Virginia Woolf A to Z: A Comprehensive Reference for Students, Teachers, and Common Readers to Her Life, Work, and Critical Reception (Literary a to Z's) [Paperback]

Mark Hussey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 1996 | Series: Literary a to Z's

Her revolutionary novels and essays have inspired generations of feminists, and her life has aroused both interest and speculation. In Virginia Woolf A-Z, the author's works and autobiographical writings are set in the context of her infamous social milieu. Eight "family" trees map out the complicated relationships and living arrangements of the Bloomsbury Group, and a chronology gives a quick overview of the major events of Woolf's life. With over 1,300 entries and fifty illustrations, this desktop companion is the ideal antidote to those afraid of Virginia Woolf, and valuable beyond measure to those already familiar with her work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Intended primarily for 'readers who are new to the work of Virginia Woolf,' Hussey's encyclopedia, the first on Woolf, will nonetheless delight veteran scholars as well, providing both groups with a wealth of basic information about Woolf's works, critical reception, influences, life and times, friends, and family."--Choice

"A brilliant compendium equally important and useful for specialists and common readers. Anyone who loves, teaches or studies Woolf and the Bloomsberries will find this entertaining and erudite work indispensable."--Louise DeSalvo, author of Virginia Woolf: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Her Life and Work

About the Author

Mark Hussey, Associate Professor of English at Pace University, has written and edited many books and articles on Virginia Woolf, including The Singing of the Real World: The Philosophy of Virginia Woolf's Fiction. He is also an editor of Woolf Studies Annual and Virginia Woolf Miscellany.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Oxford Univ Press Ppbk 1996 edition (November 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195110277
• ISBN-13: 978-0195110272
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, August 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Virginia Woolf A to Z: A Comprehensive Reference for Students, Teachers, and Common Readers to Her Life, Work, and Critical Reception (Literary a to Z's) (Paperback)

This book supplemented a course I took on the works of Woolf. It is filled with interesting background material and helpful character biographies. Hussey skillfully condensed volumes of biographical and critical work on Woolf into one, user-friendly manual.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must!, December 31, 2006

By 

Bruce Oksol "oksol" (San Antonio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Virginia Woolf A to Z: A Comprehensive Reference for Students, Teachers, and Common Readers to Her Life, Work, and Critical Reception (Literary a to Z's) (Paperback)

Having the appearance of a coffee-table book, Mark Hussey's "Virginia Woolf: A To Z" belies a very serious and comprehensive book.

In addition to all the expected entries, the book includes photographs of the dust jackets of her works; an exhaustive (17 pages) of the works cited by the author; that list arranged alphabetically and topically; a most comprehensive topical list of entries; a comprehensive (8 charts) of genealogies (to include Leslie Stephen, Harriet Thackeray, Julia Prinsep (her mother), Leonard, Duncan Grant and Lytton Strachey, and Roger Fry; and, of course, a most excellent index.

If there is any question whether this is simply a showy coffee-table book or a serious work of scholarship, all one needs to do is read, not just glance, but actually read the 15 pages devoted to "The Waves."

I originally bought this book to add to my Virginia Woolf library, but I now realize what a treasure this book is. Highly, highly recommend it for all students of Woolf, whether novices or seasoned.