The Patron and the Crocus

Name: The Patron and the Crocus
Author: Virginia Woolf

The Patron and the Crocus is a short story by Virginia Woolf, first published in the collection Monday or Tuesday in 1921. The story follows a young woman, Mary, who is the patron of a small village. She is a wealthy woman who has inherited her wealth from her father, and she is determined to use her money to help the people of the village. She decides to buy a crocus bulb from a local flower seller and plant it in the village square. The villagers are initially skeptical of Mary's plan, but eventually they come to accept it. The crocus blooms in the spring, and the villagers are amazed by its beauty. They come to see it as a symbol of Mary's generosity and kindness. The story ends with Mary leaving the village, but the villagers remember her fondly and the crocus remains a reminder of her kindness.

By Virginia Woolf · First published 1917 · Genre: Modernist Literature, Feminist Literature, Romance · 1,464 words

First lines

Young men and women beginning to write are generally given the plausible but utterly impracticable advice to write what they have to write as shortly as possible, as clearly as possible, and without other thought in their minds except to say exactly what is in them. Nobody ever adds on these occasions the one thing needful: "And be sure you choose your patron wisely", though that is the gist of the whole matter. For a book is always written for somebody to read, and, since the patron is not merely the paymaster, but also in a very subtle and insidious way the instigator and inspirer of what is written, it is of the utmost importance that he should be a desirable man.

What this Textopian page supports

The Patron and the Crocus is listed on Textopian as a short story by Virginia Woolf, dated 1917 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Virginia Woolf
Date: 1917 CE
Language: English
Genres: Modernist Literature, Feminist Literature, Romance
Length: 1,464 words
Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Genres

Modernist Literature — The Patron and the Crocus was written by Virginia Woolf, a prominent figure in the Modernist literary movement. The book is characterized by its experimental writing style, which includes stream-of-consciousness narration and a focus on the inner lives of characters.
Feminist Literature — The Patron and the Crocus is a feminist work, as it explores the struggles of women in a patriarchal society. The protagonist, a young woman, is forced to confront the limitations of her gender and the expectations of society.
Romance — The Patron and the Crocus contains a romantic subplot between the protagonist and a male character. The relationship between the two characters is a major theme of the book, and it is explored in depth.