Members of the Bloomsbury Group gathering together
The Bloomsbury group was the name given to a literary group that made the Bloomsbury area of London the center of its activities from 1904 to World War II. It included Virginia Woolf , Leonard Woolf (Virginia’s husband), E. M. Forster , Vita Sackville-West (Virginia’s friend and lover), Roger Fry , Vanessa Bell (Virginia’s sister), Clive Bell (Virginia’s brother-in-law) , Adrian Stephen (Virginia as Vanessa’s brother) John Maynard Keynes, and Lytton Strachey, to name only a few. The “Bloomsberries”, as the members of the group were called, often met to talk about their own writing, other people’s writing, painting, love, politics… They also helped each other with their work.
Members of the Bloomsbury Group gathering together |
It must be acknowledged that the Bloomsbury Group has often been more admired for non-literary reasons; indeed, the Bloomsberries shared the desire to challenge the strict Victorian social norms, and demonstrated a sexual freedom that was ahead of their time. Some members had bisexual tendencies, such as Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, who were lovers.
The Bloomsbury Group was rather elitist and exclusive. It has been highly criticized for its snobbishness and selfishness. The fiercest critics even said that although they had a strong influence as a group, the “Bloomsberries” lacked individual artistic talent. That is exaggerated, as Virginia Woolf’s innovative novels, John Maynard Keynes’s economic theories, or Roger Fry’s post –Impressionist exhibition, seem tangible enough achievements. The group was also reproached with its pacifism during the First World War.
Despite the numerous critics that were aimed at it, the Bloomsbury Group has had a wide-ranging influence, both in art and in society, even though that influence remains highly controversial. The Bloomsberries did play a significant part in the advent of a new modern world.
This web review is divided into three parts: the first one gives a general presentation of the Bloomsbury Group; in the second part, one can find some information about the life and work of outstanding Bloomsberries; the third part deals with the group’s achievements and influence.