Faulty Woolf? Exploring the Fault Lines of Virginia Woolf’s Heritage in the British Culture/Statue Wars

Valérie Favre (1, 2)

1 LCE - Langues et Cultures Européennes
2 UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2

In her 1931 essay devoted to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Virginia Woolf argues “her ‘intention’ survives; the interest of her theory redeems much that is faulty in her practice”. One could wonder to what degree that statement and its reversed alternative – “the interest of her practice redeems much that is faulty in her theory” – apply to the contemporary reception of Virginia Woolf herself. This paper attempted to answer that question by exploring how the fault lines of Woolf’s heritage run alongside the intersectional fractures of gender, class and race that pervade British culture, while focusing on the “statue wars” Woolf was drawn into in February 2022, as Camden council put Woolf’s bust in Tavistock Square under review.

Mots clés: Virginia Woolf; Feminist cultural studies; Reception studies; Intersectionality; Statue and literature

Domaines: Littératures; Etudes sur le genre

Valérie Favre. Faulty Woolf? Exploring the Fault Lines of Virginia Woolf’s Heritage in the British Culture/Statue Wars. “Failles – Fault & Fault Lines” 61e congrès de la SAES. Atelier SEAC & Nouvelle Anglaise, Vanessa Guignery; Gérald Preher, Jun 2022, Clermont-Ferrand, France. ⟨halshs-03688858⟩