Freshwater: A Comedy
by Virginia Woolf
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Description
Virginia Woolf's only play-a hilarious farce taken from the life of her great-aunt, Julia Margaret Cameron, the famous Victorian photographer. It was first performed at Vanessa Bell's London studio in 1935 as one of Bloomsbury's theatrical evenings and later, in New York, in a star-studded French production. Edited and with a Preface by Lucio P. Ruotolo; drawings by Edward Gorey.Tags
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KayCliff Both are set in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight in mid 19c, comically featuring the notables there at that time - Tennyson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Ellen Terry, Dodgson ...
Member Reviews
Virginia Woolf’s only play was written as a comedy performed by and for friends, seemingly full of inside jokes, nevertheless quite entertaining and based on surprisingly accurate historical facts. The play is about Woolf’s great-aunt, Julia Cameron, photographer; and her highly intellectual friends, Alfred Tennyson, the poet, and G. F. Watts, the painter. She pokes fun at Tennyson’s morbid themes and long poems, and their symbolism, such as wings (off a turkey). There is a porpoise, a marmoset, and the Queen herself. Woolf’s friends must have had great fun.
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ThingScore 75
In another age this airy morsel would have been printed in a collection of minor works rather than launched under its own steam at seven dollars, amid solemn assertions that it ""reveals Virginia Woolf's great talent for comedy."" It is handsomely presented here in the complete texts of what are thought to be the 1923 and 1935 versions.
added by Nickelini
Author Information
647+ Works 118,882 Members
Virginia Woolf was born in London, England on January 25, 1882. She was the daughter of the prominent literary critic Leslie Stephen. Her early education was obtained at home through her parents and governesses. After death of her father in 1904, her family moved to Bloomsbury, where they formed the nucleus of the Bloomsbury Group, a circle of show more philosophers, writers, and artists. During her lifetime, she wrote both fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels included Jacob's Room, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and Between the Acts. Her non-fiction books included The Common Reader, A Room of One's Own, Three Guineas, The Captain's Death Bed and Other Essays, and The Death of the Moth and Other Essays. Having had periods of depression throughout her life and fearing a final mental breakdown from which she might not recover, Woolf drowned herself on March 28, 1941 at the age of 59. Her husband published part of her farewell letter to deny that she had taken her life because she could not face the terrible times of war. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Freshwater
- Original title
- Freshwater
- Original publication date
- 1976
- People/Characters
- Charles Hay Cameron; George Frederick Watts, RA; Ellen Terry; Alfred Lord Tennyson; Mary Magdalen; Lieutenant John Craig (show all 10); Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom; Julia Margaret Cameron; the Marmozet; the Porpoise
- Important places
- Dimbola (Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight, England)
- First words
- A studio. MRS. CAMERON washing MR. CAMERON's head. ELLEN TERRY on the model's throne posing to WATTS for Modesty at the feet of Mammon.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)May the spirit of the blessed Albert look down and preserve us all.
CURTAIN - Original language*
- Anglès
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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Statistics
- Members
- 219
- Popularity
- 148,522
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.19)
- Languages
- 7 — Catalan, Chinese, Czech, English, French, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 3
