100 Years of Gender Play: Virginia Woolf’s Orlando: A Biography

Join us for a discussion of gender expression that spans 1928, when Woolf’s “novelography” Orlando was published, up to today. Hannah Hellman will begin with a brief discussion of her thesis on Woolf’s gender play in Orlando, focusing on Vita Sackville-West’s struggle with her own gender as the source of inspiration. In her thesis, Hannah makes the argument that Sackville-West experienced gender dysphoria at the minimum, and was perhaps, if she had had the same words we do to express her experiences, even transgender. Finally, Hannah will touch on the fact that Orlando was in many ways a gift, or as Sackville-West’s son Nigel calls it, a love letter. Conversation on gender expression, identity, rights, and theory is most welcome. Join us for a celebration of nearly 100 years of gender play.