A Snail Around the Flowerbed of Literature: The Hogarth Press’s Call to Slowness

Abstract

This study explores the symbolic significance of the snail in Virginia Woolf’s early works, particularly in “The Mark on the Wall,” and “Kew Gardens,” and the publications of the Hogarth Press. Woolf’s portrayal of the snail embodies a philosophy of slow contemplation amidst the rapid and standardizing forms of modern existence. Symbolizing a mode of deep thinking and attentive observation, the snail not only invites readers to engage in a deliberately slow approach to Woolf’s Modernist texts, but also prompts readers to attend to minutiae of everyday life and moments of being. Through literary analysis of Woolf’s artistic mission that advocates for a slower and deeper engagement with literature, and examination of the typesetting process at the Hogarth Press, this study illuminates the relevance of the snail as an emblem of slowness within both Woolf’s Modernist texts and the impetus behind the Hogarth Press.