Download or read book Virginia Woolf's Novels and the Literary Past written by Jane de Gay and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-25 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to explore Virginia Woolf's preoccupation with the literary past and its profound impact on the content and structure of her novels.It analyses Woolf's reading and writing practices via her essays, diaries and reading notebooks and presents chronological studies of eight of her novels, exploring how Woolf's intensive reading surfaced in her fiction. The book sheds light on Woolf's varied and intricate use of literary allusions; examines ways in which Woolf revisited and revised plots and tropes from earlier fiction; and looks at how she used parody as a means both of critical comment and homage.