Virginia Woolf and Leslie Stephen: A Father’s Contribution to Psychosis and Genius

This paper explores the character of Leslie Stephen, Virginia Woolf’s father, & his interaction with her early psychic structure, & investigates the origin of her psychosis & her genius relative to the role of heredity & environment. The author concludes that, although father & daughter resembled each other genetically, it seems unnecessary to postulate a biochemical factor as the major cause of Virginia Woolf’s manic depressive illness. 23 Refs. (LH)