10 (p. 50) (p. 50) Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Henry George: Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Henry George: Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), and Henry George (1839-1897) were radical thinkers of Woolf"s era: Huxley, an English biologist, supported Darwinism and also coined the term Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), and Henry George (1839-1897) were radical thinkers of Woolf"s era: Huxley, an English biologist, supported Darwinism and also coined the term agnosticism agnosticism to describe his philosophy. Spencer, an English philosopher, also supported Darwin"s theory of evolution. George was an American sociologist and economist. to describe his philosophy. Spencer, an English philosopher, also supported Darwin"s theory of evolution. George was an American sociologist and economist.
11 (p. 52) (p. 52) "Here lies the duck that Samuel Johnson sat on, eh?": "Here lies the duck that Samuel Johnson sat on, eh?": Richard Dalloway is thinking of a poem attributed to English writer and critic Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), one version of which reads as follows: "Here lies poor duck / That Samuel Johnson trod on" Richard Dalloway is thinking of a poem attributed to English writer and critic Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), one version of which reads as follows: "Here lies poor duck / That Samuel Johnson trod on" (The Poems of Samuel Johnson, (The Poems of Samuel Johnson, edited by David Nichol Smith and Edward L. McAdam, second edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1974, pp. 460-461). edited by David Nichol Smith and Edward L. McAdam, second edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1974, pp. 460-461).
12 (p. 57) Persuasion: In this last novel of English author Jane Austen (1775-1817), Anne Elliot is saved from her spinster life and her overbearing relatives when she has a second chance at marriage with her first love. Woolf"s (p. 57) Persuasion: In this last novel of English author Jane Austen (1775-1817), Anne Elliot is saved from her spinster life and her overbearing relatives when she has a second chance at marriage with her first love. Woolf"s The Common Reader The Common Reader includes an insightful essay on Austen. includes an insightful essay on Austen.
13 (p. 69) (p. 69) ""Good, then, ""Good, then, is is indefinable"": indefinable"": The quotation is from The quotation is from Principia Ethica Principia Ethica (1903), by Cambridge professor and philosopher George Edward Moore. Moore was a member of the Cambridge Conversazione Society, a discussion society at Cambridge also known as the "Apostles"; he had an enormous influence on many Cambridge-educated members of Bloomsbury, including Thoby Stephen, Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, E. M. Forster, and Maynard Keynes. (1903), by Cambridge professor and philosopher George Edward Moore. Moore was a member of the Cambridge Conversazione Society, a discussion society at Cambridge also known as the "Apostles"; he had an enormous influence on many Cambridge-educated members of Bloomsbury, including Thoby Stephen, Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, E. M. Forster, and Maynard Keynes.
14 (p. 84) (p. 84) three hundred years ago five Elizabethan barques had anch.o.r.ed where the three hundred years ago five Elizabethan barques had anch.o.r.ed where the Euphrosyne Euphrosyne now floated: now floated: Here Woolf is drawing on the history of Brazil to create an imaginary history for her fictional town of Santa Marina. In the fifteenth century both Spain and Portugal claimed Brazil, but it was Portugal that dominated the country for almost 400 years (except for the period 1580-1640, known as the "Spanish Captivity," when Spain was the primary power over both Portugal and its colonies). During this time English adventurers repeatedly attacked Brazil"s sh.o.r.es; thus Woolf"s description of "five Elizabethan barques" anch.o.r.ed in Santa Marina several hundred years ago. Here Woolf is drawing on the history of Brazil to create an imaginary history for her fictional town of Santa Marina. In the fifteenth century both Spain and Portugal claimed Brazil, but it was Portugal that dominated the country for almost 400 years (except for the period 1580-1640, known as the "Spanish Captivity," when Spain was the primary power over both Portugal and its colonies). During this time English adventurers repeatedly attacked Brazil"s sh.o.r.es; thus Woolf"s description of "five Elizabethan barques" anch.o.r.ed in Santa Marina several hundred years ago.
