SOURCE: The Symbolism of Virginia Woolf, Oxford University Press, London, 1965, 171 p.

In the following excerpt, Thakur analyzes symbolism in Orlando.

Talking about Orlando, David Daiches says [in The Novel and the Modern World], 'It would be a weary task to disentangle the profoundly symbolic from the deliberately irresponsible …', and, I would add, the historically true. Yet it is a fascinating study to see how from the available factual material Virginia Woolf has created a delightful novel, though, like Defoe and Fielding who name their novels 'The Life, Adventures and Pyracies of..', and 'The History of…', she calls it 'A Biography'.

It is based upon Victoria Sackville-West, Knole, and the Sackvilles. The heraldic leopard, the swaying tapestry, the gilded furniture, and the depth of mirrors that Virginia Woolf mentions in Orlando, are directly taken from Victoria Sackville-West's book Knole and the Sackvilles. Hall, the falconer; Giles...