Street Haunting: A London Adventure
Street Haunting: A London Adventure is a short essay by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1930. It is a lyrical and evocative description of a walk through the streets of London on a winter evening. The narrator begins by describing the feeling of being out on the streets at night, and the sense of freedom and possibility that comes with it. She then goes on to describe the sights and sounds of the city, from the street lamps to the people she passes. She reflects on the history of the city, and the lives of the people who have lived there before her. The narrator also muses on the nature of time, and how it passes differently in the city than in the countryside. She reflects on the beauty of the city, and how it can be both comforting and unsettling. The essay ends with the narrator returning home, feeling both content and a little sad. She reflects on the beauty of the city, and how it can be both comforting and unsettling.
By Virginia Woolf · First published 1930 · Genre: Modernist Literature, Autobiographical Fiction, Travel Writing · 5,042 words
First lines
No one perhaps has ever felt passionately towards a lead pencil. But there are circumstances in which it can become supremely desirable to possess one; moments when we are set upon having an object, an excuse for walking half across London between tea and dinner. As the foxhunter hunts in order to preserve the breed of foxes, and the golfer plays in order that open spaces may be preserved from the builders, so when the desire comes upon us to go street rambling the pencil does for a pretext, and getting up we say: "Really I must buy a pencil, " as if under cover of this excuse we could indulge safely in the greatest pleasure of town life in winter--rambling the streets of London.
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Street Haunting: A London Adventure is listed on Textopian as a short story by Virginia Woolf, dated 1930 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Virginia Woolf
- Date: 1930 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Modernist Literature, Autobiographical Fiction, Travel Writing, Essay
- Length: 5,042 words
- Structure: 1 section, 29 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Street Haunting: A London Adventure by Virginia Woolf
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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Similar titles
- The Inmost Light by Arthur Machen
- You Cant Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe
- As A Man Lives by E. Phillips Oppenheim
- The Legacy by Virginia Woolf
- The Traitors Gate by Edgar Wallace
- An Episode Under The Terror by Honore De Balzac
Genres
- Modernist Literature — Virginia Woolf is considered a major figure in the modernist literary movement, and this book is a prime example of her modernist writing style.
- Autobiographical Fiction — The book is based on Woolf's own experiences of walking around London, and is written in a semi-autobiographical style.
- Travel Writing — The book is a travelogue of sorts, as it follows Woolf's journey through London and her observations of the city.
- Essay — The book is written in an essay-like style, with Woolf reflecting on her experiences and musing on the nature of life and death.
Tags
air · blind · books · bowl · box · china · door · dwarf · essay · evening · eye · feet