15 (p. 89) (p. 89) "If you all die of typhoid I won"t be responsible!": "If you all die of typhoid I won"t be responsible!": Woolf"s brother Thoby died at the age of twenty-six of typhoid fever, which he contracted during a trip to Greece with Virginia, Vanessa, and Adrian Stephen. The trip was cut short when Vanessa fell ill with appendicitis, and after their return to London, Thoby became sick; Vanessa recovered, but Thoby did not. Woolf"s anguishing experience nursing sick loved ones is movingly reflected in the end of the novel. Woolf"s brother Thoby died at the age of twenty-six of typhoid fever, which he contracted during a trip to Greece with Virginia, Vanessa, and Adrian Stephen. The trip was cut short when Vanessa fell ill with appendicitis, and after their return to London, Thoby became sick; Vanessa recovered, but Thoby did not. Woolf"s anguishing experience nursing sick loved ones is movingly reflected in the end of the novel.
16 (p. 177) (p. 177) "And there we lived ... It was Maurice Fielding, of course, that your mother was engaged to," said Helen"s voice: "And there we lived ... It was Maurice Fielding, of course, that your mother was engaged to," said Helen"s voice: Helen is apparently reading from a fictional memoir by a sibling of Maurice Fielding, a suitor of Rachel"s mother, Theresa Vinrace. Helen is apparently reading from a fictional memoir by a sibling of Maurice Fielding, a suitor of Rachel"s mother, Theresa Vinrace.
17 (p. 191) (p. 191) ""Be good, sweet maid"... Mr. Kingsley": ""Be good, sweet maid"... Mr. Kingsley": St. John is quoting from the poem "A Farewell to C. E. G.," by English clergyman and writer Charles Kingsley (1819-1875). The line continues: "Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever." St. John is quoting from the poem "A Farewell to C. E. G.," by English clergyman and writer Charles Kingsley (1819-1875). The line continues: "Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever."
18 (pp. 206-207) (pp. 206-207) "I"ve often walked along the streets.... I mean "I"ve often walked along the streets.... I mean - - how does it all strike you?": how does it all strike you?": Terence"s feminist-leaning speech antic.i.p.ates many of the arguments Woolf made in two speeches on the subject of women and fiction to a women"s college at Cambridge in 1928. Her speeches were later revised and published as Terence"s feminist-leaning speech antic.i.p.ates many of the arguments Woolf made in two speeches on the subject of women and fiction to a women"s college at Cambridge in 1928. Her speeches were later revised and published as A Room of One"s A Room of One"s Own. In this polemic Woolf a.s.serts that the obstacles facing women are both social and economic and that the key to their liberation is independence in the form of a room of their own and a private income of 500 pounds a year. Own. In this polemic Woolf a.s.serts that the obstacles facing women are both social and economic and that the key to their liberation is independence in the form of a room of their own and a private income of 500 pounds a year.
19 (p. 224) (p. 224) "Sappho.... The one Swinburne did"... Ode to Aphrodite: "Sappho.... The one Swinburne did"... Ode to Aphrodite: It is not clear which poem Woolf is referring to here since there is no poem translated by Swinburne t.i.tled "Ode to Aphrodite." However, in her book It is not clear which poem Woolf is referring to here since there is no poem translated by Swinburne t.i.tled "Ode to Aphrodite." However, in her book Virginia Woolf: Becoming a Writer, Virginia Woolf: Becoming a Writer, Katherine Dalsimer a.s.serts that Woolf is referring to Swinburne"s translation of the poem "Sapphics," which is the only poem he translated that mentions Aphrodite. In this poem Sappho rejects Aphrodite"s offers of male lovers, instead accepting the love of lesbian women. Katherine Dalsimer a.s.serts that Woolf is referring to Swinburne"s translation of the poem "Sapphics," which is the only poem he translated that mentions Aphrodite. In this poem Sappho rejects Aphrodite"s offers of male lovers, instead accepting the love of lesbian women.
