Why a Booktrail?
1881 – 1924 : Sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf have long been celebrated for their central roles in the development of modernism in art and literature. Yet their private lives were just as experimental…
Living in Squares, Loving in Triangles
What you need to know before your trail
Sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf have long been celebrated for their central roles in the development of modernism in art and literature. Vanessa’s experimental work places her at the vanguard of early twentieth-century art, as does her role in helping introduce many key names – Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso – to an unsuspecting public in 1910. Virginia took these artistic innovations and applied them to literature, pushing the boundaries of form, narrative and language to find a voice uniquely her own.
Yet their private lives were just as experimental. Vanessa’s marriage to art critic Clive Bell was shaken by his flirtation with her sister, and Virginia’s marriage to Leonard Woolf placed him more in the role of carer than husband.
However, forming the core of the Bloomsbury Group, they welcomed into their London and Sussex homes a host of their talented peers, and caused speculation and scandal.
Locations
Reset- England - London
- A: Virginia Woolf's birthplace
- B: Virginia Woolf house
- England - Sussex
- C: Rodmell - The summer house of the author
Travel Guide
Travel to Literary London and Sussex
Vanessa’s experimental work places her at the vanguard of early twentieth-century art, as does her role in helping introduce many key names – Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso – to an unsuspecting public in 1910. Virginia took these artistic innovations and applied them to literature, pushing the boundaries of form, narrative and language to find a voice uniquely her own.
Yet their private lives were just as experimental. Vanessa’s marriage to art critic Clive Bell was shaken early on by his flirtation with her sister, and Virginia’s marriage to Leonard Woolf placed him more in the role of carer than husband as he tried to meet the needs of his wife’s fragile mental health. However, forming the core of the Bloomsbury Group, they welcomed into their London and Sussex homes a host of their talented peers, and caused speculation and scandal by following their hearts, not society’s norms, in their continued pursuit of love.
Streetview Maps
A) London - Virginia Woolf's birthplace
C) Sussex - Rodmell - Virginia's summer house
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Living in Squares, Loving in Triangles
Destination: Sussex, Rodmell, London Author/Guide: Amy Licence Departure Time: 1881 – 1924
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