#12 Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?

On truth, illusion, escapism and the American dream.

Jun 18, 2021

I turn to books for many reasons; reading, of course, remains my favourite pastime activity, yet it is more to books I owe than one could possibly imagine. In hindsight, this is perhaps why I am still old-fashioned and love the idea of being able to hold the physical copy of a book, smell its pages and make annotations. Sorry not sorry, eco-warriors!

When in doubt, I pick up a book and hope for the best. So far, I was not once let down by a book.

Books have helped me make important decisions: from choosing my high school after reading the autobiography of a former teacher who studied there during the interwar period (thank you, “Cişmigiu et Comp”) to learning French because I didn’t want to read “The Little Prince” in translation anymore. It was due to Stieg Larsson and Stephen King that I realised that there is nothing else in the world I’d rather do than tell stories - in any shape or form.

I wrote about fear a number of times in this newsletter and I keep sharing my vulnerabilities without thinking too much of the consequences (If Brené Brown read this, I hope she would be proud of me!). The truth is, I rely on books because sometimes I am afraid of the real world. My boyfriend used to tell me that I live in a “fantasy land” and more often than not, I took offence at his remarks. Sorry?!

It’s easier to run away than be confrontational; it’s easier to lie to yourself than face the truth; it’s easier to blame someone or something else than take responsibility for your own actions. It appears more comfortable to hide behind an illusion.

“Truth and illusion, George; you don’t know the difference” - Martha, Act III, “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

Edward Albee’s play, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” explores the concept of truth and illusion extensively, so much so the joke comes from Disney’s cartoon “the Three Little Pigs” and the “Big, Bad Wolf” song (TW: this can be *seriously* addictive!). Even though there’s a reference in the title to the British writer, Albee named his play after a visit to Greenwich Village bar where he noticed “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” as graffiti. Of course, it’s not as random as you’d like to think and the literary allusion is powerful. Woolf is well-known for her stream of consciousness, her concerns with the nature of reality and her self-destruction attitude - she struggled with mental health and took her life by drowning herself in the River Ouse. In other words, the title calls for self-reflection: who is afraid of living a life without illusion?

Set in the New England college town of New Carthage, in the living room of a history professor and his wife, George and Martha, the play depicts the story of an unstable, destructive marriage at a late-night party, filled with alcohol and lacerating revelations, in an attempt to entertain the guests, a faculty member and his wife, Nick and Honey.

As an absurdist, Albee was driven by the idea that moral, political and social structures have failed to maintain the ‘illusion’ of a good life. His characters are caught up in a world of illusion to keep them alienated from the unflinching reality. Hence, the distinction between truth and illusion is at times deliberately unclear.

What follows is Martha and George indulging themselves and their guests in game-playing and fantasy. Martha accuses George of his unused potential, not striving for more or achieving too little. She humiliates him and in return, George looks to destroy Nick and Honey’s marriage too. Martha goes on to betray George by sleeping with Nick and at this point, George “kills” the imaginary son he and Martha have together. With the daylight and sobriety comes the truth: the death of the phantom child confronts the characters with reality. There are no games left to play, no marital battle, no alcohol, no falsehood. Just the crude, overwhelming reality. No illusions.

“The only two things you can write about are life and death.” - Edward Albee

Although “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?” is now viewed as one of the greatest American plays ever written, running for 664 performances, it hasn’t always had this wild success. For instance, it was denied the Pulitzer Prize because the board of directors did not want to give the award to a “dirty” play.

It is believed that George and Martha are named after George and Martha Washington, therefore a symbol for the United States. One could extrapolate and think of George and Martha as the antithesis of what consolidates the ‘great life’ in America (and not only there): achieving a certain degree of success, getting married and having children. One cannot help but think: if this is the American dream, doesn’t this mean George and Martha could, in fact, represent all Americans?!

Too much illusion for one day. That’s it for this week, now on to the usual cultural recommendations. See you next Friday with some more food for thought!

