A PATTERN OF IMAGERY IN VIRGINIA WOOLF'S WRITING

Abstract

Many critics have explored the close relationship which exists between the events of Virginia Woolf's life and her fictional work. The extensive amount of autobiographi cal material now available supports this field of study and encourages further exploration. Woolf's diary, letters and other memoirs reveal a continuity of the thought and "philo sophy" contained within her fiction, specifically in three consecutive novels composed during her most creative period- -To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and The Waves. This connection between autobiographical and fictional writing may be seen in Woolf's use of imagery. Specific groups of images found in these two genres illustrate Woolf's changing view of the artist's ability to create stability and permanence amidst the evanescence of daily life.