Orlando by Virginia Woolf

 Hello everyone, I'm a student of the Department of English,M.K.B.U. This blog is a part of a thinking activity assigned by Megha Ma'am. In this blog I'm going to give answers to several questions which are given by Megha Ma'am.

Key Facts about Orlando :-

Full Title: Orlando: A Biography

When Written: 1927-1928

Where Written: London, England

When Published: 1928

Literary Period: Modernism

Genre: Historical Fiction; Experimental Biography

Setting: London and Constantinople, spanning from the 16th to the 20th century

Climax: October 11, 1928, when Orlando wakes at 10:00 a.m. to “the present moment.”

Antagonist: Society

Point of View: Third-person omniscient

About the Writer :-

Adeline Virginia Woolf (25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.

Her novels, through their nonlinear approaches to narrative, exerted a major influence on the genre. 

While she is best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), Woolf also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power. A fine stylist, she experimented with several forms of biographical writing, composed painterly short fictions, and sent to her friends and family a lifetime of brilliant letters.

Notable works :-

• Mrs Dalloway (1925)

• To the Lighthouse (1927)

• Orlando (1928)

• A Room of One's Own (1929)

• The Waves (1931)

About Orlando :-

"Orlando" is a novel by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1928. The book follows the story of a young nobleman, Orlando, who lives in Elizabethan England and ages very slowly, experiencing both male and female genders throughout their life.

The novel is divided into several sections, each of which covers a different period in Orlando's life. The book is notable for its unconventional approach to gender and sexuality, as well as its exploration of the nature of time and historical change.

Woolf was inspired to write "Orlando" by her friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, who served as the model for the novel's protagonist. Sackville-West was a celebrated writer and gardener, and the novel incorporates many elements of her life into its pages.

"Orlando" is considered a landmark work of modernist literature, and it has been praised for its innovative narrative structure, its wit and humour, and its subversion of traditional gender roles. The book has been adapted into several stage productions and films, and it remains a popular and influential work in the canon of English literature.

Questions based on Orlando :-

1). How far do you feel that Orlando is influenced by Vita and Virginia's love affair? Does it talk only about that or do you find anything else too?

"Orlando" is undoubtedly influenced by Virginia Woolf's relationship with Vita Sackville-West. The novel's main character, Orlando, is modeled after Sackville-West, and many of the book's themes and ideas are rooted in Woolf's experiences with her lover.

However, "Orlando" is not simply a retelling of Woolf and Sackville-West's relationship. The book is a complex exploration of gender and identity, and it delves into themes of history, literature, and the nature of time.

Through Orlando's transformation from a young man to a woman, Woolf explores the ways in which gender and identity are constructed and performed, and how they change over time. The novel also questions the stability of historical narratives and conventions, as Orlando's long lifespan allows her to witness and participate in many historical events and cultural shifts.

Overall, while Woolf's relationship with Sackville-West certainly influenced "Orlando," the novel is a multi-layered work that explores many themes and ideas beyond their love affair.

2). Who do you think is confused about their identity Vita or Virginia? Explain with illustrations.

It is not appropriate to diagnose or make assumptions about an individual's identity or personal experiences based on their work or public persona. Both Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf were complex individuals with their own unique identities, and their personal lives and relationships were undoubtedly influenced by many factors beyond their sexual orientation or gender identity.

That being said, both Sackville-West and Woolf were openly bisexual and had relationships with both men and women. In "Orlando," Woolf explores the fluidity of gender and identity, suggesting that these categories are not fixed or stable, but rather constantly evolving and subject to change over time.

It is important to remember that sexuality and gender identity are complex and multifaceted, and cannot be reduced to a simple binary of "confusion" or "clarity." Both Sackville-West and Woolf were pioneers in exploring the nuances of sexuality and gender in their work, and their contributions to queer literature and culture continue to be celebrated and studied today.

3). What is society's thought about women and identity? Do you agree with them? If Yes then why? If not then why?

Gender enters into all our social relations. When people interact, their view of themselves, including their identity and their rights and possibilities, comes up against the way they are perceived by other people, and the way that others behave towards them.