Happy reading, happy learning,

Teodora x

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🥁 📚 The latest in the literary world

Cancel culture or literary snobbery? 🤔 The books by one of Britain’s most famous children’s authors, Enid Blyton, have been branded racist. Blyton’s work has been criticised for its “racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit” in updated blue plaque information by English Heritage. Uh oh. 🤭
Former US President Donald Trump insists he has offers from two of the “most prestigious publishing houses.” POLITICO reached out to “The Big Five” in the publishing industry and guess what… no such offers have ever been made! 🤥 I guess it’s a pity that we’ll have to wait a while longer for some highbrow literature to hit Waterstones! 🙊 👀
This year’s Wolfston History Prize winner - the UK’s most prestigious history prize - is “Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture” by Sudhir Hazareesingh. 👏 🏆 🎉 After the abolition of slavery in 1793 in Haiti, Toussaint Louverture, himself a former slave, became the leader of the colony's black population, the commander of its republican army and eventually its governor. This is the epic story of “the world's first black superhero.” ☮️
Richard Osman is back at the top of the UK Official Top 50 chart with “The Thursday Murder Club,” after being replaced briefly by E L James’ “Freed: Fifty Shades as told by Christian.” Osman’s crime novel has racked up the most non-consecutive number ones for a paperback Adult Fiction title since The Tattooist of Auschwitz in winter 2018! 👏 🎉 🕵️‍♂️
The Bake Off star, Nadiya Hussain, has revealed her brand new cookery book of recipes designed to make quick and tasty meals for everyday cooking! 😋 “Nadiya’s Fast Flavours” will be out on October 28 and will be accompanied by a BBC series too. Exciting! 📺 🍽️ 🧑‍🍳

🎧 📰 👀 My media diet this week

What if remote work didn’t mean working from home? Cal Newport argues that we should ditch working from home and start working from… near home instead. Why read it? You’ll learn a lot from writers’ strange workspace choices including Maya Angelou’s habit of renting hotel rooms or Steinback’s preference for a fishing boat as a work desk. And, of course, Newport’s promise that W.F.N.H offers strong returns in the long run. 👨‍💻 👩‍💻
I declared my love and appreciation for Matthew Syed in this newsletter (back in issue #2!) when I shared his podcast, Sideways. Now, I am recommending another podcast, The Diary of a CEO, where Steven Bartlett interviewed Syed on creating innovation, building confidence and reaching your full potential. Why listen to it? Before you start rolling your eyes about more personal development crap, hear me out: Syed is a former professional table tennis player who embarked on a journalism career and published four books on mindset and high performance. His learnings as an elite level sportsman and journalist are not only fascinating but thought-provoking. 💡
From a bike company to “The Netflix of Wellness.” From the Hollywood Reporter, this article is about Peloton, a global content brand with rigorous scripting of classes, entertainment industry partnerships and star instructors on multiyear contracts. Why read it? You’ll learn about the company’s rise during the pandemic and you’ll most likely reevaluate the power of good marketing. As it turns out, a treadmill isn’t just fitness equipment but “a portal for experiences.” 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️ 💪
Since World Refugee Day is just around the corner (Sunday, 20/06), this article on refugee stories from openDemocracy couldn’t be more appropriate. Why read it? You’ll learn how the storytelling prevalent nowadays can leave refugees feeling tokenised and disempowered and why emphasising their heartbreaking stories can cause more harm than good. A kind reminder that words and language matter, so let’s be mindful of that! 🙏 😇

📌 Random news in brief

Head of world’s largest family dies in India, leaving behind 39 wives and 94 children (!!!) - I don’t even want to imagine how family dinners looked like! 🤯
For an 84-year-old, the coronavirus has been the perfect opportunity to brush up on his…ehm…ASMR skills. John Butler became a YouTube sensation during lockdown, attracting millions of views and more than 120,000 subscribers with his philosophical videos about life and meditation. 🧘
And finally, let’s kick off the weekend with some heavy metal! 🤘 Meet the female headbangers, Voice of Baceprot (or Noisy Voice in English), who keep their headscarves on as they wow the crowds in Indonesia. 🧕 🎸 🥁

Before we say goodbye… 🥺

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