Virginia Woolf - The Legacy (Overview)

When a married adult woman dies as well as leaves her married adult man her diary, all is possible. In Gilbert Clandon's case, the legacy his married adult woman leaves him is much to a greater extent than than he could ever direct hold imagined. 

Virginia Woolf signs an special curt story which questions the foundations of marriage, people's demand for communication past times whatsoever way possible and their inclusion inward a mutually beneficial partnership. When i reneges on that contract, the other volition essay novel outlets to grow, equally personal development inward whatsoever wedlock is inevitable. If that evolution is undertaken without whatsoever consideration for one's spouse, so problems volition unavoidably ensue.


The Legacy is a straightforward tale of love, loneliness, secrets, independence as well as sorrow that should brand readers wonder almost the the world of their intimate relationships. Interspersed amongst clues that atomic number 82 to the overwhelming conclusion, this story places readers inward almost the same shoes equally its main character, Gilbert Clandon, as well as like voyeurs, they peek over his shoulder as he's reading his wife's fifteen volumes of individual scribblings to reckon what this successful politician's wife has to say almost her life as well as death.

Before making usage of the next notes for assignments, discussions or exactly to banking concern tally my accept of Woolf's story, read the story here.

Virginia Woolf (picture past times George Charles Beresford, Wikipedia)

Virginia Woolf – The Legacy

Life

• 1882-1941, English

• one of the most influential Modernist writers

• one of the firstly to experiment amongst stream-of-consciousness technique

• her works are hailed equally feminist works

• suffered from depression, mental breakdowns, psychotic episodes (now experts say she suffered from bipolar disorder), attempting suicide a publish of times earlier succeeding inward 1941 (she placed stones inward the pockets of her overcoat as well as drowned inward a river close her Sussex home)

• most famous for To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway, Orlando, The Waves, as well as the non-fiction majority on the disempowerment of women over fourth dimension A Room of One’s Own

Setting

• 6 weeks after Angela’s death

• in Angela’s drawing room

• London (reference to Whitechapel, Piccadilly, Tower of London, the East End)

• modern historic menstruation (reference to cars)

• setting within the setting: diary places a story within the story, creating a flashback (place = same; fourth dimension changes)

Plot

• Angela Clandon stepped off the curb inward Piccadilly as well as was killed past times a automobile half-dozen weeks prior to the showtime of the story

• her husband, Gilbert Clandon, is waiting for Angela’s secretary, Sissy Miller, to give her a pearl brooch Angela left for her (among other things she left to diverse people)

• to him, she has left what he calls “nothing inward particular”, her light-green leather-bound diary (15 volumes)

• Sissy arrives as well as after giving her the brooch he asks if there’s whatsoever way he tin sack assist her inward future

• she offers her assist if he needs it at whatsoever fourth dimension amongst a meaningful await inward her eyes which he takes to hateful she has a surreptitious passion for him

• Gilbert reads his wife’s diary 

  • volume 1:

a) she’s proud to live his wife

b) 1^st yr he was running for Parliament: she’d toured his constituency amongst him, was overcome past times the applause he received

c) trip to Venice: went on vacation after his election; ate ices at Florians; she was eager to acquire because according to Gilbert she was “still such a child” as well as according to Angela “terribly ignorant”, which Gilbert says was i of her charms

• volume 2 

•  back inward London: she was anxious to brand a goodness impression on of import men 
•  Gilbert remembers her “making a conquest” of his chief, Sir Edward
•  dinner at the House of Commons
•  evening political party at the Lovegroves: Lady Lovegrove asks her if she realizes the responsibleness she has equally Gilbert’s married adult woman

•  later volumes:
• Gilbert = to a greater extent than absorbed inward his work, has a small-scale postal service inward government
•   she = to a greater extent than alone, no children, is certainly Gilbert volition locomote Prime Minister i day
•  she begins to locomote inward the East End after plucking upwards the courage to inquire for Gilbert’s permission
• he can’t empathise why she would wish to locomote in that location since she has her hands total taking tending of him as well as the house
• she wants to assist in that location because she feels useless, idle 
• he hated clothes she wore to Whitechapel every Wednesday

•  appearance of the letters B.M.
• Gilbert firstly supposes it’s a woman; so doesn’t experience threatened fifty-fifty when he sees initials refer to a man
• Angela tries to convince B.M. he’s incorrect almost the upper class; calls him narrow-minded
• she invites him to dinner; he shakes hands amongst Minnie the parlormaid (Gilbert scoffs at this)
• they both proceed outings together (Tower of London) + hash out politics, society, etc.
• B.M. talks badly of Gilbert (Angela has scratched the yell out of her diary): this is the betoken where the human relationship changes from platonic to to a greater extent than personal; he tells her almost his childhood
• gives her Marx to read 
• comes to dinner at the Clandon’s: “Luckily, I was alone.” (that night, Gilbert was giving a speech communication at the Mansion House dinner)

