by Virginia Woolf
"Heaven was known to the ancients as Thessaly, William, and now, with this war, the spirit matter is rolling between the hills like thunder." He paused, seemed to listen, smiled, jerked his head and continued:—
"You have a small electric battery and a piece of rubber to insulate the wire—isolate?—insulate?—well, we'll skip the details, no good going into details that wouldn't be understood—and in short the little machine stands in any convenient position by the head of the bed, we will say, on a neat mahogany stand. All arrangements being properly fixed by workmen under my direction, the widow applies her ear and summons the spirit by sign as agreed. Women! Widows! Women in black——"
Here he seemed to have caught sight of a woman's dress in the distance, which in the shade looked a purple black. He took off his hat, placed his hand upon his heart, and hurried towards her muttering and gesticulating feverishly. But William caught him by the sleeve and touched a flower with the tip of his walking-stick in order to divert the old man's attention. After looking at it for a moment in some confusion the old man bent his ear to it and seemed to answer a voice speaking from it, for he began talking about the forests of Uruguay which he had visited hundreds of years ago in company with the most beautiful young woman in Europe. He could be heard murmuring about forests of Uruguay blanketed with the wax petals of tropical roses, nightingales, sea beaches, mermaids, and women drowned at sea, as he suffered himself to be moved on by William, upon whose face the look of stoical patience grew slowly deeper and deeper.
"Kew Gardens" by Virginia Woolf
Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
How does this passage reflect the historical context in which it was written?
(1 point)
Responses
The old man’s ramblings about Uruguay reflect the collapse of the British colonial system after World War II.
The old man’s ramblings about Uruguay reflect the collapse of the British colonial system after World War II.
The old man’s reference to the ancients reflects the modernist revival of classical mythology.
The old man’s reference to the ancients reflects the modernist revival of classical mythology.
The old man’s discussion of beautiful women reflects the modernist’s interest in upholding traditional social and literary structures.
The old man’s discussion of beautiful women reflects the modernist’s interest in upholding traditional social and literary structures.
The old man’s discussion of death reflects the effects of World War I.
1 answer
The best response to how the passage reflects the historical context in which it was written is:
The old man’s discussion of death reflects the effects of World War I.
This option highlights the themes of loss, mourning, and the search for meaning in a post-war context, which were significant aspects of modernist literature following the devastation of World War I. Woolf's work often grapples with the impact of war on individuals and society.
