“London itself perpetually attracts, stimulates, gives me a play & a story & a poem, without any trouble, save that of moving my legs through the streets.” Virginia Woolf’s home town, London, appears to be one of her greatest inspirations as it is not only setting of several of Woolf's novels but also the main topic in a number of her essays.
At first glance, Virginia Woolf's London is a perfect place of beauty and harmony. Despite mentioning them, the negative aspects of London brought up in her works always seem to be played down with the help of linguistic devices such as the use of irony in case of “the moralist” in “Oxford Street Tide” which can be made out in the following quote: “Even a moralist, who is, one must suppose, since he can spend the afternoon dreaming, a man with a balance in the bank – even a moralist must allow [...]”.
But is this beauty a real overall picture of Great Britain's capital as it is described by Woolf? Or do the mentioned negative aspects still have a bigger influence on the perception of London the reader gets than it appears? Or is the image, Virginia Woolf presents us, in the end even more negative than positive, and from which point of view?
To answer these questions, this paper includes a detailed analysis of two essays which address the city of London as their main issue with a special focus on the people and their perception – “Oxford Street Tide”, one of “The London Scene” essays which describes life in one of London's most famous shopping areas, and “Street Haunting: A London Adventure” in which the narrator takes the reader for a walk around London.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The people of London
2.1 Representation of London's people in "Oxford Street Tide"
2.2 Representation of London's people in "Street Haunting: A London Adventure"
3 Word choice, language style and London's atmosphere
3.1 Atmosphere created in "Oxford Street Tide"
3.2 Atmosphere created in "Street Haunting: A London Adventure"
4 Symbolic character of London
4.1 Symbols used in "Oxford Street Tide"
4.2 Symbols used in "Street Haunting: A London Adventure"
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
6.1 Primary Literature
6.2 Secondary Literature
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper explores how Virginia Woolf depicts the city of London, its atmosphere, and its inhabitants in the two essays "Oxford Street Tide" and "Street Haunting: A London Adventure," aiming to determine whether her portrayal leans towards a positive or negative perception of the urban environment.
- Analysis of different focalizers and social perspectives in London.
- Examination of language style and word choice as atmospheric drivers.
- Investigation of symbolic imagery used to represent the city.
- Comparison of the depiction of various social classes and urban life.
- Evaluation of the ambivalence inherent in modern city living.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Representation of London's people in "Oxford Street Tide"
To give the reader an understanding of the different perspectives the people of London have in case of the city, Woolf does not use a typical narrator but two different focalizers who are both extremely polarised in their points of view and represent two groups of Londoners. The main focalizer in Oxford Street Tide is a modern thinker who enjoys observing the city and its development, whereas Woolf creates a “moralist” in order to represent the typical conservative Victorian thinker who is naturally sceptical towards the modern London.
The moralists “point the finger of scorn at those who buy” to express their dis-affirmation towards Oxford Street and therefore against the modern London as a whole since the goods which are sold there are a conspicuous sign for development and the city change which, according to the focalizer, everyone in London suffers from. While movement appears to be positive at first glance, Susan Squier explains in her essay Gender and Class in Virginia Woolf's London the negative side of industrial development:
It belongs to the unthinking consumers of England, who expect bales of wool to turn easily into smooth sweaters for Bond Street stores. [...] the price in human suffering paid by the working classes to produce the necessities and luxuries which middle- and upper-class England consumes.
Although Squire refers to The Docks of London, the passage explains perfectly the problem for the working class with the goods sold not only in Bond Street but also in Oxford Street. What it cannot explain is why the moralists have such a negative view towards it. As already mentioned, the moralist stands for the Victorian values. It is said that “their pride required the illusion of permanence”. They do not accept the force to adapt.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the research focus on Virginia Woolf’s perception of London and outlines the methodological approach of comparing two specific essays.
2 The people of London: This section investigates how different focalizers and social groups are portrayed, contrasting the perspectives of modern thinkers with those of traditional moralists.
3 Word choice, language style and London's atmosphere: This chapter analyzes how specific linguistic devices and adjective choices create varying atmospheres within the selected urban settings.
4 Symbolic character of London: This part examines the recurring metaphors and symbols, such as water or ghosts, that characterize the city in the essays.
5 Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, concluding that Woolf avoids a definitive verdict and instead captures the multifaceted, often ambivalent, nature of the city.
6 Bibliography: This section lists the primary works by Virginia Woolf and the secondary academic literature used for the analysis.
Keywords
Virginia Woolf, London, Oxford Street Tide, Street Haunting, urban perception, focalization, atmosphere, symbolism, modernity, social class, literature, Victorian values, city life, narrative analysis, ambivalence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this academic paper?
The paper aims to analyze how Virginia Woolf represents London and its citizens in her essays "Oxford Street Tide" and "Street Haunting: A London Adventure" to understand the complexity of her urban perspective.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The research focuses on the intersection of social class, urban development, atmospheric construction through language, and the use of symbolism to portray city life.
Which methodology is applied in this study?
The work employs a comparative literary analysis, focusing on focalization, word choice, and the symbolic interpretation of recurring themes within the two selected texts.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body covers the representation of people in the city, the creation of atmosphere through language, and the symbolic characterization of London as both a vibrant and an alienating space.
What key aspects characterize the author's portrayal of London?
Woolf's portrayal is characterized by its ambivalence, reflecting the tension between the beauty of the city's movement and the negative impacts of industrialization and modern anonymity.
Which keywords best describe the subject matter?
Key terms include Virginia Woolf, London, urban perception, focalization, symbolism, modernity, and social class.
How does "Oxford Street Tide" contrast with "Street Haunting" regarding narrators?
"Oxford Street Tide" utilizes polarized focalizers to represent conflicting viewpoints, whereas "Street Haunting" centers on one observer who experiences an ambivalent, shifting attitude toward the city.
What role does the "moralist" play in the essays?
The moralist represents traditional, conservative Victorian values and serves as a critical counterpart to the modern thinker who appreciates the changing face of London.
How is the "water" metaphor used in the context of the city?
Water is used as a polysemous metaphor representing both the vibrant life and sensation of the city and, simultaneously, the destructive or overwhelming forces of change.
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- Nicole Eismann (Autor:in), 2012, Virginia Woolf's London. The character of a city and its people, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/319149
