Virginia Woolf and the Discourse of Science The Aesthetics of Astronomy [Hardcover]

This book investigates how advances in astronomy in the early twentieth century had a shaping effect on Woolf's literature.Henry investigates how advances in astronomy in the early twentieth century had a shaping effect on Woolf's literature and aesthetics as well as on the work of modernist British writers including Vita Sackville-West, H. G. Wells, and T. S. Eliot. In re-evaluating the cultural context out of which Modernism emerged, Henry contends that Woolf, through her own fascination with astronomy, formulated a global vision that helped shape her fiction and her pacifist politics. Henry's study includes examinations of unpublished scientific and literary archival material and sheds new light on Woolf's texts.Henry investigates how advances in astronomy in the early twentieth century had a shaping effect on Woolf's literature and aesthetics as well as on the work of modernist British writers including Vita Sackville-West, H. G. Wells, and T. S. Eliot. In re-evaluating the cultural context out of which Modernism emerged, Henry contends that Woolf, through her own fascination with astronomy, formulated a global vision that helped shape her fiction and her pacifist politics. Henry's study includes examinations of unpublished scientific and literary archival material and sheds new light on Woolf's texts.Holly Henry investigates how advances in astronomy in the early twentieth century influenced Woolf's literature and aesthetics and the work of such modernist British writers as Vita Sackville-West, H.G. Wells, and T.S. Eliot. In re-evaluating the cultural context out of which Modernism emerged, Henry contends that Woolf formulated a global vision that helped shape her fiction and her pacifist politics through her fascination with astronomy. Henry's study includes revealing examinations of unpublished scientific and literary archival material.List of illustrations; Preface; Acknowledgments; List of abbreviations; Introduction: formulating a global aesthetic; 1. Starl£|