However, it often appears that gender in its truest sense is absent from our social relations, because the way in which most people perceive gender tends to be internalised so deeply that it appears ‘normal’ and natural.

Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male, female, both, or neither. This conception is intimately related to a perceived gender role; this is defined as a presentation (typically within an external context) that reflects a given gender identity. A gender role is usually determined by a culture or community, and may have rigid or loose definitions depending on the approach by the community for rules placed upon any gender categories. 

4). What are your views on Gender Identity? Would you like to give any message to society?

Gender roles in society means how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves based upon our assigned sex. For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold.

Every society, ethnic group, and culture has gender role expectations, but they can be very different from group to group. They can also change in the same society over time. For example, pink used to be considered a masculine colour in the U.S. while blue was considered feminine. Our views towards people , especially for different genders are wrong because what we have to do is our personal choice and we should not interfere anyone in that matter . 

5). Write a note on the direction of the movie. Which symbols and space caught your attention while watching the movie?

“Vita and Virginia” is a captivating biographical drama by a British director, Chanya Button. This film portrays the intricate relationship between two literary icons of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, played by Elizabeth Debicki and Gemma Arterton.

“Vita & Virginia” wastes the talents of four people—its two subjects and the two women that play them. It is a deeply frustrating movie, a film that not only can’t find the right tone from scene to scene but feels disjointed in individual moments too. It is a bit of a chamber piece, a bit of a romance, a bit of a commentary on creativity, a bit of social commentary, even a bit of magical realism. At a certain point, I started to wonder if the disjointed nature of “Vita & Virginia” was designed purposefully to replicate the structure and themes of Woolf’s Orlando. 

What I have particularly enjoyed about this film is its meticulous attention to detail. In spite of the low budget, the amount of work done to depict the ambience of bohemian London in the 1920s is positively impressive. Authentic period costumes, picturesque sets, and the splendour of interiors, let alone the delicate shots of Vita’s typed passages and Virginia’s elegant handwriting, immerse the viewers into the literary universe of a different era.

6). "Vita and Virginia" had to be made into a Bollywood Adaptation. Who do you think would be fit for the role of Vita and Virginia?

For playing the role of Vita and Virginia these qualities are important which Vita and Virginia have. The qualities are like these.,

To portray Vita Sackville-West, an actor would need to be able to capture her wit, charm, and strong personality. Sackville-West was known for her unconventional style and her love of gardening and the outdoors, so an actor with a natural and earthy presence might be a good fit for the role.

To portray Virginia Woolf, an actor would need to capture her intellectual curiosity, sensitivity, and vulnerability. Woolf was a gifted writer and thinker, and her struggles with mental illness and personal relationships were a significant part of her life story. An actor who can convey these complex emotions with subtlety and depth would be well-suited to the role.

According to me, Shraddha Kapoor for Vita Sackville-West and Karisma Kapoor for Virginia Woolf, both actresses can be suit for the roles of Vita and Virginia.

6). Write your views on the movie Orlando What differences and similarities have you noticed in the movie Vita and Virginia and Orlando?

In the book, Orlando's sexual adventures begin (most explicitly) in the 18th century, when she begins cross-dressing, becomes friends with the prostitute Nell, and "enjoyed the love of both sexes equally". In the film, Orlando appears to be celibate until the 19th century, when s/he meets Shelmerdine in the sequence headlined "SEX." 

The film emphasizes the bad quality of Orlandos writing far more than the book does, particularly in the scene in which Nick Greene quotes some of it before writing his poem satirizing Orlando. The book emphasizes Orlandos love of literature and compulsion to write and rewards her with a prize for her poem 'The Oak Tree'.

The most striking difference between the book and the film is the ending. In the book, Orlando marries Shelmerdine, has a son, and gets her estate back. In the final scene, Orlando cries out Shelmerdines name and he returns heroically in an aeroplane, drawn by her pearls burning "like a phosphorescent flare in the darkness" . In the film, Orlando does not marry Shelmerdine, loses the estate, has a daughter , and ends the movie back at the oak tree with her small daughter videotaping her and, in the sky above, an androgynous angel singing "I am coming . . . at last I am free."

The End ..

Word Count :- 1759

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