Virginia Woolf Miscellany NUMBER 65 SPRING 2004 TO THE READERS: (some of these in pencil), as well as irrelevant pencil scribbles that The theme of this issue of the Miscellany, “Virginia Woolf: Drafting, were not captured in the published transcription. Editing, Revising,” is one of my favorite areas of Woolf research and I am so grateful to Vara Neverow for asking me to act as guest editor. Equipped with copies of Bishop’s transcription and print-outs of draft While I completed my graduate work at Southern Connecticut State pages from the Woolf CD-ROM, I spent that entire morning University, Vara worked closely with me on my Master’s thesis in comparing the pieces that I had been using for my research to the real which I analyzed Jacob’s Room—published version and holograph thing. I then turned back to the beginning and with my “research” draft. I also had the pleasure of working over e-mail with Ted complete, began reading Woolf’s draft from beginning to end. I Bishop, who transcribed Woolf’s handwritten text. Both scholars simply did not want to part with her essence that permeated each proved to be an invaluable asset in my examination of the two page. But, as all days do, this one came to an end and I found myself versions and in the writing of my thesis. reluctantly surrendering the manuscript and walking out the doors onto the city streets. Completely enmeshed in the moment, I thought One of the most incredible experiences of my research was being I felt Woolf walking by my side as I boarded the train to head back afforded entrance to the Berg Reading Room at the New York Public home. Library, where many of Woolf’s manuscripts are housed. I had been working for a publishing company that had done a great deal of work Because of my own experience with Woolf’s drafts, I thought it with the NYPL and our editorial director suggested I e-mail the would be appropriate for reputable scholars to give voice to their library and give his name as a contact. That little bit of “name- memories and reflect on their own archival work. This issue of the dropping” elicited an immediate response and, even though I only Virginia Woolf Miscellany comprises not only those reflections, but sent the e-mail to the Berg Collection Curator on a Wednesday back also a number of intriguing and excellent pieces related to specific in December 2000, I was immediately given novels, essays, and even letters. I wish to extend my permission to drop by that Saturday. I cannot describe VWM Fall 2004 gratitude to all of you wonderful individuals who love the thrill I felt at that moment. Jeanne Dubino will be the Woolf as much as I do and who so generously editor for the Fall 2004 Miscellany. The deadline contributed to this incredible issue. My excitement continued to escalate on Saturday for submissions is Thursday, morning as I climbed the New York Public Library September 2, 2004. Please Debra Sims steps to the third floor and obtained my Special send inquiries to Independent Scholar [email protected] until Collections “reader’s card.” I then walked down the July 31; starting Aug. 1, hall to the Reading Room, where I introduced myself [email protected], or to See page 2 for information about the call for papers to the librarian on duty. He was expecting me and Jeanne Dubino, Department for the 20th-Century Literature Conference at the promptly went to the back room to collect Woolf’s of English, Southeastern University of Louisville. Louisiana University, SLU draft of Jacob’s Room. I took a seat at one of the tables 10861, Hammond, LA and studied the triangular foam blocks that would prop 70402. BACK TO BLOOMSBURY up the manuscript so it could not lie flat, which would ○○○○○ 14th Annual Conference on Virginia Woolf damage the delicate string binding. The librarian soon VWM Spring 2005 We look forward with great excitement Susan Wegener will edit the returned and placed the notebook before me. Spring 2005 Miscellany. to this stellar event organized by Gina The topic is Orlando and Vitello, Lisa Shahriari, and Olivia I remember I just sat there for a few moments. submissions are due by Jennings, and invite conference attendees Speechless, I stared at the brown, green, and orange Wednesday, February 2, to share their reminiscences with us for 2005. Electronic that made up the diamond-design on the cover; I submissions are preferred. the Fall 2004 issue of the VWM. analyzed the title written in Woolf’s hand; I absorbed Please send inquiries and the unbelievable opportunity that was placed before submissions to WOOLF IN OREGON me. Carefully opening the cover, I began turning the [email protected] or 15th Annual