20 (p. 242) (p. 242) "the Sat.u.r.day Club": "the Sat.u.r.day Club": Woolf appears to be lightly satirizing herself and the social circle she moved in, known as the Bloomsbury group (see the Introduction, p. xviii). Woolf"s sister Vanessa Bell started a discussion club in 1905 called "the Friday club," which Woolf and other members of Bloomsbury attended until it broke up in 1912. Woolf appears to be lightly satirizing herself and the social circle she moved in, known as the Bloomsbury group (see the Introduction, p. xviii). Woolf"s sister Vanessa Bell started a discussion club in 1905 called "the Friday club," which Woolf and other members of Bloomsbury attended until it broke up in 1912.
21 (p. 261) (p. 261) "Whoever you are "Whoever you are ... be ... be useless": useless": The lines are a near-quotation from a poem in American poet Walt Whitman"s cycle The lines are a near-quotation from a poem in American poet Walt Whitman"s cycle Leaves of Gra.s.s. Leaves of Gra.s.s. The poem, "Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand," comes from a section added to the third edition (1860-1861) and can be interpreted as a celebration of h.o.m.os.e.xual love. The poem, "Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand," comes from a section added to the third edition (1860-1861) and can be interpreted as a celebration of h.o.m.os.e.xual love.
22 (pp. 276-277) (pp. 276-277) Both were flushed ... who they were: Both were flushed ... who they were: This pa.s.sage is perhaps one of the most discussed in the novel, because of both its opaque meaning and its strange, jarring sensuality. While in the published version the scene has a dreamy tone and it is hard to understand what is happening between Rachel and Helen, in earlier versions of the novel it is less ambiguous and includes a very forceful interaction between the women: Helen pursues Rachel aggressively, knocking her down, stuffing leaves and seeds into her mouth, and pinning her to the ground; the scene has an openly erotic nature and plays upon the domination of one woman over another. However, Woolf chose to tone down this pa.s.sage and other more overt allusions to h.o.m.os.e.xuality in the novel, particularly in the character of St. John Hirst. Throughout her own life Woolf formed strong, intimate relationships with women, from her adolescent friendship with Violet d.i.c.kinson to her intense and physical relationship with the writer Vita Sackville-West. This pa.s.sage is perhaps one of the most discussed in the novel, because of both its opaque meaning and its strange, jarring sensuality. While in the published version the scene has a dreamy tone and it is hard to understand what is happening between Rachel and Helen, in earlier versions of the novel it is less ambiguous and includes a very forceful interaction between the women: Helen pursues Rachel aggressively, knocking her down, stuffing leaves and seeds into her mouth, and pinning her to the ground; the scene has an openly erotic nature and plays upon the domination of one woman over another. However, Woolf chose to tone down this pa.s.sage and other more overt allusions to h.o.m.os.e.xuality in the novel, particularly in the character of St. John Hirst. Throughout her own life Woolf formed strong, intimate relationships with women, from her adolescent friendship with Violet d.i.c.kinson to her intense and physical relationship with the writer Vita Sackville-West.
23 (p. 284) (p. 284) ""Every woman not so much a rake at heart, as an optimist, because they don"t think"": ""Every woman not so much a rake at heart, as an optimist, because they don"t think"": This is an allusion to English poet Alexander Pope"s 1735 epistle "To a Lady: Of the Characters of Women" (lines 215-216). The original reads: "Men, some to Business, some to pleasure take; / But ev"ry Woman is at heart a Rake." This is an allusion to English poet Alexander Pope"s 1735 epistle "To a Lady: Of the Characters of Women" (lines 215-216). The original reads: "Men, some to Business, some to pleasure take; / But ev"ry Woman is at heart a Rake."
24 (p. 289) ""Love in the Valley"": This is the t.i.tle of a poem by English writer George Meredith (1828-1909). Woolf"s half brother George Duckworth memorized the poem to propose to Lady Flora Russell; she initially accepted him but later changed her mind. (p. 289) ""Love in the Valley"": This is the t.i.tle of a poem by English writer George Meredith (1828-1909). Woolf"s half brother George Duckworth memorized the poem to propose to Lady Flora Russell; she initially accepted him but later changed her mind.
