Woolf’s Dialogue with the New Sciences
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In this paper I will argue that Woolf’s narrative strategies in her short stories, especially the distance with which she describes reality, have been influenced by the scientific and philosophical context of her time. Indeed, Russell wrote about the multiperspectival nature of reality which included empty and occupied perspectives, the former implying an absent but potential observer. Besides, astronomy developed fully in the early twentieth century as scientists like Jeans and Hubble explored the limits of the universe thanks to the evolving technology. One often has the impression that reality in Woolf’s short fiction is depicted by a distant narrator who seems to be looking at the external world through a telescope, a powerful device which also helps to look back in time, sometimes plunging the reader in a ghostly atmosphere.
Source: OpenEdition (OpenEdition)
DOI: 10.4000/12cws
Author: Bail, Anne-Sophie Le
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7006841709
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