A Sketch of the Past, Part 5 Summary and Analysis

Woolf developed a close relationship with Vanessa when faced not only with George's distaste for Vanessa's relationship with Jack but with life in general in a community of men, including the volatile Leslie, the intellectually dull but opinionated George, the busy Gerald and Adrian, and the hard-working Thoby. She recalls the routine of breakfast at Hyde Park Gate, in which Vanessa and the boys rushed out of the house to their various occupations, leaving Virginia with her studying and Leslie upstairs in his attic. Leslie was a typical Victorian male — conservative and traditional. She and Vanessa were more Edwardian in their forward-looking outlook.

Virginia then recalls the Victorian social routine of politeness and adhering to the rules of superficial conversation, rules which she suggests informed the subtle, implication-filled manner in...