"Something Infinitely Precious": Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

This event is free. No registration or tickets required. Drop-ins welcome.
Join us at Victoria Village.

Mrs. Dalloway was first published in 1925 by Virginia and Leonard Woolf's own publishing house, the Hogarth Press. The Woolfs started their own press as a space for experimental literature and radical ideas: being publishers allowed them to publish, quite simply, work they liked. However, as the novel Mrs. Dalloway moved through the world and circulated in different contexts, it was frequently banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content because of a single moment in the novel – a memory of a kiss between Clarissa Dalloway and Sally Seaton.

In this talk, we'll look at the specific passages in the novel that have been the subject of debate. I'll also locate this novel within the broader controversies around queer materials through the 20th century, starting with some of the prominent cases that Woolf was involved in and aware of, such as Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness.

Presented by Claire Battershill, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and the Wendy M. Cecil Professor in VicOne at Victoria College.

This event is part of Toronto Public Library's Great Books Lecture Series, made possible through a gift from the Ann Thoburn Fund. The lecture series, delivered by academics, explores humanity, diverse views and possibilities on literary titles as they relate to the series’ annual theme. The theme of Toronto Public Library's 2024 Great Books Lecture Series is Books as Battlefields and is curated by Paul Chafe of Toronto Metropolitan University.

Questions? Please email programsproposal@tpl.ca

If you identify as a person with a disability and require an accessibility accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Accessibility Services by email, accessibleservices@tpl.ca, or voicemail, 416-393-7099, to make a request. Please contact us at least three weeks in advance.

Register on Eventbrite.