Virginia Woolf: A Portrait

Essayist, novelist (The Economic Horror), and literary critic Forrester (1925–2013) contends that Virginia Woolf's genius and "the timelessness, the power, the marvel of her work…becomes secondary" and trivialized when considered amid the assertions made in Quentin Bell's authorized biography of Woolf, his aunt. Additionally, according to Forrester, Bell's account exactly reflects Leonard Woolf's perception of his wife's madness. Through careful reading of Virginia's diaries and letters, as well as the memoirs, autobiographies, journals, and letters of her circle of family and friends, the author presents a compelling argument to discredit the myth of madness created by Leonard and supported by Bell. The intriguing text encourages sympathy for Woolf and her struggle to understand her place in the world; this struggle is portrayed in her body of work—and Forrester extends her argument with many examples. The volume is divided into five parts loosely chronicling Woolf's life (1882–1941) while providing illuminating descriptions of her father, Leslie Stephen; Leonard; and her sister, Vanessa Bell.