Concetti Chiave
- Virginia Woolf's "The London Scene" is an essay that vividly captures the essence of London through detailed observations and historical reflections.
- The essay highlights the transient nature of London's buildings, emphasizing their fragility and the ease with which they are rebuilt, contrasting past architectural permanence with modern impermanence.
- Woolf provides intimate portraits of notable London residences, such as the Carlyles' mansion, using them to reveal the living conditions and historical context of their inhabitants.
- The grandeur and serenity of London's iconic structures, like St. Paul's Cathedral, are explored, showcasing their lasting impact on the city's atmosphere.
- The House of Commons is depicted as a typically unattractive public building, with Woolf offering a glimpse into the workings of governmental meetings she observed.
Woolf, Virginia - "The London Scene"
"The London Scene" is an essay written by the English author Virginia Woolf in 1931.In this book, the author shows us her beloved London, inviting us to listen to the voice of every place and to observe every detail to reconstruct its history and understand its essence.
The most beautiful lines concern the description of the fragility of the buildings, which were built not to last, as in the past when the prestige was identified with material strength, but to be demolished and easily rebuilt, as we would like to be ourselves.
Virginia Woolf also describes the mansions of the great characters: that of the Carlyles (who will tell us more than they tell the biographies of her owners); in fact, when we enter the kitchen, we immediately realize that they did not have running water; in the basement, there is still the well from which the maid had to pump the water by hand, fill the buckets, climb the stairs and take her to the various rooms to clean them. "The old imposing house.
The visit can not be separated from the abbeys and the cathedrals of London; let's start from St. Paul overlooking the city. What immediately strikes is its immensity; as in every dwelling, here too the voice of the place is heard, pacified, serene.
The House of Commons is exactly as expected to be a public building: ugly, with windows decorated with ugly coats of arms, the floor crossed by red carpet guides, people who come in and out continuously. Virginia Woolf describes a meeting of ministers she attended by chance.
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