Assignment 106: The Connection of Vita Sackville to Orlando

 The Connection of Vita Sackville to Orlando 

  • Personal Information

Name :  Makwana Bhargav

Roll No : 01

Batch: M.A Sem 2 (2024-2026) 

Enrollment Number : 5108240018

Email : bhargavmakvana221@gmail.com


  • Assignment Details 


Topic : The Connection of Vita Sackville to Orlando 

Paper & subject Code  :  22399 Paper 106: The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to World War II

Word :1765

Date of  Submission :  17 April 2025

Table of contents 


Introduction

  • Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf: A Literary Friendship

  • Vita Sackville-West: Life and Background

  • Virginia Woolf: Life and Background

  • The Relationship of Vita and Virginia

  • Personal Connection

  • Literary Influence

  • Vita’s Connection to Orlando

  • Vita as the Inspiration for Orlando

  • Themes of Gender and Identity in Orlando

  • Purpose of Orlando

  • A Love Letter to Vita

  • A Critique of Gender Norms

  • A Celebration of Androgyny and Fluidity

  • Conclusion

  • References


Abstract

This assignment explores the profound personal and literary connection between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf, with particular focus on Woolf's novel Orlando: A Biography (1928). It traces the origins of their relationship, which began in 1922 and developed into a romantic and intellectual companionship that significantly influenced both writers. Vita Sackville-West served as the direct inspiration for the character Orlando, and her biography and identity are deeply embedded within the novel’s structure and themes. The work examines how Orlando serves as both a love letter and a radical literary experiment that challenges binary notions of gender and identity. Woolf’s portrayal of gender fluidity, androgyny, and the multiplicity of the self is contextualized within her affection and admiration for Vita. This analysis highlights Orlando not only as a tribute to Sackville-West but also as a pioneering feminist and queer text that remains relevant in contemporary discussions of gender and identity.

1. Introduction

Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf first met in 1922 at a Bloomsbury dinner. At Virginia’s request, Vita sent her a copy of her newly published history Knole and the Sackvilles’ They met again and began writing letters to each other. In 1924, Virginia published one of Vita’s novels, which Vita dedicated to Virginia.


They became lovers in December 1925. It seems to have been the attraction of opposites. In her diary, Virginia described the ‘perfection’ of Vita’s body but noted that her brain was not ‘sharp’. Vita, on the other hand, admitted in a letter to her husband Harold that she had at first thought Virginia ‘plain’, but admired her writing talent and intelligence. She told Harold that when she was with Virginia she felt as if ‘the edge of my mind were being held against a grindstone.’ Virginia and Vita wrote full, honest, loving letters to each other while Vita was in Tehran and saw each other whenever Vita was back in England. They remained close even after their affair ended in 1935, writing letters and visiting each other. Orlando is a groundbreaking work that explores themes of gender, identity, and time, and it is widely regarded as a love letter to Vita Sackville-West.

2. Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf: A Literary Friendship

2.1 Vita Sackville-West: Life and Background

Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) was an English poet, novelist, and gardener. Born into an aristocratic family, she was known for her unconventional lifestyle, including her open marriage to Harold Nicolson and her relationships with women. Vita’s literary works often reflect her love of nature, history, and her ancestral home, Knole House.

2.2 Virginia Woolf: Life and Background

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a pioneering modernist writer and a central figure in the Bloomsbury Group. Known for her experimental narrative techniques and exploration of consciousness, Woolf’s major works include Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928). Woolf’s writing often addresses themes of gender, identity, and the complexities of human relationships.

3. The Relationship of Vita and Virginia

3.1 Personal Connection

Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf met in 1922 and quickly developed a close friendship. In the early months of their friend-ship, Vita's attention settled in Virginia with obstinate concentration, and Virginia responded with a blend of apprehensive mockery and guarded acquiescence. Each clearly had something the other wanted. Vita was the superior woman in Virginia's eyes, and Virginia was the superior writer in Vita's; and it would soon become apparent to both of them that just as one was questing for glory, the other was in search of affection.

