"On Being Ill" by Virginia Woolf
Dublin Core
Title
"On Being Ill" by Virginia Woolf
Subject
Essays, Virginia Woolf, Illness in Literature
Description
Essay written by Virginia Woolf on the topic of illness and its (lack of) coverage in literature, referring specifically to influenza throughout as an example of "illness." Woolf discusses, among others, themes like the mind as opposed to the body, the (in)capabilities of the English language, illness's connection to "incomprehensibility," and the role of the poet in society. The essay essentially argues that, though it doesn't seem to do so at the moment ("the moment" in this case being the early 20th century), illness should exist "among the prime themes of literature."
Creator
Woolf, Virginia
Source
The Moment and Other Essays by Virginia Woolf
Date
"On Being Ill" originally published 1930
The Moment and Other Essays published 1947
The Moment and Other Essays published 1947
Contributor
Choat, Colin
Relation
Project Gutenberg Australia ebook
Note: This page contains a collection of multiple of Virginia Woolf's essays. There is a table of contents at the top of the page for navigation if you wish to read the full text of "On Being Ill" on this website.
Note: This page contains a collection of multiple of Virginia Woolf's essays. There is a table of contents at the top of the page for navigation if you wish to read the full text of "On Being Ill" on this website.
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Full text to be viewed here under the section titled "On Being Ill"
Original Format
Essay
Citation
Woolf, Virginia, “"On Being Ill" by Virginia Woolf,” Excavating Histories: Archival Research Methods, accessed April 26, 2026, https://archive.engl.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/94.