Virginia Woolf’s voice, 1937 - "Craftsmanship" (with the closing lines), BBC broadcast / subtitled

[@shjobbi]

Thank you so, so much for uploading this video, especially because it has subtitles. I believe its content is immensely valuable not only to writers trying to catch words, but for all people trying to convey their feelings and emotions.

[@ruivog]

What a haunting beautiful voice.

[@thenewgothicthenewgothic5910]

This is so emotional and valuable, her voice struck my heart so perceptibly. Thank you

[@9monava]

Lovely piece -- thought provoking and a treasure to hear her voice!

[@voraciousreader3341]

Ahhhhhh, I love her work, and now I get to love her voice! It’s full of music, with a deep richness and light overtones. The English language speaks in ancient ways to me as well as one of my sons, which is why her work is so important to me.

[@barbaraschumacher3861]

thank you for posting this.

[@jylyhughes5085]

Utterly marvellous! Virginia ... I love you!

[@mjc5509]

THE VOICE OF A LITERARY GENIUS..A VERY IMPORTANT RECORDING ..MAGICAL

[@sophiaw.7356]

Virginia certainly should not use only capitals.

[@thomasspicer4130]

Beautiful voice and accent

[@Johnkels100]

I just have to keep listening to this and soak in the Bohemian life of the Bloomsbury Set.

[@noeltroy2634]

"incarnadine, multitudinous seas, making the green one red" macbeth. Shakespeare

[@buveusedencre]

I don't know why, but this is the voice I imagined for her. Amazing

[@lizcervantes26]

It’s so crazy to think that before I even heard her voice I already knew how it sounded! 🤩😨🫠

[@McLeanAmy]

Oh wow, has this been remastered? The audio quality sounds so much more crisp and vivid than it does on a different version I'd been listening to. I could listen to her all day.

[@betapicts]

due to Adobe Audition

[@cheymadidi6020]

this is amazing

[@giuseppersa2391]

Absolutely and utterly mesmerizing..Thank you 🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@666mrdoctor]

LOL she quoted the sea shanty "The maid of Amsterdam": a-roving, fair maid. It should have been popular back in the days.

[@LoweHenry]

omg, im speechless

[@shiosai71]

Thanks for this posting, so beautiful listen to that music that make english language great

[@betapicts]

for me it's Virginia, not the language nor the music...

[@shiosai71]

betapicts I was speaking of Virginia’s voice, is in her writing that I found the “music” which I refer to. I’m not acquainted to english to explain my thought better but enough to say that you have completely misunderstood me

[@betapicts]

you explained it marvelously, thanx

[@sophiaw.7356]

@@shiosai71 Quite clear. Very melodic voice.

[@wandajames6234]

she sounds much older-- 60s or 70s-- than I thought- she was still a youngish woman

[@virginiawoolfsocietyofgb7094]

She was 55 at the time of the recording. She may sound older because of the low pitch of her voice.

[@sophiaw.7356]

She sounds old because she was mental ill. Manic- depressive. Possibly taking medication.

[@flyakitefly]

Recordings were not as sophisticated then as they are now. And this isn't the entirety of the essay as some was lost so what remains could have been slightly damaged, albeit well restored. Also she was speaking for radio so that would have altered the timbre of her voice. It's still wonderful to have it, even if it mightn't have accurately represented her day to day speaking voice.

[@flyakitefly]

Oh I didn't realise I was replying to you, Marielle!

[@sharleeneolivier899]

love

[@arcanechili]

I'm glad this is here (and grateful to the poster) but it's worth noting that this is a truncated version of the essay. As noted at the end of the video the audio for the last half page isn't included in the recording. But more importantly the first three pages are missing (at least when compared to the version of the essay that appears in VW's collection of essays "The Death of the Moth".)

[@betapicts]

indeed, the first part isn't included

[@snowbelle74]

Remarkable to hear her voice. Huge admirer of VW and her work. Or Vee- Dub as I like to call her 😉

[@Themis33]

🎵 to my👂

[@ed_leonardi]

Her accent is so beautiful and clear, unlike what we hear in the streets today. Beauty was replaced by vulgarity.

