A Snail Around the Flowerbed of Literature: The Hogarth Press’s Call to Slowness

Year 2024, Issue: 6, 219 - 227, 30.04.2024

Mine Özyurt Kılıç

Abstract

This study explores the symbolic significance of the snail in Virginia Woolf’s early works, particularly in “The Mark on the Wall,” and “Kew Gardens,” and the publications of the Hogarth Press. Woolf’s portrayal of the snail embodies a philosophy of slow contemplation amidst the rapid and standardizing forms of modern existence. Symbolizing a mode of deep thinking and attentive observation, the snail not only invites readers to engage in a deliberately slow approach to Woolf’s Modernist texts, but also prompts readers to attend to minutiae of everyday life and moments of being. Through literary analysis of Woolf’s artistic mission that advocates for a slower and deeper engagement with literature, and examination of the typesetting process at the Hogarth Press, this study illuminates the relevance of the snail as an emblem of slowness within both Woolf’s Modernist texts and the impetus behind the Hogarth Press.

Keywords

Virginia Woolf , Hogarth Press , snail symbolism , slow reading , moments of being , modernism

Edebiyatın Çiçek Tarhındaki Salyangoz: Hogarth Yayın Evi’nin Yavaşlığa Çağrısı

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Virginia Woolf’un ilk eserleri olan “The Mark on the Wall” ve “Kew Gardens” ile Hogarth Yayın Evi’nin yayınlarında salyangozun sembolik önemini incelemektedir. Woolf’un salyangoz tasviri, hızlı ve her şeyi sıradanlaştıran modern varoluş biçimleri arasında yavaş düşünme felsefesini somutlaştırır. Derin düşünme ve dikkatli gözlem hâlini simgeleyen salyangoz, okuyucuları Woolf’un Modernist metinlerine özellikle yavaş bir yaklaşım sergilemeye davet etmekle birlikte günlük yaşamın ayrıntılarına ve varoluş anlarına dikkat etmeye teşvik etmektedir. Woolf’un edebiyatla daha yavaş ve daha derin bir etkileşimi savunan görevinin edebi analizi ve Hogarth Yayın Evi’ndeki dizgi sürecinin incelenmesi yoluyla bu çalışma hem Woolf’un Modernist metinlerinde hem de Hogarth Yayın Evi’nin arkasındaki itici güçte yavaşlığın bir sembolü olarak salyangozun önemini vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

Virginia Woolf , Hogarth Yayın Evi , salyangoz sembolü , varoluş anları , modernizm

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