British Culture - User contributions [en]

To the Lighthouse

2012-01-15T14:41:33Z

Dee:

''To the Lighthouse'', first published in 1927, counts among [[Virginia Woolf]]’s most experimental works. As Woolf’s writing addresses issues which were relevant to her era, the aesthetic of her writing in To The Lighthouse needs to be understood in its relation to the time in which she lived.

The novel is divided into three sections,'' The Window'', ''Time Passes'' and ''The Lighthouse''. It draws a picture of the members of the Ramsay family and their friends. The first section opens before the World War. The Ramsay family hosts a couple of guests at their summer house. The section presents many perspectives through the character of Mrs. Ramsay. In the second part the war breaks out; the section marks the death of many of the characters including Mrs. Ramsay. In the third and final section, post world war, the remaining family members find together and voyage to the lighthouse.

''To the Lighthouse'' is labeled a modernist work as it refers to the social and historical phenomena taking place at the Modernist time such as the war, new scientific developments, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution undermining the unquestioned faith in God and Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis introducing the idea of an unconscious mind. In close connection to these developments, Woolf makes use of the technique of [[stream of consciousness]] in the novel depicting the reflective stream of thoughts flowing through the characters’ minds providing a more accurate and in-depth character development than had existed in the traditional approach. Almost all of the events take place in the characters’ minds. The mental processes of the characters establish the content of the narrative and allow the author to concentrate on the things that exist beneath the surface of speech and action. Through these insights into each character’s mind, Woolf explores the different ways in which individuals search for and create meaning in their own experience. She expresses how individuals order their perceptions into a coherent understanding of life. Her effort is important in a world which no longer has any substantial meaning. Darwin’s theory of evolution had a great impact on society changing the belief that human life was divinely inspired.

Modernism in Virginia Woolf’s ''To The Lighthouse'' is therefore conceived in dialogue with modernity as it experiments in form and style but also in refers to the events taking place in the outside world. Woolf’s stream of consciousness reflects the nature of human psyche as thoughts jump from one subject to another. At the same time she captures the essence of modern life in its form and content.

== '''Literature''' ==

*Goldman, Jane. (2006). ''The Cambridge Introduction to Virgina Woolf''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

To the Lighthouse

2012-01-15T14:41:13Z

Dee:

''To the Lighthouse'', first published in 1927, counts among Virginia Woolf’s most experimental works. As Woolf’s writing addresses issues which were relevant to her era, the aesthetic of her writing in To The Lighthouse needs to be understood in its relation to the time in which she lived.

The novel is divided into three sections,'' The Window'', ''Time Passes'' and ''The Lighthouse''. It draws a picture of the members of the Ramsay family and their friends. The first section opens before the World War. The Ramsay family hosts a couple of guests at their summer house. The section presents many perspectives through the character of Mrs. Ramsay. In the second part the war breaks out; the section marks the death of many of the characters including Mrs. Ramsay. In the third and final section, post world war, the remaining family members find together and voyage to the lighthouse.

''To the Lighthouse'' is labeled a modernist work as it refers to the social and historical phenomena taking place at the Modernist time such as the war, new scientific developments, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution undermining the unquestioned faith in God and Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis introducing the idea of an unconscious mind. In close connection to these developments, Woolf makes use of the technique of [[stream of consciousness]] in the novel depicting the reflective stream of thoughts flowing through the characters’ minds providing a more accurate and in-depth character development than had existed in the traditional approach. Almost all of the events take place in the characters’ minds. The mental processes of the characters establish the content of the narrative and allow the author to concentrate on the things that exist beneath the surface of speech and action. Through these insights into each character’s mind, Woolf explores the different ways in which individuals search for and create meaning in their own experience. She expresses how individuals order their perceptions into a coherent understanding of life. Her effort is important in a world which no longer has any substantial meaning. Darwin’s theory of evolution had a great impact on society changing the belief that human life was divinely inspired.

Modernism in Virginia Woolf’s ''To The Lighthouse'' is therefore conceived in dialogue with modernity as it experiments in form and style but also in refers to the events taking place in the outside world. Woolf’s stream of consciousness reflects the nature of human psyche as thoughts jump from one subject to another. At the same time she captures the essence of modern life in its form and content.

== '''Literature''' ==

*Goldman, Jane. (2006). ''The Cambridge Introduction to Virgina Woolf''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

To the Lighthouse

2012-01-15T14:37:29Z

Dee:

To the Lighthouse, first published in 1927, counts among Virginia Woolf’s most experimental works. As Woolf’s writing addresses issues which were relevant to her era, the aesthetic of her writing in To The Lighthouse needs to be understood in its relation to the time in which she lived.

The novel is divided into three sections, The Window, Time Passes and The Lighthouse. It draws a picture of the members of the Ramsay family and their friends. The first section opens before the World War. The Ramsay family hosts a couple of guests at their summer house. The section presents many perspectives through the character of Mrs. Ramsay. In the second part the war breaks out; the section marks the death of many of the characters including Mrs. Ramsay. In the third and final section, post world war, the remaining family members find together and voyage to the lighthouse.

To the Lighthouse is labeled a modernist work as it refers to the social and historical phenomena taking place at the Modernist time such as the war, new scientific developments, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution undermining the unquestioned faith in God and Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis introducing the idea of an unconscious mind. In close connection to these developments, Woolf makes use of the technique of stream of consciousness in the novel depicting the reflective stream of thoughts flowing through the characters’ minds providing a more accurate and in-depth character development than had existed in the traditional approach. Almost all of the events take place in the characters’ minds. The mental processes of the characters establish the content of the narrative and allow the author to concentrate on the things that exist beneath the surface of speech and action. Through these insights into each character’s mind, Woolf explores the different ways in which individuals search for and create meaning in their own experience. She expresses how individuals order their perceptions into a coherent understanding of life. Her effort is important in a world which no longer has any substantial meaning. Darwin’s theory of evolution had a great impact on society changing the belief that human life was divinely inspired.

Modernism in Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse is therefore conceived in dialogue with modernity as it experiments in form and style but also in refers to the events taking place in the outside world. Woolf’s stream of consciousness reflects the nature of human psyche as thoughts jump from one subject to another. At the same time she captures the essence of modern life in its form and content.

To the Lighthouse

2012-01-15T14:36:00Z

Dee:

To the Lighthouse

2012-01-08T12:05:12Z

Dee:

Novel by Virginia Woolf. First published in 1927. Two days, one family, their friends. Memories, art, a dinner, a painting, and - of course - a lighthouse.

Mrs Dalloway

2011-12-07T14:16:16Z

Dee:

''Mrs Dalloway'', written by [[Virginia Woolf]], was first published in 1925 and is considered an excellent example of Modernist literature as it uses frequent themes which are characteristic of Modernism. Modernist techniques are not only employed in the narrative but also in the construction, themes and setting of the novel.

''Mrs. Dalloway'' is set in 1923 post World War I Britain. The actions of the novel are simple, depicting the experiences and memories of the central characters over a single day. Clarissa Dalloway, who is hosting a party, her husband Richard Dalloway and their daughter Elizabeth are busy with their day. During the day Clarissa meets Peter Walsh, a former suitor, who has just come back from India. Another character, Septimus Warren Smith, who has lost his friend Evans in the War, struggles with the memories of his dead friend. He commits suicide to escape his doctors, but particularly because he feels disillusioned with understanding the world and its structures. On the party, as Clarissa learns about Septimus’ suicide she is deeply hurt by the news, despite the fact that she had never met Septimus. Thus, the novel expresses the new realities of a society and its individuals after the war and shows the characters thinking and reacting to their surroundings in ways that resembled actual individual experience. Also the pessimistic view that resulted from the modernist era is showcased in ''Mrs. Dalloway''. Characters like Peter Walsh portray the shifting political atmosphere; but on the same time the novel also focuses on the existing social mood through the character Septimus Warren Smith for instance. Within this changing world, Woolf focuses on modernist issues such as loneliness and isolation as well which is related to the doubtful period Britain went through in history. This is established through the [[stream of consciousness]] technique, which captures the thought process of a character uncovering emotional and psychological processes.

''Mrs. Dalloway'' is a complex novel which tries to emphasize, amongst other themes, on the subconscious and address the role of the individual within society for instance by indicating the modern city and the mental illness form which Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa suffer.

== '''Literature''' ==

*Ellmann, Maud. (2010). ''The Nets of Modernism. Henry James, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and Sigmund Freud''. New York: Cambridge University Press.

*Goldman, Jane. (2006). ''The Cambridge Introduction to Virgina Woolf''. Camebridge: Cambridge University Press.

*Woolf, Virginia. (2000). ''Mrs. Dalloway''. London: Penguin Books.

Mrs Dalloway

2011-12-07T14:12:50Z

Dee:

''Mrs Dalloway'', written by [[Virginia Woolf]], was first published in 1925 and is considered an excellent example of Modernist literature as it uses frequent themes which are characteristic of Modernism. Modernist techniques are not only employed in the narrative but also in the construction, themes and setting of the novel.

''Mrs. Dalloway'' is set in 1923 post World War I Britain. The actions of the novel are simple, depicting the experiences and memories of the central characters over a single day. Clarissa Dalloway, who is hosting a party, her husband Richard Dalloway and their daughter Elizabeth are busy with their day. During the day Clarissa meets Peter Walsh, a former suitor, who has just come back from India. Another character, Septimus Warren Smith, who has lost his friend Evans in the War, struggles with the memories of his dead friend. He commits suicide to escape his doctors, but particularly because he feels disillusioned with understanding the world and its structures. On the party, as Clarissa learns about Septimus’ suicide she is deeply hurt by the news, despite the fact that she had never met Septimus. Thus, the novel expresses the new realities of a society and its individuals after the war and shows the characters thinking and reacting to their surroundings in ways that resembled actual individual experience. Also the pessimistic view that resulted from the modernist era is showcased in ''Mrs. Dalloway''. Characters like Peter Walsh portray the shifting political atmosphere; but on the same time the novel also focuses on the existing social mood through the character Septimus Warren Smith for instance. Within this changing world, Woolf focuses on modernist issues such as loneliness and isolation as well which is related to the doubtful period Britain went through in history. This is established through the [[stream of consciousness]] technique, which captures the thought process of a character uncovering emotional and psychological processes.

''Mrs. Dalloway'' is a complex novel which tries to emphasize, amongst other themes, on the subconscious and address the role of the individual within society for instance by indicating the modern city and the mental illness form which Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa suffer.

'''Literature'''

Ellmann, Maud. (2010). ''The Nets of Modernism. Henry James, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and Sigmund Freud''. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Goldman, Jane. (2006). ''The Cambridge Introduction to Virgina Woolf''. Camebridge: Cambridge University Press.

Woolf, Virginia. (2000). ''Mrs. Dalloway''. London: Penguin Books.

Mrs Dalloway

2011-12-07T14:05:47Z

Dee:

Mrs Dalloway

2011-12-02T14:22:08Z

Dee:

KNovel by [[Virginia Woolf]], first published in 1925. Excellent example of Modernist literature.

One day in London, a woman and a man, the essence of life and death.

Mrs Dalloway

2011-12-02T13:34:05Z

Dee:

Novel by [[Virginia Woolf]], first published in 1925.

One day in London, a woman and a man, the essence of life and death. More accessible than ''[[Ulysses]]''. Strongly recommended reading.

Written in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway is an excellent example of the Modernist period of literature.

[[Category:Expansion]]