Today is the 86th anniversary of the 1922 publication of Virginia Woolf's experimental novel Jacob's Room which is where the inspiration for the name of this blog came from. Julia Hedges is a minor but important character in the novel and as to the importance of her shoelaces to me, well, you'll have to read the book and come to your own conclusions (footwear was always very important to Woolf - she was an avid walker). It seems fitting that this book was published a few weeks before Armistice Day or Remembrance Day as we call it in Canada - that last sentence where all that is physically left of Jacob is his old shoes, always gets me.Above is the original cover of the book, designed by Woolf's sister Vanessa Bell. There have been so many covers over the years. I'm rather fond of this one:
But these are either ghastly or just wrong, wrong, wrong . . .
2 comments:
Hi. I love Vanessa's design for the book, and I totally agree with you on the other covers.
I'm a great fan of Virginia Woolf, but the only novels I have read by her so far are Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and The Waves. I keep thinking that one day I should read them all, in chronological order (not all in one day, of course).
You should find Jacob's Room a very interesting read - it's the first novel where she experimented with the style that shows up in To the Lighthouse and particularly The Waves, so if you've loved those books, definately give Jacob's Room a try.
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