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As the volumes of Virginia Woolf scholarship continue to multiply, literary detectives are beginning to grasp at straws. Recent studies have blamed the tragic circumstances of Woolf's life on childhood trauma and sexual abuse (Peter Dally's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, LJ 11/1/99) and even eating disorders (Allie Glenny's Ravenous Identity, LJ 2/1/00). Given that Woolf herself left behind perhaps one of the most complete and insightful diaries ever written by a novelist, all the fuss seems speculative at best, condescending at worst. The latest twist is Coates's theory that Leonard Woolf was responsible for his wife's insanity and suicide. Coates, a playwright, arrogantly presumes to know why Woolf behaved the way she did, writing, for instance, with cloying certa...Log In or Sign Up to Read More