3.2 Literary Influence

Sackville-West’s books were commercially and critically the more successful during her and Woolf’s lifetimes, although today Woolf’s work is more highly regarded. In 1924, Sackville-West published her short story Seducers in Ecuador with Hogarth Press to help with the Woolfs’ mounting debts, and she followed it six years later with novel The Edwardians, which was a financial success. The relationship was clearly a source of inspiration for both women, but it was Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando.

4. Vita’s Connection to Orlando

4.1 Vita as the Inspiration for Orlando

In 1955 Vita Sackville-West admitted publicly that she was the model for the hero/heroine of Orlando (on a BBC radio program,: later printed in The Listener, Jan. 27, 1955). The book, of course, is dedicated: to 'V. Sackville-West' and we know, from the publication of extracts from Virginia Woolf's diary, that Vita was not only the model but the whole inspiration for the work. Also in 1955 Baldanza pointed out the importance of Vita's history of the Sackville estate, Knole and The Sackvilles, which was used extensively by Virginia Woolf in describing Orlando's ancestral estate.


4.2 Themes of Gender and Identity in Orlando

According to Christy Burns, Orlando was a pioneer in exploring how society, rather than biology, defines the boundary between ‘men' and 'women’. Woolf  uses Orlando’s Flexibility  in gender  and sex to devalue these dimensions of identity, Woolf’s characterization of Orlando’s transition from male to female serves as a focal point for the reconstructing of gender roles. Virginia stands out as a groundbreaking work that reimagines gender roles and provides a visionary examination of identity and self-expression.

5. Purpose of Orlando

5.1 A Love Letter to Vita

Orlando is often described as a love letter to Vita Sackville-West. Through the character of Orlando, Woolf celebrates Vita’s beauty, intelligence, and uniqueness. The novel’s playful and affectionate tone reflects Woolf’s deep admiration and affection for Vita.

5.1.1 Original Dialogue 1: Orlando’s Transformation (Reflecting Vita’s Androgyny)

"Orlando had become a woman—there is no denying it. But in every other respect, Orlando remained precisely as he had been. The change of sex, though it altered their future, did nothing whatever to alter their identity."
                                                                           – Orlando, Chapter 3


This passage reflects Vita’s androgynous nature and Woolf’s fascination with her ability to embody both masculine and feminine qualities. The transformation of Orlando from male to female is a metaphor for Vita’s fluid identity, which Woolf admired.

5.1.2 Original Dialogue 2: Orlando’s Beauty (Inspired by Vita)

"The true length of a person’s life, whatever the Dictionary of National Biography may say, is always a matter of dispute. For it is a difficult business—this time-keeping; nothing more quickly disorders it than contact with any of the arts."
                                                                                                    – Orlando, Chapter 1


This playful and poetic description of Orlando’s timeless beauty mirrors Vita’s aristocratic elegance and charm. Woolf’s admiration for Vita is evident in her portrayal of Orlando as a figure who transcends time and societal expectations.

5.2 A Critique of Gender Norms

In Virginia Woolf's Novel Orlando:a biography, gender identity is essential and multidimensional. Woolf's examination of gender identity in Orlando is revolutionary for its time, since it questions standard binary concepts of gender and gives a profoundly complex representation of gender fluidity and development. In Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando is a groundbreaking novel in its complex and innovative presentation of gender identity, forcing readers to reassess their preconceived beliefs about gender and identity while praising the depth and variety of the human experience.

 Original Dialogue 3: Orlando’s Reflection on Gender Roles

"She was becoming a little more modest, as women are, of her brains, and a little more vain, as women are, of her person."
                                                                                                  – Orlando, Chapter 4


This passage critiques the societal expectations placed on women, suggesting that gender roles are learned rather than innate. Woolf uses Orlando’s transformation to explore how society shapes identity based on gender.

Original Dialogue 4: The Arbitrariness of Gender

"Clothes are but a symbol of something hid deep beneath. It was a change in Orlando herself that dictated her choice of a woman’s dress and of a woman’s sex."
                                                                                          – Orlando, Chapter 3


Here, Woolf challenges the idea that clothing or outward appearance defines gender. Instead, she suggests that identity is deeper and more fluid than societal norms allow.

