Final answer:
The line from Virginia Woolf uses the figurative language device known as hyperbole, an exaggerated statement that emphasizes the materialistic aspects of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of the line from Virginia Woolf's extended metaphor about the spider's web, the phrase 'and are attached to grossly material things, like health and money and the houses we live in' exemplifies the figurative language device known as hyperbole. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally but used for emphasis or rhetorical effect. Considering the entire metaphor in question, it uses such exaggeration to emphasize the extent to which our lives and concerns are tied to materialistic aspects, magnifying their perceived significance to a point of absurdity.
In literature, hyperbole is often employed to convey strong emotion, to create a strong impression, or to evoke a sense of overwhelming scale. This device is distinct from meiosis, which is an intentional understatement, alliteration, which is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, and onomatopoeia, where a word imitates the natural sound of a thing.