‘What a Hellish Business’: Exploring the Theme of Infant Feeding in the Works of Virginia Woolf

Abstract

Although Virginia Woolf’s interest in the social and political participation of women has garnered decades of critical consideration, there has been limited attention to the historical relevance of maternal themes in her works. This article begins to address this gap by offering an analysis of Woolf’s writing on infant feeding, a trope which emerges in her very earliest fiction and continues throughout her canon. During Woolf’s lifetime maternal discourses were rooted in changes in employment, social structure, politics, philanthropy and science. Her writing on maternity is especially valuable not only because of her response to these contemporary events—the trope of infant feeding, for example, offers another critical approach to her thoughts on class—but also due to the deeply personal aspect of the subject. Exploring a variety of ways Woolf engaged with infant feeding, the author here considers how such a theme offers a fresh perspective on Woolf’s feminism, social engagement and feelings about creating art.