25 (p. 294) (p. 294) "Is it true ... that women die with bugs crawling across their faces?": "Is it true ... that women die with bugs crawling across their faces?": The apparent non sequitur here makes sense in the context of an earlier version of The apparent non sequitur here makes sense in the context of an earlier version of The Voyage Out, The Voyage Out, in which Woolf relates the plot of the novel Rachel is reading. The novel is about an impoverished young woman who resorts to prost.i.tution and dies an ugly death with bugs on her face. Although this explicit reference to a prost.i.tute was removed in the final version of the novel, several others remain, including when Rachel and Helen discuss Richard Dalloway"s kiss and what men want from women (p. 76), when Terence and Rachel discuss her shielded upbringing (p. 208), when Evelyn tells Rachel of her plan to reform prost.i.tutes (p. 242), and later when St. John relates how the hotel has fired one of its female workers who apparently had been discovered visiting rooms at night (p. 299). in which Woolf relates the plot of the novel Rachel is reading. The novel is about an impoverished young woman who resorts to prost.i.tution and dies an ugly death with bugs on her face. Although this explicit reference to a prost.i.tute was removed in the final version of the novel, several others remain, including when Rachel and Helen discuss Richard Dalloway"s kiss and what men want from women (p. 76), when Terence and Rachel discuss her shielded upbringing (p. 208), when Evelyn tells Rachel of her plan to reform prost.i.tutes (p. 242), and later when St. John relates how the hotel has fired one of its female workers who apparently had been discovered visiting rooms at night (p. 299).
26 (p. 317) (p. 317) Terence was reading Milton aloud: Terence was reading Milton aloud: Terence goes on to read from the masque Terence goes on to read from the masque Comus Comus (lines 824-828 and 859-866), by English poet John Milton (1608-1674); in this section the lady is trapped and her virtue endangered by Comus, but she is rescued by the water nymph Sabrina. While she was working on the novel, Woolf played Sabrina in the Bloomsbury play-reading society her brother-in-law Clive Bell started in 1907. (See the Introduction, p. xxvii, for more on (lines 824-828 and 859-866), by English poet John Milton (1608-1674); in this section the lady is trapped and her virtue endangered by Comus, but she is rescued by the water nymph Sabrina. While she was working on the novel, Woolf played Sabrina in the Bloomsbury play-reading society her brother-in-law Clive Bell started in 1907. (See the Introduction, p. xxvii, for more on Comus"s Comus"s relevance.) relevance.) 27 (p. 319) (p. 319) Rachel went to bed... she certainly had a headache: Rachel went to bed... she certainly had a headache: Rachel"s initial symptoms resemble Woolf"s symptoms at the onset of her breakdowns, including throbbing in the head, flashing black spots in front of the eyes, a racing pulse, and delusions. During one breakdown Woolf imagined her nurses as fiends, similar to Rachel"s hallucination on page 322. Rachel"s initial symptoms resemble Woolf"s symptoms at the onset of her breakdowns, including throbbing in the head, flashing black spots in front of the eyes, a racing pulse, and delusions. During one breakdown Woolf imagined her nurses as fiends, similar to Rachel"s hallucination on page 322.
28 (p. 332) (p. 332) They quarreled about a road, the Portsmouth Road: They quarreled about a road, the Portsmouth Road: In his biography of Woolf, Quentin Bell relates how, during the Stephen siblings" ill-fated expedition to Greece, Thoby and Adrian argued about whether a road was macadamized while Vanessa lay sick and prostrate in the hotel room (Bell, In his biography of Woolf, Quentin Bell relates how, during the Stephen siblings" ill-fated expedition to Greece, Thoby and Adrian argued about whether a road was macadamized while Vanessa lay sick and prostrate in the hotel room (Bell, Virginia Woolf: A Biography, Virginia Woolf: A Biography, vol. 1, p. 109). vol. 1, p. 109).