•  volume 15 (last volume)
• at dinner B.M. presses her to brand a decision: “He threatened that if I did non …”, residual of diary page covered amongst “Egypt” (we assume he asked her to elope)
• Angela writes him a letter, which goes unanswered
• “He has done what he threatened.”
• “Have I the courage to practise it too?”
•  Gilbert understands she killed herself (“He could reckon her inward forepart of him.”)
•  Gilbert calls Sissy Miller: she tells him B.M. was her brother, asks if she tin sack explicate anything

 

Characters

• Angela Clandon
• thinks of everyone as well as everything (left her affairs inward monastic say earlier committing suicide, marked what she wanted people to have)
• she was “a genius for sympathy”
• loved beautiful things that came amongst condition + living inward luxury: had rings, necklaces, brooches
• had a passion for lilliputian boxes: could imply she was a individual who kept secrets
• enjoyed having a distinguished husband
• adored Gilbert at first 
• naïve according to Gilbert
• innocent, shy, docile, submissive: blushes to inquire her husband’s permission to volunteer to assist others
• trapped inward an upper floor milieu that hides the existent Earth from her: she despises herself for living inward such luxury when she hears how B.M.”s woman nurture worked equally a charwoman
• changes equally a character
• becomes resolute, mistress of her ain fate
• draws away from Gilbert’s ‘education’ as well as learns almost the Earth from B.M. 
• from devoted married adult woman to assumed adulteress

• her suicide is for her an human activity of bravery as well as resolve

• Gilbert Clandon
•   politician
•  over 50 yrs old, distinguished-looking
•   has over-inflated ego / is self-centered:
• is only interested inward reading almost himself, skips parts where he’s non mentioned
• his hear wanders to his hereafter equally he’s reading his dead wife’s diary
• only remembers what he has said as well as done: can’t retrieve what the theatre looked similar the nighttime Angela had had B.M. over for dinner, whether she had waited upwards for him, if the chairs had been drawn unopen together
• thinks Sissy is secretly inward dear amongst him

• doesn’t realize what’s gone on around him for years
• doesn’t regret non having had children: believes his life has been full 
• still hopes to locomote of import politically (Prime Minister even)
• demeans his married adult woman (infantilizes her):
• believes Angela’s life is made upwards of trifles
• views her equally naïve, a child, ignorant, feeble-minded
• describes her handwriting equally “schoolgirl hand”

•   controlling: 
• wants to reckon what she was writing inward her diary; she should inquire for permission to volunteer inward the East End
• “If only she had discussed the affair amongst him, instead of puzzling her hapless lilliputian caput almost questions that were much likewise hard for her to understand!”

•  the ultimate snob:
• tells Sissy he hopes she has “other clothes upon which a pearl brooch would non await quite so incongruous.”
• “There were thousands of Sissy Millers – drab lilliputian women inward dark carrying attaché cases.”
• calls B.M. a “specimen”, formulates a tidy persuasion of him without fifty-fifty knowing him
• hated the clothes Angela wore to locomote to Whitechapel
• sarcastically notes that B.M. “it seemed, wasn’t used to parlourmaids” 
• concludes B.M. had “never done an honest day’s locomote inward his life”
• when he calls Sissy, he notes the “cheap clock ticking on her mantelpiece”

•  does he change? 
• the story ends amongst his epiphany, but volition he alter his ways because of what he has read?

 

• Sissy Miller
• Angela’s devoted secretarial assistant for many years: “Angela had been much to a greater extent than to her than an employer.”
• shared a special human relationship amongst Angela: she left Sissy a pearl brooch amongst inscription “For Sissy Miller, amongst my love.” (see Symbolism department below)
• she is the “soul of discretion; so silent; so trustworthy, i could tell her anything…”
• she was inward tears over Angela’s death
• sister to B.M.

