[Vwoolf] A Semi-Transparent Envelope

[Claire Battershill]

Dearest Woolfians,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the last days of August.

I'm writing to ask if anyone could point me to some discussions and debates about the meaning of Woolf's frequently quoted passage about "life" from "Modern Fiction" (“Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged’ but a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end”)? I know the 'gig lamps' have been variously defined (as spectacles by Julia Briggs, for instance); and this little bit is frequently quoted in relation to broader writings on consciousness, but I'd love to be pointed in the direction of further discussion and interpretation of this fascinating passage. I love for instance Jane Goldman's connection of the landscape of Skye to the image and the re-appearance of the phrase "semi-transparent" in her piece on the two postcards in the Miscellany.

The halo, the gig lamps, the envelope...a lot going on!

Thanks so much for your thoughts and any references you might share,
Claire

Dr. Claire Battershill (she/her)
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Information & Department of English
Wendy M. Cecil Professor at Victoria College
University of Toronto


The University of Toronto operates on the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and I am grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Book time with Claire Battershill<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/da0e7588e2f04045916dd0f5dc142641@utoronto.ca?anonymous&ep=pcard__;!!KGKeukY!327U0RX5Q3tFGBWAsJpaCqoBnyx7H8feyYl3J1yb9kTioc2tJGEpsF1ZhKH_y0N1WmQtEkxvVeDKxun-c476cjVwjjZ7nPdsXg$ >
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