Book 64 - Virginia Woolf "Carlyle's House and Other Sketches"

[jazzy_dave]

Virginia Woolf "Carlyle's House and Other Sketches" (Hesperus Classics)




Essential early Woolf in a lovely little edition from Hesperus. This is a collection of several previously unpublished and unknown diary sketches Woolf wrote when she was 27. The introduction and accompanying notes are fascinating and valuable but what a pity that so much of the introduction is spent apologising for the fact that Woolf's views of 100 years ago are not politically correct. Insulting to us readers who have enough intelligence to make our own judgements.

Just one caveat,only 16 pages of the 70 are her own writing. 

Comments

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Think that is the problem with reviewing the classics nowadays. People are so busy inserting the modern era thinking into the older views and marring what values may lie in the admittedly backwards thinking of that era. Yes, it was politically incorrect for OUR time. But in their time, a lot of writers and thinkers were revolutionary and to apologize for them not being up to our speed and belittling their contributions is not only insulting to modern readers, but insulting to the progressives of that time.

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

WOW, that really seems out of place for that person to apologize for her writings. :o UGH.....
Again, WOW, just 16 pages are her writings? Bit of an ego trip for the other person. :o
Hugs, Jon

[ladyblue56.livejournal.com]

This is disappointing to hear. I'm not a fan of an editor who has to condescend to explain certain things. I would like to read Doris Lessings' introduction (Amazon doesn't have it where I can read in the book to preview) as much as Woolf's early writing although I am pulled about that bc I also think this is not work Woolf meant to be published or seen or she'd have done something w. it when she and her husband were printing their books.

[mac-arthur-park.livejournal.com]

Looks like a good read!