1. The Legacy

2. Virginia Woolf ( 1882 – 1941) was an English writer, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. Background Information

3. During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927).

4. Her social and political concerns revolved chiefly around the rights of women and women writers. In A Room of One's Own (1929) Woolf argues that "a woman must have money and a room of her own" if she is to write fiction of any merit.

5. In October 1940, Virginia Woolf wrote the story called 'The Legacy' about a widower (a right-wing politician) who discovers from reading his wife's diaries that she had fallen in love with a radical working man and committed suicide.

6. Study Questions 1. From Angela’s diaries, does Mr. Clandon know more about his wife? 2. What or who caused Angela’s death? 3. What’s your impression of Mr. Clandon? 4. What is the theme of this short story?