29 (p. 341) (p. 341) Peor and Baalim / Peor and Baalim / ... ... And mooned Astaroth - : And mooned Astaroth - : The lines are from Milton"s "On the Morning of Christ"s Nativity" (lines 197-200), a poem Woolf"s father, Leslie Stephen, recited each year on Christmas Eve. The lines are from Milton"s "On the Morning of Christ"s Nativity" (lines 197-200), a poem Woolf"s father, Leslie Stephen, recited each year on Christmas Eve.
INSPIRED BY THE VOYAGE OUT THE VOYAGE OUT.
Literature Richard and Clarissa Dalloway, the conservative husband and wife who appear briefly in The Voyage Out The Voyage Out (1915), recur several times in Virginia Woolf"s writings. The short story "Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street" (1923) features a fleshed-out version of dour housewife Clarissa. In Woolf"s acclaimed 1925 novel (1915), recur several times in Virginia Woolf"s writings. The short story "Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street" (1923) features a fleshed-out version of dour housewife Clarissa. In Woolf"s acclaimed 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway, Mrs. Dalloway, the character, now one of complexity and depth, appears in an elaborately nuanced portrayal that is a far cry from the unsympathetic, one-dimensional Clarissa of the character, now one of complexity and depth, appears in an elaborately nuanced portrayal that is a far cry from the unsympathetic, one-dimensional Clarissa of The Voyage Out. The Voyage Out. The style of The style of Mrs. Dalloway Mrs. Dalloway was experimental for the time, employing inner monologues of the characters, stream of consciousness, and a free, indirect style. was experimental for the time, employing inner monologues of the characters, stream of consciousness, and a free, indirect style.
Mrs. Dalloway takes place during a single day in London in the late spring of 1923. While Clarissa prepares for a party she will host that evening, she retraces the steps she has taken to become an unremarkable wife and mother. Memories emerge of her raucous childhood friend Sally Seton, with whom she had a flirtation, and her former lover Peter Walsh, a colonial administrator and poet. Meanwhile, the book also follows a traumatized ex-soldier named Septimus Smith as he grapples with his inability to find meaning in everyday life. Facing twin specters of mental breakdown and inst.i.tutional confinement, Smith throws himself from a window. Upon hearing the story of Smith"s death at the party that night, Clarissa also briefly considers suicide but instead recognizes anew the beauty to be found in life. takes place during a single day in London in the late spring of 1923. While Clarissa prepares for a party she will host that evening, she retraces the steps she has taken to become an unremarkable wife and mother. Memories emerge of her raucous childhood friend Sally Seton, with whom she had a flirtation, and her former lover Peter Walsh, a colonial administrator and poet. Meanwhile, the book also follows a traumatized ex-soldier named Septimus Smith as he grapples with his inability to find meaning in everyday life. Facing twin specters of mental breakdown and inst.i.tutional confinement, Smith throws himself from a window. Upon hearing the story of Smith"s death at the party that night, Clarissa also briefly considers suicide but instead recognizes anew the beauty to be found in life.
