage.settee----asofaShehadforgottenherpart.----Shehadforgottenherlinesintheplay.(Sheforgotwhatthecharactershouldsaynext.)shefilledthestage----She,whenonthestage,becametheattractioncentreoftheaudience.pastherprime----herbestpossibleconditionwasover.uncongenial----unsuitable;unabletoprovidetherightconditionsfor(happiness,peaceofmind,etc.)Uncongenialcompany/weather/surroundingsPortia----heroineinShakespeare’sMerchantofVenice.Desdemona----heroineinShakespeare’sOthello.Ophelia----heroineinShakespeare’sHamlet.comeupon----affect;happentoFearcameupontheboy.Thisthinghascomeuponmemoreorlessunexpectedly.Velasquez----DiegoRodriguezdeSilvayVelasquez(1599–1660):aleadingpainteroftheSpanishschool.AWagn