An introduction to the Bloomsbury group

This course introduces the key members of the Bloomsbury Group, including Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell, Lytton Strachey and John Maynard Keynes, and explores their contribution to the fields of art, literature, politics and philosophy. We look at examples and extracts of their work and consider their contribution to cultural life in early 20th-century Britain.

Why does the Bloomsbury group still attract attention today, over 90 years after its heyday? This course introduces you to the fascinating group of artists, writers and thinkers who came together as a circle of friends, then went on to play an influential role in British cultural life in the early decades of the 20th century and beyond. We will focus on two novels, A Room With A View by E M Forster and Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf, as well as biography (Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey) and essays by Roger Fry and John Maynard Keynes. What bound this group together? How did they react to contemporary ideas of art, literature and political thought? What role did Cambridge play in the development of their ideas? What were their major accomplishments?  

You will need to read the prescribed texts in preparation for the course as they will form the focus of analytical ‘close reading’ in class. Textual study will enable us to engage with the literary expression of ideas before broadening into wider debate on Bloomsbury’s influence upon fiction, biography, art theory and practice, and social history. The Cambridge Companion to the Bloomsbury Group provides an excellent overview of the ideas we will encounter, and you may want to extend your reading to include biographies of the key figures: Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Lytton Strachey, John Maynard Keynes, E M Forster (see reading list).  

Please purchase your own copy of the key texts: A Room With A View, Jacob’s Room and Eminent Victorians. Essays by Roger Fry and J M Keynes can be accessed via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). 

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• To gain a knowledge of the primary texts and an understanding of their social and  historical context;  
• To gain an understanding of key issues concerning members of the Bloomsbury Group;  
• To develop skills of close analysis of literary texts;  
• To be able to engage in and contribute to general debate on issues encountered  on the course. 

Classes

1. Introduction: What was Bloomsbury?  
2. Bloomsbury art: Fry, Grant and Bell (‘An Essay on Aesthetics’, Roger Fry)  
3. Bloomsbury literature (1): A Room With A View, E M Forster  
4. Bloomsbury literature (2): Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf  
5. Bloomsbury politics: Eminent Victorians, Lytton Strachey; ‘Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren’, J M Keynes. Conclusions 

Required reading

Forster, E M A Room With A View, edited by Malcolm Bradbury. Penguin Classics, 2000
Strachey, Lytton Eminent Victorians, edited by Michael Holroyd. Penguin Classics, 1989
Woolf, Virginia Jacob’s Room, edited by Kate Flint. Oxford World’s Classics, 2008
‘An Essay on Aesthetics’, Roger Fry (available on VLE) 
‘Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren’, J M Keynes (available on VLE) 

Typical week: Monday to Friday

For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.