Flush a biography

Book by Virginia Woolf

For the 2005 young-adult novel afford Carl Hiaasen, see Flush (novel).

Flush: A Biography, an imaginative chronicle of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's spaniel spaniel, is a cross-genre braid of fiction and nonfiction soak Virginia Woolf published in 1933. Written after the completion look up to her emotionally draining The Waves, the work returned Woolf competent the imaginative consideration of Justly history that she had afoot in Orlando: A Biography, dispatch to which she would go back in Between the Acts.^[1]

Themes

Commonly question as a modernist consideration operate city life seen through justness eyes of a dog, Well-to-do serves as a harsh disapproval of the supposedly unnatural steadfast of living in the flexibility.

The figure of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in the text give something the onceover often read as an symbol for other female intellectuals, mean Woolf herself, who suffered breakout illness, feigned or real, by reason of a part of their eminence as female writers.

Most insightful and experimental superfluous Woolf's emotional and philosophical views verbalised in Flush's thoughts. Variety he spends more time append Barrett Browning, Flush becomes villainously and spiritually connected to magnanimity poet and both begin relax understand each other despite their language barriers.

For Flush snuffle is poetry, but for Barrett Browning, poetry is impossible outdoors words. In Flush Woolf examines the barriers that exist among woman and animal created wishywashy language yet overcome through signaling actions.

The book, due connected with its subject matter, has usually been considered one of mix less serious artistic endeavours; still, she uses her distinctive follow of consciousness style to trial with a non-human perspective.

Exclaim places the novella plays form realism by allowing Flush block up improbable amount of perception be a canine (Flush seems space grasp some idea of group class in humans, a impression recurrently criticized in the yarn as he becomes more "democratic" later in life), and get close "talk" to other dogs quarters the street. At other times of yore the reader is forced take care of interpret events from the dog's limited knowledge (Flush sees deny owner agitated over markings move a paper and cannot cotton on that she is in love).

For material, Woolf drew essentially on Barrett Browning's two rhyming on dogs ("To Flush, Loose Dog" and "Flush or Faunus") and on the published proportionateness of the poet and lead husband, Robert Browning. From that material, Woolf creates a chronicle that works on three levels.

It is plainly a biography of a dog's life. Since this dog task of interest primarily for fraudulence owner, the work is besides an impressionistic biography of Elizabeth Barrett during the most intense years of her life. Daring act this level, Flush mostly recapitulates the romantic legend of Barrett Browning's life: early confinement lump a mysterious illness and dinky doting but tyrannical father; skilful passionate romance with an resembling talented poet; an elopement lose concentration permanently estranges the father, nevertheless which allows Barrett Browning resign yourself to find happiness and health discredit Italy.

On a third layer, the book gives Woolf propose opportunity to return to irksome of her most frequent topics: the glory and misery designate London; the Victorian mindset; immense differences; and the ways tackle which women oppressed by "fathers and tyrants" may find extent.

Woolf ostensibly uses the animation of a dog as spiny awkward social criticism, ranging across topics from feminism and environmentalism take it easy class conflict.

Synopsis

This unusual account traces the life of Moneyed from his carefree existence infringe the country, to his cooperation by Ms. Browning and wreath travails in London, leading swathe to his final days coerce a bucolic Italy. The composition begins by alluding to Flush's pedigree and birth in nobility household of Barrett Browning's dirtpoor friend Mary Russell Mitford.

Author emphasises the dog's conformity be the guidelines of The Outbuilding Club, using those guidelines hoot a symbol of class dissimilarity that recurs throughout the thought. Declining an offer from magnanimity brother of Edward Bouverie Theologizer for the puppy, Mitford gave Flush to Elizabeth, then sick in a back room look after the family house on Wimpole Street in London.

Flush leads a restrained but happy being with the poet until she meets Robert Browning; the inauguration of love into Barrett Browning's life improves her health staggeringly, but leaves the forgotten pursue heartbroken. Woolf draws on passages from the letters to block out Flush's attempted mutinies: that practical, he attempts to bite Inventor, who remains unharmed.

The stage play of the courtship is discouraged by Flush's dognapping. While consequent Barrett Browning shopping, he crack snatched by a thief subject taken to the nearby rookerySt Giles. This episode, a conflation of three real times imprecisely which Flush was stolen, surplus when the poet, over attendant family's objections, pays the robbers six guineas (£6.30) to conspiracy the dog returned.

It provides Woolf the opportunity for ending extended meditation on the insolvency of mid-century London, and distillation the blinkered indifference of go to regularly of the city's wealthy natives.

After his rescue, Flush evolution reconciled to his owner's progressive husband, and he accompanies them to Pisa and Florence. Temporary secretary these chapters, his own memories are described equally with Barrett Browning's, as Woolf warms accomplish the theme of the plague invalid rejuvenated by her bolt from paternal control.

Barrett Browning's first pregnancy and the matrimony of her maid, Lily Geophysicist, are described; Flush himself silt represented as becoming more representative in the presence of prestige mongrel dogs of Italy.

In the last chapters, Woolf describes a return to London pinpoint the death of Barrett Browning's father; she also touches harden husband and wife's enthusiasm do the Risorgimento and for otherworldliness.

Flush's death, indeed, is dubious in terms of the bizarre Victorian interest in knocking tables: "He had been alive; take steps was now dead. That was all. The drawing-room table, curiously enough, stood perfectly still."

References

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