Flush
Flush -or Flush: A Biography, by its original English title, is a cross-fiction and non-fiction novel written by British author Virginia Woolf. The work was published for the first time in 1933 by the publisher Prensa Hogarth. Due to its theme, it is considered one of Woolf's least serious contributions, however, the text maintains its usual narrative style and approach.
Before the publication of Flush, Virginia Woolf had completed The Waves, a work that caused him immeasurable emotional exhaustion. This exhaustion led the author to decide to take a break from raising a complex theme in her new book, so used much of what was discussed in texts such as Orlando: a biography y Between acts for the setting of the title that was about to be born.
Synopsis of Flush
From the perspective of a cocker spaniel
This unusual biography follows the life of Flush, the dog of English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The story takes place from the canine's birth in the countryside, through his adoption by Mrs. Browning., with whom he experiences all the tribulations and complexities of Victorian London, ending, after all, during his last days with his masters in bucolic Italy.
The novel It begins by alluding to Flush's pedigree and his birth in the home of a close friend of Barrett's., Mary Russell Mitford. From the beginning, the author emphasizes the dog's conformity with the social standards and guidelines imposed by The Kennel Club, a position on class difference that is repeated throughout the entire work.
The discovery of a new life in the city
The first person who wanted to adopt Flush was Edward Bouverie Pusey's brother. However, Mitford rejected his offer and instead gave custody of the animal to Elizabeth, who was convalescing in a back room of the family home on Wimpole Street in London. Over there, The dog led a restricted but very happy life, at least until the arrival of Robert Browning.
Somehow, This character becomes Flush's antagonist when he enters Elizabeth's life. and they both fall in love. The introduction of love into the life of the protagonist also considerably improves her health, but her constant approaches to Browning make her leave Flush a little behind, and this wreaks havoc on the dog until she leaves him heartbroken.
Attempted mutiny and kidnapping
To describe Flush's behavior with her owner's lover, Woolf relied on several letters that Elizabeth sent to Robert., and vice versa. In them, the literati reveal all the times the canine tried to bite Robert in an attempt to show his displeasure towards him. However, later an event happens that puts the dynamic between the three characters in check.
While Flush I accompanied Elizabeth Barrett to do some shopping, He was kidnapped and taken to the nearby St Giles colony. Despite his family's objections, the poetess pays the thieves six guineas (£6,30) to get his partner back. This passage is based on three real occasions where Flush was stolen. At the same time, it gives the author an opportunity to talk about the working class.
Rescue and subsequent reconciliation
After his rescue, Flush reconciles with her owner's future husband, and he accompanies them to Pisa and Florence.. In these chapters of the novel, both the puppy's and Elizabeth's experiences are described, while at the same time Virginia Woolf she is enthusiastic about the story of the invalid who is freed from parental control. In the same way, the wedding of the protagonist and that of her maid, Lily Wilson, are told.
The writer also recounts Barrett's marriage to Robert Browning and the way in which Flush accepts more equal treatment for the mixed-breed dogs of Italy. In the final chapters, Woolf narrates a return to London after the death of Barrett Browning's father.; It also speaks of the enthusiasm of husband and wife for the Resurgence and for spiritualism.
The departure of a good friend
Flush's death, in fact, is described in terms of the rare Victorian interest in turning tables: «He had been alive; now he was dead. That was it. The table in the living room, strange as it may seem, was completely still. This brief passage relates to the practice of table turning, a type of paranormal session that, supposedly, served for people to communicate with their deceased.
In this sense, Virginia Woolf is a scribe of the England of her time, both socially and ethically speaking. In addition, It is easy to assume that Flush It is just a light novel, but, as usual, the author provides it with feminist approaches and class that prevailed among the literary creators of that time.
About the author
Adeline Virginia Stephen was born on January 25, 1882, in Kensington, London, United Kingdom. She is credited as one of the most prominent writers of the avant-garde movement and Anglo-Saxon modernism of the XNUMXth century. In 1912, after marrying the political theorist Leonard Woolf, she adopted the surname by which she is known today. Before that, I was already writing professionally for the Times Literary Supplement.
Following the publication of his first novel, It was evident that Virginia was willing to break the expectations and narrative patterns of the time. However, his debut work went unnoticed by critics, who only reacted favorably after the publication of Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, experimental works where Woolf's lyrical need was even more noticeable.
Other books by Virginia Woolf
Novels
- The Voyage Out (1915);
- Night and Day / Night and day (1919);
- Jacob's Room / Jacob's room (1922);
- Dalloway / Mrs. Dalloway (1925);
- To the Lighthouse / To the lighthouse (1927);
- Orlando (1928);
- The Waves / The waves (1931);
- The Years / The years (1937);
- Between the Acts (1941)
Tales
- Kew Gardens (1919)
- Monday or Tuesday (1921)
- The New Dress (1924)
- A Haunted House and Other Short Stories (1944)
- Dalloway's Party (1973)
- The Complete Shorter Fiction (1985)
- Nanny Lugton (1992);
- A rose without thorns (1999);
- The widow and the parrot (1989)
Non-fiction books
- Modern fiction (1919);
- The Common Reader (1925);
- A Room of One's Own (1929);
- On Being Ill (1930);
- The London Scene (1931);
- The Common Reader: Second Series (1932);
- Three guineas / Three Guineas (1938);
- The Moment and Other Essays (1947);
- The Captain's Death Bed and Other Essays (1950);
- granite and rainbow (1958);
- Books and Portraits (1978);
- Women and literature / Women and Writing (1979);
- Walks through London (2015)