Conference on Virginia Woolf to Susan Wegener, The 2005 conference on Virginia Woolf will be held at pages, touching each one ever so gently, trying to sense 13 Bishop Street, Woolf’s spirit in the paper. I had only imagined the New Haven, CT 06511. Lewis and Clark University in Oregon. Rishona manuscript in black on white and was startled to see ○○○○○ Zimring ([email protected]) will be the organizer. the splashes of color—Woolf’s use of black and blue For submission guidelines The theme of the conference has not yet been ink, her blue pencil line down the left margin for notes see page 25. determined. -1- CALL FOR PAPERS I was the first person in my working-class family to attend college, IVWS at Louisville 2005 the first (and only) to go to graduate school, and I harbored many The Program Selection Committee invites submissions for the misapprehensions about the creative process. In my college courses International Virginia Woolf Society Panel at the University of on novels, many of the professors with whom I studied adhered to Louisville Thirty-third Annual 20th-Century Literature Conference, the dictates of New Criticism. We did close readings. We never read February 24-26, 2005. The International Virginia Woolf Society is biography; we never ascribed intention to an author. We studied the pleased to host its fourth consecutive panel at the University of novels as if they had simply appeared one day in the universe. We Louisville’s 20th-Century Literature Conference. We invite proposals were never encouraged to study the process whereby they had come for critical papers on any topic concerning Woolf’s work. A specific into being. panel theme may be decided upon depending on the proposals received. Previous IVWS panels have met with great enthusiasm at Perhaps because of this indoctrination, and perhaps because, as a Louisville, and we look forward to another successful session. child and a young woman, I did not know anyone who wrote poetry Please submit by email 250-word proposals, along with the or novels, I came into Leaska’s class believing that geniuses like participant’s email address, regular mailing address, phone number, Virginia Woolf never needed to revise their novels—that they knew, and professional affiliation, to the panel organizers listed below by for the most part, what their work was about from the very Monday, September 13, 2004. beginning, and that they began their work after a moment of great inspiration. I believed that famous novelists differed from the rest of Panel Selection Committee: us mortals and showed their promise early; that they never needed to Kristin Kommers Czarnecki, [email protected] undergo a period of apprenticeship during which they learned their Jeanne Dubino, [email protected] craft. I believed that they were convinced of the worth of their work, Mark Hussey, [email protected] and that they never doubted that what they were producing was Jane Lilienfeld, [email protected] worthwhile. Until that night in April, Leaska had spoken to us only in generalities Visit the VWM online—more textually active links than ever before! about Woolf’s process of revision, and, compelling as his insights http://home.southernct.edu/~neverowv1/VWM_Online.html were, and as much as they were changing my view of the composing process, what he taught us had not yet inspired me to want to work in the Woolf archive. But on this particular evening, Leaska came in with copies of his transcript of the first page of the earliest extant draft of Pointz Hall for us to contrast with the first page of Between the Acts. The scene, as every Woolf scholar will recall, is entitled “The Lamp” in its early draft, and it evokes a summer’s night: “Oh beautiful and bounteous light on the table; oil lamp; ancient and out-of-date oil lamp; upholding as on a tawny tent the falling grey draperies of the dusk....” And on it goes, for a long paragraph of very purple prose, which VIRGINIA WOOLF IN DRAFT Woolf later revised to “It was a summer’s night.” In that class we It was a day of torrential rain in April in the early 1970s. That discussed Woolf’s change of tone, her excision of much of what she evening there was a meeting of my graduate class “The Novels of had written, her playing with a host of images she would develop Virginia Woolf” taught by Mitchell Leaska. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t elsewhere in the published novel. dream of cutting his class, but because of the weather, a long commute to New York University from suburban New Jersey, and a Looking at the differences between the drafts, I realized, provided a sick baby at home, I considered cutting.