To The Lighthouse

This book is the reason I woke up at the END of my high-school english class.

Woolf's style is, to my mind, reminiscent of Elliott's: the convoluted, "if so and but wherefore" variety with single sentences so constructed often reaching a paragraph (or more) in length. Initially, I found this highly irritating. However, as a transsexual woman of advancing years (!) what I found fascinating was the content and that her heroines'...more

Woolf's style is, to my mind, reminiscent of Elliott's: the convoluted, "if so and but wherefore" variety with single sentences so constructed often reaching a paragraph (or more) in length. Initially, I found this highly irritating. However, as a transsexual woman of advancing years (!) what I found fascinating was the content and that her heroines' experiences closely resembled and validated mine...   hide

I read it two times in college, the second time being the clearer time; but then I became a teacher, and assigned a portion of it to my students to illustrate a point. The point I was making and I believe the point that the book makes as well is that our goal should be to make each other's lives a little easier, as this family seemed to like to do. I agree it is tedious writing, however, for...more

I read it two times in college, the second time being the clearer time; but then I became a teacher, and assigned a portion of it to my students to illustrate a point. The point I was making and I believe the point that the book makes as well is that our goal should be to make each other's lives a little easier, as this family seemed to like to do. I agree it is tedious writing, however, for the time in which it was written, it was extremely well accepted. It has become one of my favorite pieces of literature. I am an English teacher, and I am always looking for things to give my students which are relevant to today. I actually found this book, which was written in the early 20th century, to be applicable to the 21st century as well.   hide

Some of the imagery and symbolism is simply stunning. I love the use of skull and its transformation into a nest. The other thing that really just took my breath away whenever I encountered it was the way Woolf shows how our actual moments of connection with people can be both fleeting and few. My favourite instance of this is with Mr and Mrs Ramsay discussing Andrew's prospects of a scholarship:...more

Some of the imagery and symbolism is simply stunning. I love the use of skull and its transformation into a nest. The other thing that really just took my breath away whenever I encountered it was the way Woolf shows how our actual moments of connection with people can be both fleeting and few. My favourite instance of this is with Mr and Mrs Ramsay discussing Andrew's prospects of a scholarship: "They disagreed always about this, but it did not matter. She liked him to believe in scholarships, and he liked her to be proud of Andrew whatever he did." Great read but not light; it requires attention.   hide

***SPOILER ALERT***This is a novel which demonstrates the "stream of consciousness" idea as well as any other example I have read. We are constantly bombarded with the interior thoughts of the respective characters. The novel is less about what happens and more about the character?s impressions and opinions of what is happening. The bulk of the novel is set on one day in a falsely pastoral...more

***SPOILER ALERT***This is a novel which demonstrates the "stream of consciousness" idea as well as any other example I have read. We are constantly bombarded with the interior thoughts of the respective characters. The novel is less about what happens and more about the character?s impressions and opinions of what is happening. The bulk of the novel is set on one day in a falsely pastoral Hebridan setting. The Ramsay family is on a holiday in their summer home with a number of guests. It is the peak of their happiness Mrs. Ramsay realizes they will never be as happy again as they are this moment. There is a second part almost an epilogue set after several family members have died. The objective set out in the title is not achieved until then. The most memorable scene in the novel is at the dinner table when we skip thought the minds of several of the characters seeing their perspectives on the others in the room, most particularly Mrs. Ramsay?s the thoughts put down in the novel are very refined, precise and believable. A comparison for me at least in style is to compare this novel to "Ulysses". This is a much more accessible novel and one which I will probably reread more often. It does not get into the word play and games that the later part of "Ulysses".   hide

To embark on a stream-of-consciousness, symbolically riddled, Woolfish novel is to take a magnified lens to a specific period and analyze every possible motif presented within human relationships. Every crest of wave, every shadow painted on Lilly's canvas, every guest at the Ramsey's house seemed to explode with possible meaning. Woolf is deliberate and way too intellectual to keep up with. I...more

To embark on a stream-of-consciousness, symbolically riddled, Woolfish novel is to take a magnified lens to a specific period and analyze every possible motif presented within human relationships. Every crest of wave, every shadow painted on Lilly's canvas, every guest at the Ramsey's house seemed to explode with possible meaning. Woolf is deliberate and way too intellectual to keep up with. I plan on rereading this again and again to find all the metaphorical gems she's sewn into each passage.   hide

It is important to clarify my rating of this novel: I admit not so much to enjoying the work as recognizing its vitality and importance. Quite frankly, Part I is dull and overflows with mind numbing tedium; whereas, part III flits about with a ponderours whimsy far too self-effacingly contrite for there to exist any sort of connection between the narrator and the audience. Part II,...more

It is important to clarify my rating of this novel: I admit not so much to enjoying the work as recognizing its vitality and importance. Quite frankly, Part I is dull and overflows with mind numbing tedium; whereas, part III flits about with a ponderours whimsy far too self-effacingly contrite for there to exist any sort of connection between the narrator and the audience. Part II, however, just may be the single greatest achievement which emerges from the literature of the last century: a haunting contemplation of the void the fills spaces where humans are absent which is the closest example to a narrator-less narrative as I have yet encountered.   hide

I had never read any Virginia Woolf until university and opted for a Woolf seminar in my final year. One of the main focuses of the course was 'To the Lighthouse', a deceptively short book that covers a wide range of themes, subjects and acerbic social commentary. Not only is Woolf's style of writing hugely original, I admire the fact that she triumphed as part of 1920s Modernism, a predominantly...more

I had never read any Virginia Woolf until university and opted for a Woolf seminar in my final year. One of the main focuses of the course was 'To the Lighthouse', a deceptively short book that covers a wide range of themes, subjects and acerbic social commentary. Not only is Woolf's style of writing hugely original, I admire the fact that she triumphed as part of 1920s Modernism, a predominantly male canon. The word 'feminist' is often bandied around too much about any literary female but Woolf really did set a standard to which a lot of subsequent women's writing aspired. The book is strong on every level from characters to dialogue, setting to story but it is the symbolism that jumps out at the reader. I'd like to think of Woolf as one of the true interactive writers as she makes the reader work hard and challenge what she's saying on the surface. Don't let her representation in the disappointing film of 'The Hours' put you off. Every home bookshelf should own at least one of her books; I recommend it be this one.   hide

The first time I read this novel, admittedly I didn't like it much. Having had very little experience with Virginia Woolf, I had been expecting some plot to evolve, some action to carry the novel through. However 10 years later, upon reading it for the second time, I finally appreciate Woolf's artistic use of language and deep psychological character portraits. If a picture speaks a...more

The first time I read this novel, admittedly I didn't like it much. Having had very little experience with Virginia Woolf, I had been expecting some plot to evolve, some action to carry the novel through. However 10 years later, upon reading it for the second time, I finally appreciate Woolf's artistic use of language and deep psychological character portraits. If a picture speaks a thousand words, then here they are, equally as colourful and stunning as any paint on canvas.   hide