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"This new study of the relationship of Leonard and Virginia Woolf is based on two controversial assumptions: that 'Bloomsbury' never existed and that Virginia Woolf does not deserve her reputation as one of the greatest figures of English literary history. Aiming to restore perceptions of Leonard and Virginia Woolf to a more realistic level, without undermining their considerable achievements, Peter Alexander focuses on the surprising literary influence which Leonard and Virginia had on each other and the difficult yet fruitful partnership which they forged." "Clearly, Leonard Woolf had a profound effect on Virginia's writing, not merely in caring for her and providing the circumstances in which she could write, but in offering her a model of sensibility so different from her own that she was continually reacting against it, or (more damagingly) trying to emulate it. For her part, Virginia stimulated Leonard into writing novels, provided him with compelling subject matter through her prejudiced reactions to himself, and ultimately influenced not only the course of his writing, but even the style of his late autobiography." "Making extensive use of both unpublished and recently published material, including Leonard Woolf's letters and Virginia Woolf's early journals, this illustrated book combines the intellectual energy of a critical study with the excitement and narrative drive of a groundbreaking biography."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved