Today we will talk about the tragic life and brilliant work of one of the most important authors of the twentieth century and one of the great renovators of the modern novel. The name of this magnificent writer is at the level of other greats such as James Joyce, Franz Kafka or Thomas Mann, has innovated in his works using the depth of the inner monologue, a literary resource that has been able to perfect and that immerses us in the most intimate thoughts of his characters. We’re talking about the fascinating Virginia Woolf.
His life was a reflection of the damaging silences they were trying to hide, something that still happens today: the horror and devastating consequences of sexual abuse on children, in this way her terrible story was tinged by an absurd fog, virginia Woolf is said. inherited a mental illness.
- It was also said to be too sensitive to the normal concussions of life.
- Even today.
- The idea remains that the incestuous sexual abuse she has suffered since she was a child was not the cause of the psychosis she suffered during her lifetime.
- And that this was not why she ended up committing suicide.
- Fortunately.
- We can say that all this was false.
- The source of Virginia Woolf’s disease was sexual and psychological abuse at an early age.
Join us in discovering the life and work of a revolutionary woman; of a woman who managed to put a man in the shoes of a woman with the play “Orlando”, and who dared to claim his right to have his own space.
Little Virginia Woolf was born in London on January 25, 1882, the result of a complicated but well-connected marriage, however, when she arrived in the world, her parents already had several older children from previous marriages. famous editor, critic and biographer.
Virginia did not remember a single day when her mother would pay attention to her or stay with her for a while, her father was an intimidating figure to her. Thus, the home of his childhood, although a meeting place of the best literature of the time, was for Virginia a prison.
The untimely death of his mother, one of his sisters and then his father left a profound impression in Virginia. The loss of loved ones is always traumatic, but in this case, his father forbade relatives to speak under no circumstances of those who had Thus, began to forge a terrible gag for young Virginia, who was forced from an early age not to express emotion.
After his father’s death, he moved in with his brothers, at this stage he began to suffer complex psychotic episodes that he managed to overcome momentarily, but which were repeated.
His new home in Bloomsbury has become a meeting place for his older brother’s former college classmates, including intellectuals such as Bertrand Russell, all a group of novelists, poets and painters, known as Bloomsbury Circle. man who would later become her husband: Leonard Woolf.
Virginia Woolf married at the age of thirty, by then I had already gone through several nervous breakdowns followed by deep depressive states, her husband kept a diary of his emotional states, however Virginia has found in literature a haven of peace. to bring their horrific repressed experiences and emotions to life.
The relationship with her husband was very strong. Together, in 1917, they created the publishing house Horgarth Press, which successfully published the works of Virginia Woolf and other great authors such as Katherine Mansfield, TS Eliot, Sigmund Freud and Laurens van der Post.
Virginia Woolf began to be sexually abused and incestuous at the age of seven at the hands of her two siblings, both nearly twenty years her senior, this has already happened when your parents were still alive, although Virginia never talked about the horrendous crime she committed. suffered, everyone may realize their suffering.
He has been speaking and writing openly since he was ten years old, it was a type of extremely traumatic abuse, with and without penetration, that lasted up to twenty-four years, a known secret, but which everyone around him ignored.
Virginia Woolf developed a mental illness known today as bipolar disorder. After completing the manuscript of his last novel, Woolf fell into a depression similar to that he had suffered in the past. In addition, the outbreak of World War II and the destruction of his London home aggravated his condition and he felt unable to work.
On 28 March 1941 Woolf put on his coat, filled his pockets with stones and threw himself into the Ouse River near his home, the end of his suffering by keeping himself silent forever. She wrote a final letter, to her husband saying:
“I feel like I’m going to go crazy. I don’t think we can relive one of those terrible moments. And I won’t be able to recover this time. I’m starting to hear voices and I can’t. “So I’m doing what I think is the best I can do. I can’t fight anymore. You see, I can’t even write this correctly. I can’t read. I’ve lost everything except for the certainty of your kindness. I can’t ruin your life anymore. I don’t think two people can be happier than you and me. Virginia Woolf?
Today, psychologists, psychiatrists and educators know and understand the serious psychological consequences suffered by children and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse. Fortunately, many academic studies approve and eventually confirm that the cause of Virginia’s emotional instability was the abuse suffered by its two halves. -brothers.
However, this happened with the taci consent of those who had allegedly protected him. Abuse was the true cause of Virginia Woolf’s mental disorder, not the legacy of a mental illness or his “weak” personality.
Today, at last, we can speak clearly about child sexual abuse. Dangerous attempts to minimize totally intolerable and unjustifiable behaviors and situations must be stopped once and for all.
Therefore, there is no weighty reason to assume that Virginia Woolf inherited a mental illness. It is much more plausible to assume that responsibility for their emotional problems must be assumed by those who have sexually and incestinally abused them, as well as by those who have allowed this to happen.
Virginia Woolf’s history of sexual victimization was examined as part of a case study on the impact of sexual abuse on children on human development. Many of Woolf’s mental health symptoms are consistent with clinical literature on child sexual abuse. Understanding the clinical case of Virginia Woolf is important for doctors and researchers interested in the dynamics of child sexual abuse.
Despite the tragic nature of her life, Virginia Woolf left an important mark on literature and women’s struggle for equality with men. With her famous essay “A Roof of His own”, Woolf clarified the problem of women. There was no economic independence for women. Women needed their independence to have their own space and, in Virginia’s case, their own place to write novels with ease.
With Orlando’s romance he dared to put a man in the shoes of a woman, in this way he showed the world how the same person could be more male than woman, he dared to talk about taboos such as homosexuality and sexuality. Other notable works include As Ondas and Ms. Dalloway.
Virginia was definitely a woman punished for her time, her surroundings and her silence; Let this serve as an example today: we must not blame the victim, but give voice to those who are being abused.