Orlando: A Biography

Front Cover
Oxford University Press, 2015 - Fiction - 230 pages
'I feel the need of an escapade after these serious poetic experimental books...I want to kick up my heels & be off.'

Orlando tells the tale of an extraordinary individual who lives through centuries of English history, first as a man, then as a woman; of his/her encounters with queens, kings, novelists, playwrights, and poets, and of his/her struggle to find fame and immortality not through actions, but through the written word. At its heart are the life and works of Woolf's friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, and Knole, the historic home of the Sackvilles. But as well as being a love letter to Vita, Orlando mocks the conventions of biography and history, teases the pretensions of contemporary men of letters, and wryly examines sexual double standards.

This new edition discusses Woolf's stylistic aims, the biographical parallels, and the work's literary context, and includes the original illustrations.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

 

Contents

Biographical Preface
vii
Introduction
xi
Note on the Text
xli
Select Bibliography
xlii
A Chronology of Virginia Woolf
xlvi
ORLANDO
1
Preface
5
Contents
7
List of Illustrations
9
orlando
11
Index
193
Explanatory Notes
195
List of Names
229
Copyright

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