On Being Ill

ISBN: 1930464061

Author: Woolf, Virginia

Condition: New

In this poignant and humorous work, Virginia Woolf observes that though illness is part of every human beings experience, it has never been the subject of literaturelike the more acceptable subjects of war and love. We cannot quote Shakespeare to describe a headache. We must, Woolf says, invent language to describe pain. And though illness enhances our perceptions, she observes that it reduces self-consciousness; it is "the great confessional." Woolf discusses the cultural taboos associated with illness and explores how illness changes the way we read. Poems clarify and astonish, Shakespeare exudes new brilliance, and so does melodramatic fiction!On Being Ill was published as an individual volume by Hogarth Press in 1930. While other Woolf essays, such as A Room of Ones Own and Three Guineas, were first published by Hogarth as individual volumes and have since been widely available, On Being Ill has been overlooked. The Paris Press edition features original cover art by Woolfs sister, the painter Vanessa Bell. Hermione Lees Introduction discusses this extraordinary work, and explores Woolfs revelations about poetry, language, and illness.