Virginia Woolf - Short Stories

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”

Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

If you are looking to understand Woolf’s novels, then it is necessary to read her short stories. Whether you are coming to her work for the first time or have been reading it for many decades, her shorter texts offer a valuable insight into the nature and extent of her literary skill.

Monday or Tuesday is a particularly vital collection for comprehending her development as a writer. Woolf wrote these stories between 1915 and 1921, using them to workshop the trademark style she would later debut to great acclaim in Jacob’s Room (1922). In Monday or Tuesday we can see Woolf’s modernist voice emerge alongside a unique personal philosophy concerning the nature of objects, the relationship between individuals, and the purpose of art.

This salon is run by Dr Karina Jakubowicz, presenter and producer of The Virginia Woolf Podcast and author of Woolf in the World, a substack on Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group. Her book Gardens in the Work of Virginia Woolf will be published by Edinburgh University Press next year. 

• Week 1: 11 November – The Mark on the Wall
• Week 2: 18 November – Kew Gardens
• Week 3: 25 November – A Haunted House & A Society
• Week 4: 2 December – Monday or Tuesday & An Unwritten Novel
• Week 5: 9 December – The String Quartet & Blue & Green

All seminars are recorded for the benefit of the attendees, allowing people to review material or catch up if they miss a session. Recordings are never shared beyond the group and will be deleted once the course is over. Texts will be provided, as will links to supporting materials.

JOINING DETAILS:

• Five meeting study led by Karina Jakubowicz on Zoom
• Tuesdays, 6.00 – 8.00 pm (UK), 11 November – 9 December 2025
• £160 for five two-hour sessions, to include texts and resources

REDUCED COSTS: we are committed to making our studies as affordable as possible. We have a fund in place to support anyone who would like to register for a study but finds the cost difficult to afford. We can’t promise to help, but please email us at litsalon@gmail.com in confidence if you would like to request a reduction in the cost of a study.