The marriage of heaven and hell : manic depression and the life of Virginia Woolf

Combining his knowledge as a doctor and a lifelong fascination with Virginia Woolf's life and work, eminent psychiatrist Peter Dally offers a haunting and compelling look at the depression that tormented Virginia Woolf throughout her adult years. On three ocassions Virginia went mad. Symptoms of these episodes included conversations with her dead mother, and hearing birds speak in Greek. Thougha quiet life cushioned her childhood, the renown Woolf achieved through writing inspired the bouts of depression and elation that she regularly experienced as an adult. This terrified Virginia, and though the experience offered extraordinary insight into her craft, Woolf lived in constant fear of her dreadful affliction. Virginia's most vital protection from stress was her husband, Leonard. Without his constant vigilance and care, it is doubtful she would have been so creatively productive. Yet, paradoxically, their marriage ultimately preciptated her most dangerous bout of madness.... In this haunting and compelling book, eminent psychiatrist Peter Dally explores the darker side of Virginia Woolf. Bringing together his knowledge as a doctor with his life-long fascination with Woolf's life and work, he sheds light on the depression that tormented her adult years.

A quiet life cushioned Virginia from the bouts of depression and elation that she regularly experienced, but life in the public eye profoundly affected her moods and her behavior. On three occasions Virginia went mad. This terrified her, and she lived in constant fear of the return of this dreadful affliction. Yet the experience gave her the extraordinary insight and new ideas and associations that were to emerge in her writing.

Ideally, every manic depressive needs to be protected from stress. Virginia had several protectors, but none so vital as her husband, Leonard. Without his constant vigilance and care, it is doubtful she would have been so creatively productive. Yet, paradoxically, their marriage precipitated one of her bouts of madness. At the end of her life, when events outside the couple's control led to Leonard's gradual withdrawal and his own depression, Virginia found herself facing her madness alone, and with tragic results.

Compassionate and disturbing, this fascinating study is the first to look at Virginia Woolf's life from the perspective of her madness. Although a general psychiatrist, his professional outlook is eclectic and he has particular interests in manic depression and anorexia nervosa, a subject on which he has written several books. Virginia Woolf first aroused his interest when, as a student, he read Mrs. Dalloway. He subsequently became absorbed in her diaries,which give a wider and deeper picture of manic depression than any textbook could. This book then is about her life, and her marriage, in relation to manic depression, and the author is as much Virginia Woolf's psychiatrist as her biographer." - Peter Dally

Combining his knowledge as a doctor and a lifelong fascination with Virginia Woolf's life and work, eminent psychiatrist Peter Dally offers a haunting and compelling look at the depression that tormented Virginia Woolf throughout her adult years, in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Manic Depression and the Life of Virginia Woolf.

On three occasions Virginia went mad. Symptoms of these episodes included conversations with her dead mother, and hearing birds speak in Greek. Though a quiet life cushioned her childhood, the renown that Woolf achieved through writing inspired the bouts of depression and elation that she regularly experienced as an adult. This terrified Virginia, and though the experience offered extraordinary insight into her craft, Woolf lived in constant fear of her dreadful affliction.

Virginia's most vital protection from stress was her husband, Leonard. Without his constant vigilance and care, it is doubtful she would have been so creatively productive. Yet, paradoxically, their marriage ultimately precipitated her most dangerous bout of madness. Toward the end of her life, when events outside the couple's control led to Leonard's own depression and gradual withdrawal, Virginia found herself facing madness alone, and with tragic results.

Compassionate and disturbing, this fascinating study is the first to look at Virginia Woolf's life from the perspective of her illness.

Combining his knowledge as a doctor and a lifelong fascination with Virginia Woolf's life and work, eminent psychiatrist Peter Dally offers a haunting and compelling look at the depression that tormented Virginia Woolf throughout her adult years, in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Manic Depression and the Life of Virginia Woolf . On three occasions Virginia went mad. Symptoms of these episodes included conversations with her dead mother, and hearing birds speak in Greek. Though a quiet life cushioned her childhood, the renown that Woolf achieved through writing inspired the bouts of depression and elation that she regularly experienced as an adult. This terrified Virginia, and though the experience offered extraordinary insight into her craft, Woolf lived in constant fear of her dreadful affliction. Virginia's most vital protection from stress was her husband, Leonard. Without his constant vigilance and care, it is doubtful she would have been so creatively productive. Yet, paradoxically, their marriage ultimately precipitated her most dangerous bout of madness. Toward the end of her life, when events outside the couple's control led to Leonard's own depression and gradual withdrawal, Virginia found herself facing madness alone, and with tragic results. Compassionate and disturbing, this fascinating study is the first to look at Virginia Woolf's life from the perspective of her illness. The author, a psychiatrist, explains that Woolf's difficult childhood and youth, created the chemical and biological groundwork for her later mental illness. This forensic inquiry is possible only because Woolf, a faithful diarist, left "surely the fullest year-by-year record ever of the effect of the disease on a creative life", adding some insight into Woolf's troubled genius "In this book, psychiatrist Peter Dally explores the darker side of Virginia Woolf. Bringing together his knowledge as a doctor with his life-long fascination with Virginia Woolf's life and work, he sheds light on the depression that tormented her adult years."--BOOK JACKET. A respected psychiatrist, a long-time student of the works of Virginia Woolf, offers a revealing exploration of Woolf's long struggle with manic depression and madness, discussing its effects on her writing and on her life.