Reanna Brooks

Provisional Thesis Title: Beyond the Manuscript: Exploring the Materiality and Craftsmanship in Virginia Woolf's Literary Legacy

Supervisor: Professor Rebecca Beasley, Professor Michael Whitworth

My thesis investigates the infrequently explored material production processes at the Hogarth Press, assessing their ramifications on Virginia Woolf's literary output, particularly evident in her early works— 'Mark on the Wall' (1917) and  Kew Gardens (1919). Centered on the intricate technicalities of typesetting, binding, and printing, the investigation explores how Woolf's direct engagement in these processes shaped her writing and editing methodologies. Through a meticulous comparative analysis between Woolf's manuscript drafts and the final published editions, this study aspires to address the extant lacuna surrounding the visual and material aspects of her compositional process. By concentrating exclusively on the production methodologies employed by Woolf during the inception and dissemination of her inaugural texts at the Hogarth Press, this thesis endeavors to situate her within the broader milieu of early twentieth-century arts and crafts. In so doing, it aims to contribute to the scholarly discourse by offering a nuanced understanding of Woolf's creative procedures within the context of material book production during this period.

I have received invitations to showcase my research at prominent national and international conferences, most notably the 33rd Annual International Conference of Virginia Woolf in Fresno, California (2024) and the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference in New Mexico (2022), and have given presentations at the New Work in Modernist Studies Conference in Liverpool (2023). Additionally, I have published in The Modernist Review 50:1 (2024), and I have a forthcoming article on Duncan Grant set for publication by the Modernist Archives Publishing Project (MAPP) in 2024/2025.

Previously, I served as an editor and peer reviewer for the Johns Hopkins Book History Journal, and have contributed to organizing presentations and lectures aimed at fostering interest in the material book among school children, notably through events such as the Cambridge Festival.

In conjunction with my doctoral research, I am also collaborating as a co-author on a forthcoming chapter that presents a comparative analysis of Tintin comics in the contemporary digital landscape. This contribution is part of an upcoming publication slated for release in 2025/2026, as part of Routledge's 'Advances in Comic Studies' series.

You can connect with me on Twitter, @123REANNA

Research Interests: history of the book, bibliography, materiality, print cultures, modernism