Oh Tash, I couldn't agree more. - 'almost no record of the daily drama of the body'. There was a time in my life I wouldn't have even noticed, but now beset with an unreliable bladder I'm constantly questioning fictional characters about neglecting the needs of theirs. As in, 'What? You're just grabbing your coat and flying out the door? Shouldn't you pay a visit to the toilet first, just in case?' But no, no-one goes to the toilet in fiction. Ever. Okay, Philip Roth's father in 'Portnoy's Complaint' spends an inordinate amount of time there, but he's the only one I can think of, and I seem to remember that was due to a dietary insufficiency, or an over-sufficiency of liver. And we all know about Roth and liver.
BUT ... 'A Month in the Country', yes! Loved it. A fresh-faced Colin Firth? I'll leave no stone unturned.
Great post Tash, & thanks for the shout out. Glad you enjoyed Excellent Women and my piece on Barbara Pym is paywall-free this month as it’s (ahem) Spinster September (more in my forthcoming post!)
Good idea! Are there any in particular you'd like to delve into?
I was actually thinking of doing another Katherine Mansfield story (I previously wrote about her story *Marriage a la Mode* here: https://virginiawoolfreadinggroup.substack.com/s/interludes). Mansfield is just a master of the form. Perhaps 'The Garden Party' due to its parallels with Mrs Dalloway...
Work through the whole lot one by one, why not - apart from 'The Ladies' Lavatory' which is still in copyright... 'A haunted house' is only 700 words, quite short enough to transcribe into a Substack post / email. I just read 'Moments of Being' which is a love story. And just haven't read 'The Lady in the Looking-Glass' (2200 words) but very taken with its punning subtitle ('A reflection', honestly Mrs Woolf!) and opening sentence 'People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime.'
Mansfield - 'A cup of tea' was up on Substack yesterday, at 'Beyond Bloomsbury' (Victoria K Walker). https://beyondbloomsbury.substack.com/p/katherine-mansfield-a-cup-of-tea . Preceded by 'The mark on the wall' using your (well Duncan Grant's) cover picture. Does 'The Shooting Party' make a pair with 'The Garden Party' I wonder?
So many excellent options. Actually, you've made me feel quite excited by the possibilities! Yes, The Lady in the Looking-Glass is a good one. I haven't read Moments of Being. There are also, of course, a bunch of stories connected to Mrs Dalloway's party (The New Dress, The Introduction, Together and Apart, The Man Who Loved His Kind, A Summing Up.)
And yes, I saw Victoria post 'A Cup of Tea' and immediately read it. It was new to me. Very good stuff!
Just built my own Woolf short stories ebook with a proper V Bell cover and reading through slowly. All so far are good did she ever write a bad one? And surprisingly they all have endings, a bit of a twist or surprise.
I couldn’t keep up with the June reading but Mrs. Dalloway is my current read, with your analysis and discussions keeping me company. Now that I know you’ll be reading To the Lighthouse in February, I can prepare in advance to keep up in real time this time. Also hope you’ve healed and are better now 💛
Tash! I had missed this notification, and I was wondering where the traffic came for. Thank you!!!!
Oh good - I'm glad people clicked through! Very interested to read some Italian literature (it's a huge gap for me). I'll do my best to tune in!
We'll be glad to have you, but no pressure! And I really need to find a moment to read Virginia's essay too.
Oh Tash, I couldn't agree more. - 'almost no record of the daily drama of the body'. There was a time in my life I wouldn't have even noticed, but now beset with an unreliable bladder I'm constantly questioning fictional characters about neglecting the needs of theirs. As in, 'What? You're just grabbing your coat and flying out the door? Shouldn't you pay a visit to the toilet first, just in case?' But no, no-one goes to the toilet in fiction. Ever. Okay, Philip Roth's father in 'Portnoy's Complaint' spends an inordinate amount of time there, but he's the only one I can think of, and I seem to remember that was due to a dietary insufficiency, or an over-sufficiency of liver. And we all know about Roth and liver.
BUT ... 'A Month in the Country', yes! Loved it. A fresh-faced Colin Firth? I'll leave no stone unturned.
Haha, so true! There's a whole private life of the body being neglected by literature!
Let me know if you make any progress with fresh-faced Colin Firth. I have turned over many stones without success... The movie is nowhere!
Great post Tash, & thanks for the shout out. Glad you enjoyed Excellent Women and my piece on Barbara Pym is paywall-free this month as it’s (ahem) Spinster September (more in my forthcoming post!)
Spinster September. Haha. Just fabulous! I can't wait to hear more!
How about a Woolf short story or two to tide us over?
Good idea! Are there any in particular you'd like to delve into?
I was actually thinking of doing another Katherine Mansfield story (I previously wrote about her story *Marriage a la Mode* here: https://virginiawoolfreadinggroup.substack.com/s/interludes). Mansfield is just a master of the form. Perhaps 'The Garden Party' due to its parallels with Mrs Dalloway...
Work through the whole lot one by one, why not - apart from 'The Ladies' Lavatory' which is still in copyright... 'A haunted house' is only 700 words, quite short enough to transcribe into a Substack post / email. I just read 'Moments of Being' which is a love story. And just haven't read 'The Lady in the Looking-Glass' (2200 words) but very taken with its punning subtitle ('A reflection', honestly Mrs Woolf!) and opening sentence 'People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime.'
Mansfield - 'A cup of tea' was up on Substack yesterday, at 'Beyond Bloomsbury' (Victoria K Walker). https://beyondbloomsbury.substack.com/p/katherine-mansfield-a-cup-of-tea . Preceded by 'The mark on the wall' using your (well Duncan Grant's) cover picture. Does 'The Shooting Party' make a pair with 'The Garden Party' I wonder?
So many excellent options. Actually, you've made me feel quite excited by the possibilities! Yes, The Lady in the Looking-Glass is a good one. I haven't read Moments of Being. There are also, of course, a bunch of stories connected to Mrs Dalloway's party (The New Dress, The Introduction, Together and Apart, The Man Who Loved His Kind, A Summing Up.)
And yes, I saw Victoria post 'A Cup of Tea' and immediately read it. It was new to me. Very good stuff!
Just built my own Woolf short stories ebook with a proper V Bell cover and reading through slowly. All so far are good did she ever write a bad one? And surprisingly they all have endings, a bit of a twist or surprise.
I'm so glad you enjoyed 'A Month in the Country' Tash!
Little gem!
I couldn’t keep up with the June reading but Mrs. Dalloway is my current read, with your analysis and discussions keeping me company. Now that I know you’ll be reading To the Lighthouse in February, I can prepare in advance to keep up in real time this time. Also hope you’ve healed and are better now 💛
Oh, I'm so glad you're reading Mrs Dalloway, Aparichita - I hope it goes well for you!