War, widowhood, and maternal grief in Jacob’s Room

This article repositions Virginia Woof’s Jacob’s Room as a feminist elegy centred on the maternal figure of Betty Flanders. Drawing on the concept of affective apophasis, it argues that Virginia Woolf reframes elegy through silence, atmosphere, and absence rather than direct expression. Because of her dual identity as widow and bereaved mother, Betty emerges as an Everywoman of the Great War whose grief unites private and public mourning. Grounded in feminist theories of grievability, this analysis shows how Woolf anticipates continuing questions about whose losses are acknowledged and whose remain unheard.