[@Dover0486]

"unintelligible to one generation, but plain as pike staffs to the next " . truthful beauty and not crude bumbling of amateur

[@SarahSmith-nr2wj]

I wonder what she would have made of text speak (lol) ☺️

[@shin-i-chikozima]

彼女の肉声を聴くことができて感無量です。今、ダロウェイ夫人を読んでいます。セプティマスが哀れでなりません。

[@franklinhill4341]

He who binds to himself a joy Doth the winged life destroy; But to kiss the joy as it flies Is to live in Eternity's sunrise. ( Changing William Blake's ""he" for Virginia Woolf's sake.)

[@thecrimsonbubbles]

what a hero

[@giossiveronica]

the link to the whole essay doesn't work anymore :(

[@betapicts]

Thanks for your comment, I found an alternative: speakola.com/arts/virginia-woolf-craftsmanship-1937 you can see that the text of the printed essay differs a bit from the transcript of Virginia Woolf’s BBC broadcast.

[@sophiaw.7356]

I wonder if the speed of her speech is correct? In my opinion the speed is too high.

[@thesubhumancomedy]

Some quote bath wear - One of the most quote-worthy til this day

[@operaguy1]

Audio can be vastly improved from this level ....... without losing the detail and chatacter.

[@sophiaw.7356]

Reading many words ( and even symbols) in the comments Virginia Woolf could not have known. ....which she wouldn't even have appreciated. After all she was a purist.

[@betapicts]

Virginia Woolf was for her day a very modern woman. She was part of the well-known bohemian artistic literary Bloomsbury Group. The majority of its members were homosexual or bisexual. Their works and outlook deeply influenced literature, aesthetics, criticism, and economics as well as modern attitudes towards feminism, pacifism, and sexuality.

[@sophiaw.7356]

@@betapicts I have the entire works and (auto) biographies of VW. She belongs to my main interests in life since my twenties. I am 70 now. You can' t possibly tell me something new, sorry. I am referring to language.

[@betapicts]

@@sophiaw.7356 Oops! You must have experienced my comment as a kind of mansplaining, haha. I've read several of her books (with Orlando as the low point - generally viewed not just as high literature, but as a gossipy novel about Sackville-West). Several authors stress the complexity of her character and the apparent inherent contradictions in analysing her apparent flaws. She could certainly be off-hand, rude and even cruel in her dealings with other authors, translators and biographers. Couldn't that mean that - if she were alive today - she'd be an avid user of something like Twitter? I think you're right about her possible dislike of most of the comments (me too, but not for purist reasons).

[@sophiaw.7356]

​@@betapicts Thank you for uploading, but this audio fragment already was on the internet about 15 years ago. 📔📕📖📗📘📙📚📓📒📃📜📄📰🗞📑 LOLLLL LMAO SARC ON

[@betapicts]

@@sophiaw.7356 but wuthout subtitles

[@I_am_Junebug]

I need closed captions for this. Can barely understand what she is saying l.

[@betapicts]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJzJl3yabK53j5Y

[@sophiaw.7356]

It is rather funny .....or romantic......how she tries to personify the words themselves........ And rather contradictory....first she argues for the preservation of old language...... and later she claims that words keep changing. The latter being the truth.

[@steppenwolf543]

She sounds like this weird lady's from monty python

[@theoduval1408]

Steppenwolf, you are so cultured.

[@blairtaylor2314]

Well, why not listen to the content, rather than the accent? You might even learn something!

[@mjc5509]

GET BACK TO YOUR COMICS STEPPENWOLF

[@ameliam1957]

the replies to this are so embarrassing. liking classic literature doesn't mean you have to be boring and resistant to modernity and dumb humour

[@tinabaker4662]

Moron

[@thesubhumancomedy]

Some obstacle in the way, some big obstacle. In America, how do women protect their low region from leaking? Ask that

[@sophiaw.7356]

USA the utmost neurotic country of all.

[@italianaqueer]

Love you, Virginia!!!!😍😍😍😍😍😍😍