[Vwoolf] Woolf and bi-polar diagnosis

[Lorena Russell]

Hi Ellen,
I'm writing in response to your query about classroom discussions on
diagnosing Woolf and Brenda's response.
I share a certain unease with applying our contemporary terms to historical
subjects, and typically warn students against using current identities and
categories--even VW as "bisexual" or "queer"--too easily. I am further
concerned that too much emphasis on Woolf's psychiatric diagnoses can be
limiting or stereotyping. That said, I see how useful bi-polar is as a way
of connecting to her symptoms. I think that these questions can be
approached usefully through a conversation about how we negotiate our
contemporary ideologies in our interpretations of historical texts and
subjects--the problem I think is applying them "too easily." In some sense
it's a question of reflecting on our assumptions/biases as interpreters.
I like Hermione Lee's take on this question (may come in a discussion of
reading VW through suicide): she warns against letting a diagnosis dominate
or limit our understandings, and instead emphasizes that however we
characterize VW's illness(es), we need to credit the fact that she managed
what she did in the face of those challenges.
Best,
Lorena

Brenda--I'm a big fan of Queer Bloomsbury, btw. Many thanks!
-- 
============================
Lorena Russell, Ph.D.
She | Her | Hers
Professor, Dept. of English
Director UNC Asheville's Inquiry ARC
http//inquiryarc.unca.edu <http://inquiryarc.unca.edu>
CPO #2130, 220 Karpen Hall
Univ. of North Carolina at Asheville
Asheville, NC 28804
lrussell at unca.edu | 828-251-6594
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