‘A morsel of real solid joy’ and a ‘knot of hardness’: Solidity in the Works of Charlotte Brontë and Virginia Woolf

This article explores ideas of solidity in the writings of Charlotte Brontë and Virginia Woolf. It is the first study of its kind in its aim to use solidity to reconcile two writers whose literary affinities, I propose, outnumber their differences. My article demonstrates that in Brontë's Villette (1853) and Woolf's The Waves (1931), the theme of solidity manifests itself in similar forms. It will show how the lingual, written or spoken word, which offers substantial sustenance to characters, is one such form. Similarly, it will show how solidity is present in both Brontë's and Woolf's portrayal of passion, the spiritual and the sexual. The presentation of solid objects as anchors and armours, tying characters to the real world, is a third similar manifestation of solidity in these works. Finally, a very remarkable common aspect of solidity can be found in their depiction of London, the urban setting that breeds knots of hardness.