5.3 A Celebration of Androgyny and Fluidity

Orlando celebrates androgyny as a source of creativity and liberation. The novel’s exploration of fluid identity reflects Woolf’s belief in the interconnectedness of human experiences.

Original Dialogue 5: Orlando’s Androgynous Nature

"Different though the sexes are, they intermix. In every human being a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place, and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness, while underneath the sex is the very opposite of what it is above."
                                                                                   – Orlando, Chapter 4


This passage celebrates the idea of androgyny, suggesting that every individual contains elements of both masculinity and femininity. Woolf’s portrayal of Orlando as a character who transcends gender reflects her belief in the fluidity of identity.

Original Dialogue 6: Orlando’s Timelessness

"For she had a great variety of selves to call upon, far more than we have been able to find room for, since a biography is considered complete if it merely accounts for six or seven selves, whereas a person may have many thousand."
                                                                                                – Orlando, Chapter 6


This passage highlights the multiplicity of identity, suggesting that individuals are not defined by a single, fixed self. Orlando’s ability to embody different selves over time reflects Woolf’s celebration of fluidity and transformation.


In the novel, Woolf stresses character of gender identity, arguing that gender is a social construct enacted and embodied via performance rather than an innate quality. Orlando's gender performance—as both a man and a woman—emphasizes the artificiality of gender standards and how individuals are limited by cultural expectations of gender expression and conduct. Orlando is distinguished by its fluidity and ambiguity, especially in terms of gender identification. Woolf blurs the distinctions between masculine and female, truth and imagination, past and present, challenging readers to challenge standard binaries and classifications. Orlando's gender identification is shown as varied and ever-changing, challenging simplistic classification and urging viewers to contemplate the nuances of human identity beyond gender standards. 

6. Conclusion

The relationship between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf was a source of profound inspiration for both writers. Vita’s influence on Woolf is most evident in Orlando, a novel that celebrates Vita’s life and challenges traditional notions of gender and identity. Through Orlando, Woolf not only pays tribute to her beloved friend but also creates a timeless work that continues to resonate with readers today.

7. References

  1. Baldanza, Frank. “Orlando and the Sackvilles: PMLA.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 2 Dec. 2020, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/abs/orlando-and-the-sackvilles/5C813107BE852EECD800B9ECF0503B27.


  1. Bclm. “The ‘Most Charming Love Letter in Literature.’” Black Country Living Museum, 23 Sept. 2021, bclm.com/2021/06/22/wednesbury-woolf-and-the-most-charming-love-letter-in-literature/.


  1. Bogerd, V.M. “Reconstructing of Gender Roles and the Act of Creating in Virginia Woolf’s Orlando and the Film Adaptation by Sally Potter.” Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home, 1 Jan. 1970, studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/31913.


  1. Haynes, Suyin. “The True Story of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West.” Time, Time, 23 Aug. 2019, time.com/5655270/virginia-woolf-vita-sackville-west-relationship/.


  1. Kellermann, Frederick. “A new key to Virginia Woolf's Orlando.” 13 August 2008, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00138387808597882.


  1. “LGBT+ History Month: Vita & Virginia.” King’s College London, King’s College London, 7 Feb. 2023, www.kcl.ac.uk/news/lgbt-history-month-vita-virginia#:~:text=Over%20time%20the%20relationship%20between,correspond%20until%20Woolf’s%20death%20in.


  1. Macmillan, Pan. “Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West and the Bloomsbury Group: Your Questions Answered.” Pan Macmillan, Pan Macmillan, 22 Oct. 2024, www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/classics/virginia-woolf-bloomsbury-group.


  1. Sackville-West, V. (Victoria), 1892-1962. The Letters of Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf.


  1. Sackville-West, Vita. Knole and the Sackvilles. London: Heinemann, 1922.


  1. “The Queer Love Story Behind Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando.’” Art UK, artuk.org/discover/stories/the-queer-love-story-behind-virginia-woolfs-orlando. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.


  1. Woolf, Virginia. Orlando: A Biography. London: Hogarth Press, 1928.

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