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“Kew Gardens” was officially released in 1919. The work took the literary world by storm, as its audience and critics applauded its style. They considered the short story nothing short of a masterpiece. This acclaim, in part, arose because the story does not conform to traditional ideas of storytelling. A story, especially a short story, generally reflects a clear structure: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. “Kew Gardens” violates this structure altogether, instead presenting an assortment of conversations and events on a loose-woven frame primarily consisting of its setting.
Critical views and interpretations of “Kew Gardens” have been varied. Many critics have pointed out that Woolf was influenced by post-impressionist paintings, which surfaces in her description of that setting. Other critics have noted certain specific themes in the short story. For example, George M. Johnson described “Kew Gardens” as a supernatural story, saying that “Woolf demonstrates her ambivalence toward the supernatural and reveals her trying out a new method of creating a disturbingly haunting atmosphere.” Other critics, such as Sue Roe, have noted the significance of the snail, suggesting that it represents an anthropomorphized narrator and that it is through the snail that we view the rest of the characters. According to Roe, “Kew Gardens” is best described as “a snail’s-eye view from the interior of a flowerbed.”
In contemporary times, critics describe “Kew Gardens” as an important piece of literature in which Woolf puts forth a lyrical and oblique approach to her subject matter. This approach, according to critics, is reflected in her later works. The story is simple, leaving interpretation to readers, providing only glimpses into the lives of the men and women strolling around in Kew Gardens on a hot summer day, while still offering a vivid description of a visually charged scene.
