Virginia Woolf was one of the most influential 20th century prose writers who championed women's suffrage and tackled deep psychological issues in her works, though she struggled with mental illness and ultimately committed suicide during World War II. She pioneered the stream of consciousness technique in her first major work, Jacob's Room, which aimed to give the illusion of real consciousness through an unending flow of thoughts, memories, and reflections that may seem illogical like real thoughts.