Virginia Woolf, Ethel Smyth, and the Construction of Women's Narratives in Literature and Music
Research or Creativity Area
Humanities & Arts
Abstract
Author Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), critically known as an early pioneer of the stream of consciousness narrative style in English texts, wrote dozens of letters, essays, and novels in her lifetime. Many of Woolf's works pertain to gender expression and feminism: though Woolf herself is not a completely unproblematic figure, her nuanced analysis of gendered limitations and social justice are widely acknowledged to be ahead of their time.
Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), prolific composer and English suffragette, was similarly gifted as a musician. She studied at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany at a young age, composed several concertos and operas, and wrote vivid memoirs about her time in the women's suffrage movement in 1910. Though critical reception of Smyth's works tends to be mixed, this is often acknowledged as an extension of rampant misogyny lobbied against her at the time.
This paper critically and comparatively analyzes the history of scholarship and narrative surrounding Virginia Woolf, Ethel Smyth, and their respective contributions to literature and music. Through blending analysis of two similar figures in two differing fields, it is possible to unearth and critically analyze the manner in which many modern discussions around historical women's contributions often fail to view them as more than tragic figures.
Location
Don and Karen DeRosa University Center (DUC) Room 211
Start Date
27-4-2024 11:00 AM
End Date
27-4-2024 11:15 AM
Virginia Woolf, Ethel Smyth, and the Construction of Women's Narratives in Literature and Music
Don and Karen DeRosa University Center (DUC) Room 211
Author Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), critically known as an early pioneer of the stream of consciousness narrative style in English texts, wrote dozens of letters, essays, and novels in her lifetime. Many of Woolf's works pertain to gender expression and feminism: though Woolf herself is not a completely unproblematic figure, her nuanced analysis of gendered limitations and social justice are widely acknowledged to be ahead of their time.
Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), prolific composer and English suffragette, was similarly gifted as a musician. She studied at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany at a young age, composed several concertos and operas, and wrote vivid memoirs about her time in the women's suffrage movement in 1910. Though critical reception of Smyth's works tends to be mixed, this is often acknowledged as an extension of rampant misogyny lobbied against her at the time.
This paper critically and comparatively analyzes the history of scholarship and narrative surrounding Virginia Woolf, Ethel Smyth, and their respective contributions to literature and music. Through blending analysis of two similar figures in two differing fields, it is possible to unearth and critically analyze the manner in which many modern discussions around historical women's contributions often fail to view them as more than tragic figures.