 

• B.M. 
• Sissy’s brother
• Angela’s lover
• working floor radical / Socialist / revolutionary: hates the upper floor but is open-minded plenty to autumn inward dear amongst someone belonging to the upper class
• opens Angela’s eyes to the Earth + the plight of the working class
• mother was a charwoman: story of his childhood makes Angela sick of her way of life
• commits suicide because Angela won’t exit Gilbert to locomote off amongst him (we assume he has asked her to flee to Egypt amongst him)

 

Point of see

• third individual limited
• use of “he”
• we reckon Gilbert’s thoughts 
• stream-of-consciousness technique used to reveal emotions as well as dialogue: 
• “It was similar Angela to direct hold remembered fifty-fifty Sissy Miller …”
•  “He knew, he said, that she would value it. His married adult woman had oftentimes worn it. . .. And she replied, equally she took it almost equally if she likewise had prepared a speech, that it would ever live a treasured possession. . .. She had, he supposed, other clothes upon which a pearl brooch would non await quite so incongruous. She was wearing the lilliputian dark coat as well as skirt that seemed the uniform of her profession. Then he remembered-she was inward mourning, of course. She, too, had had her tragedy-a brother, to who m she was devoted, had died only a calendar week or 2 earlier Angela. In some accident was it? He could non remember-only Angela telling him.”
• last purpose of her diary is all narrated using stream-of-consciousness 

•   1^st person
• diary presents this narrative mode
• what nosotros direct hold is firstly individual narration from Angela’s betoken of see interpolated amongst comments from Gilbert narrated inward 3rd person 
• it almost seems equally if he’s telling the story inward 1^st individual if it hadn’t been for the words “he” as well as “Gilbert”

• Woolf lets readers simultaneously reckon things through his hear + through the diary how dissimilar his married adult woman becomes

 

Angela-Gilbert relationship

• parallel created betwixt deterioration of their wedlock and 
•   Gilbert’s increasing self-absorption
•  Angela’s demand for fellowship + nutrient for thought (since Gilbert doesn’t direct hold fourth dimension to demo her the world, she is receptive to someone else’s guidance)

• story superposed past times diary shows evolution of both characters
• Gilbert’s statements of certainty locomote infinite questions
• Angela’s openness + candor locomote secrets (i.e. she gains her independence/own space)

• Woolf’s criticism: 
• men & women come inward wedlock on uneven floor (men are required to know more; women are ornaments) which creates tensions when women strive to acquire or limited their thoughts
• men & women to a greater extent than oftentimes than non come inward wedlock non really knowing each other; wedlock = contract/marriage of convenience

Tone

• ironic
•   situational irony: 
• readers are told of Angela’s accidental decease ⇒ they realize she committed suicide
• readers + Gilbert reckon Angela’s admiration at the start of her diary entries ⇒ she died to escape him

•  dramatic irony: 
• readers tin sack reckon where Angela’s human relationship amongst B.M. is headed, but Gilbert doesn’t: it’s ironic that the human being he detests as well as writes off turns out to live the i Angela died for

Suspense

• created past times the story within the story (diary within the story itself)
• readers experience thrill of 
• slowly seeing the tale unfold earlier them (as amongst whatsoever story read for the firstly time)
• seeing Gilbert realize the truth almost his wife’s affair as well as death

• time switch: diary creates a flashback = readers direct hold to hold back until the cease when the story switches to the introduce to bring together the pieces together 

• quick measurement adds to suspense
• Gilbert jumps from i majority to the next: insignificant details are left out inward this way, Woolf cuts to the chase/gets to the juicy bits

• implied versus explicit details given to increase reader’s anticipation
• initials “B.M.”
• bits that direct hold been scratched out or scored over
• we assume the scratched out yell was Gilbert’s
• “Egypt” written on a page leaves readers amongst yet some other implied clue

 

Themes

• marriage
• marriage of convenience: political epitome for Gilbert, ameliorate social condition for Angela
• development of spouses way after years you lot don’t know who the other individual is
• idea of partnership:
•  at the start of the marriage, Gilbert + Angela were partners who ‘helped’ i some other create a goodness epitome (each reached their destination ⇒ Gilbert had a lovely married adult woman he could demo off to his constituents as well as colleagues; Angela had all the fine dresses, jewellery, trips a adult woman of her social floor could wish as well as dazzled Gilbert’s colleagues, e.g. one-time Sir Edward)
• Angela withdrew from the partnership i time she saw Gilbert practise so equally well
•  he reneges on his duty to virile individual nurture children
•   he goes to dinners on his own

• Angela thus turns to social locomote + partners upwards amongst B.M. 
• conclusion: wedlock equally a partnership is based on implicit or explicit mutual agreement that both parties portion experiences 
• when Angela can’t share, she has her diary to plough to

• writing
• implies loneliness: Angela has no i to portion her innermost thoughts amongst so turns to writing
• means of escape & companionship
• means of putting one’s thoughts inward monastic say past times formulating words to limited them
• means of baring one’s soul to oneself: the importance of the mirror
• diary acts equally a reflection of herself: it’s equally if she is reading her hear when she records memories that volition live re-read past times her (and eventually someone else if she decides to portion her diary)
• diary equally a mirror shows a person’s demand to reckon who they are (when you lot gaze at yourself inward the mirror, it’s to reckon how you lot await so you lot tin sack brand small-scale adjustments)
• the keeping of a diary made Angela plough within herself, reckon who she was as well as brand adjustments 

• suicide
• courageous human activity inward Angela’s eyes: “Have I the courage to practise it too?”
• is suicide a victory or defeat for Angela?
•  victory = 
• she escapes Gilbert
• her suicide is a tilt almost what she thinks of existence a successful man’s wife, living a privileged life, having beautiful dresses, accessories, meals, influential acquaintances
• has done sth without yell for Gilbert almost it first
• the human activity itself is an affirmation of her independence

•   defeat =
• she dies: she doesn’t gain anything 
• she took the coward’s way out 
• she doesn’t stand upwards up to Gilbert as well as society, but escapes it
• she doesn’t wish to endangerment staying alone/ doesn’t believe she volition eventually run into someone else as well as autumn inward dear again
• she mightiness non experience herself worthy of existence loved past times someone else

• B.M.’s suicide
• too melodramatic: a revolutionary similar him would maintain on fighting, strive to convey almost change
• the courageous thing would live to stick to the conception of convincing Angela to exit her husband
• how could he exit Angela behind amongst the weight of his suicide on her conscience?
• his suicide tin sack only live seen equally a defeat for him (based on the grapheme clues nosotros direct hold of him = the fighter gives in)

 

Symbolism

• pearl brooch
• in the 18^th – 19^th centuries:
• the Georgians as well as Victorians were intrigued past times the concept of mortality as well as the after-life
• mourning brooches were firstly worn to limited bereavement
• later sweetheart brooches were given to loved ones equally keepsakes + symbols of affection

• the significance of pearls:
• pearls accept many years to shape and, similar Angela’s “passion for lilliputian boxes”, prepare inward fourth dimension inward a little protective, shelled environment 
• being hard to find, they were highly valued 
• they symbolize wisdom gained from experience, purity, integrity, loyalty

• diary
• the printed intelligence when no words are able to live said = it is a legacy
• has the utmost value since it is bequeathed to someone; shows deceased’s feelings regarding the heir

• diary = truth = freedom
• Angela’s only way of expressing her thoughts were through the diary
• it was the only thing she kept from Gilbert (the only argue they quarrelled, equally Gilbert noted) important it was the only thing Gilbert couldn’t control
• what she wrote inward the diary was the truth of her existence
• she was gratis to write whatever she wanted

• in the end, past times giving the diary to Gilbert she allowed him to reckon her for what she actually was 
• alternative interpretation: diary is non vindictive
• it’s a way for Angela to portion amongst Gilbert over again ⇒ she is able to connect amongst him now, sth impossible when she was live (see above: subject of marriage)
• though in that location is an chemical element of bitterness implied inward it, it is Angela’s most prized possession where she kept her innermost thoughts as well as feelings: the fact that she left it to Gilbert as well as non Sissy Miller says sth
• her diary is in that location to assist brand Gilbert a ameliorate man: Angela is opening Gilbert’s eyes to his narcissism, giving him the gamble to reckon his faults as well as right them

 

Title

• word “legacy” mentioned twice inward the story: paragraph three & final paragraph
• creates a neat connection betwixt showtime as well as cease which reflects Angela’s wish for monastic say (how she labelled all the tokens she had left for those she cared about)
• the intelligence is straight linked to the diary (focal betoken of the curt story)
• “To him, of course, she had left zippo inward particular, unless it were her diary… So she had left it him, equally her legacy.”
• “He had received his legacy. She had told him the truth. ”

• what truths are legated to Gilbert?
• Angela hadn’t shared everything amongst him equally he believed
• Angela wasn’t so “terribly ignorant”
• her eagerness to acquire was what drew her to B.M. i time Gilbert stopped paying attending to her as well as spent to a greater extent than fourth dimension worrying almost his political career (so the affair was Gilbert’s error inward part)
• Angela’s “trifles” were an affair (where he came out the cuckold)
• Angela industrial plant life the lower-class people of Whitechapel to a greater extent than worthy of attention, tending as well as honor than Gilbert, their marriage, their habitation (i.e. Gilbert wasn’t the most of import thing to her; the lower floor managed to acquire the ameliorate of him)
• what started out equally adoration for her husband, ends amongst her terminating her life for some other man
• a human being who seemed so beneath him managed to live so alluring that Angela willingly gave upwards her life to live amongst him
• Angela’s peachy dear was B.M. & she committed suicide to escape from living a life amongst Gilbert (existence amongst him was so insufferable, she had to escape)

 

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