The life of Virginia Woolf and the story of Clarissa Dalloway inspired Michael Cunningham"s novel The Hours The Hours (1998), which uses Woolf"s original t.i.tle for (1998), which uses Woolf"s original t.i.tle for Mrs. Dalloway. Mrs. Dalloway. In the same way that Woolf intertwines the lives of Septimus Smith and Clarissa Dalloway, Cunningham connects the stories of three women: Woolf herself, on the day she takes her own life by drowning in the River Ouse; Laura Brown, a lifeless 1950s housewife in Los Angeles who is obsessed with Woolf"s novel; and Clarissa Vaughan, a lesbian living in Greenwich Village in the 1990s who is preparing a party for her friend Richard, a poet. The Hours won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In the same way that Woolf intertwines the lives of Septimus Smith and Clarissa Dalloway, Cunningham connects the stories of three women: Woolf herself, on the day she takes her own life by drowning in the River Ouse; Laura Brown, a lifeless 1950s housewife in Los Angeles who is obsessed with Woolf"s novel; and Clarissa Vaughan, a lesbian living in Greenwich Village in the 1990s who is preparing a party for her friend Richard, a poet. The Hours won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Film and Theater Mrs. Dalloway (1997), directed by Marleen Gorris, utilizes flashbacks from Clarissa"s past to convey her musings on the roads not taken in life. Vanessa Redgrave stars as the married Clarissa, with Natascha McElhone as her younger incarnation. Michael Kitchen and Alan c.o.x portray, respectively, the older and the younger Peter Walsh. Rupert Graves rounds out the cast as Septimus Smith. (1997), directed by Marleen Gorris, utilizes flashbacks from Clarissa"s past to convey her musings on the roads not taken in life. Vanessa Redgrave stars as the married Clarissa, with Natascha McElhone as her younger incarnation. Michael Kitchen and Alan c.o.x portray, respectively, the older and the younger Peter Walsh. Rupert Graves rounds out the cast as Septimus Smith.
The screenwriter of Mrs. Dalloway, Mrs. Dalloway, Eileen Atkins, also wrote the play Eileen Atkins, also wrote the play Vita and hirginia Vita and hirginia (1992), an adaptation based on the letters of Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Atkins played Sackville-West in the original production in England and also in the 1994 off-Broadway production, which co-starred Vanessa Redgrave. A writer and poet, Sackville-West was Woolf"s confidante and lover, and the inspiration for her fictional biography (1992), an adaptation based on the letters of Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Atkins played Sackville-West in the original production in England and also in the 1994 off-Broadway production, which co-starred Vanessa Redgrave. A writer and poet, Sackville-West was Woolf"s confidante and lover, and the inspiration for her fictional biography Orlando Orlando (1928). (1928).
In 1989 Atkins starred as Woolf in a one-woman adaptation of Woolf"s feminist manifesto A Room of One"s Own A Room of One"s Own (1929). The slim volume, which declares that in order to be a writer a woman needs a room of her own and 500 a year, began for Woolf as a series of lectures at Cambridge University. The off-Broadway performance earned Atkins a Drama Desk Award for best solo performance. Atkins later filmed a performance for British television (shown in the United States on (1929). The slim volume, which declares that in order to be a writer a woman needs a room of her own and 500 a year, began for Woolf as a series of lectures at Cambridge University. The off-Broadway performance earned Atkins a Drama Desk Award for best solo performance. Atkins later filmed a performance for British television (shown in the United States on Masterpiece Theatre), Masterpiece Theatre), using as her stage the hall at Cambridge where Woolf first delivered her lectures. using as her stage the hall at Cambridge where Woolf first delivered her lectures.
The highly acclaimed film of Michael Cunningham"s The Hours (2002) fluidly interweaves the stories of its three female characters, diverging from the book, which presents them as discrete accounts. The effect pays off in a resonant synchronicity in the lives of Woolf and her spiritual descendants. Julianne Moore plays Laura Brown, Meryl Streep portrays Clarissa Vaughn, and Ed Harris takes the role of the poet, Richard. A haunting score by Philip Gla.s.s punctuates the lyrical film. The Hours The Hours was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay (David Hare), Best Director (Steven Daldry), and Best Picture. Nicole Kidman won the Best Actress award for her aggressive portrayal of Virginia Woolf. Moore, Harris, and Gla.s.s also received Oscar nominations for their work in the film. was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay (David Hare), Best Director (Steven Daldry), and Best Picture. Nicole Kidman won the Best Actress award for her aggressive portrayal of Virginia Woolf. Moore, Harris, and Gla.s.s also received Oscar nominations for their work in the film.
COMMENTS & QUESTIONS.
In this section, we aim to provide the reader with an array of perspectives on the text, as well as questions that challenge those perspectives. The commentary has been culled from sources as diverse as reviews contemporaneous with the work, letters written by the author, literary criticism of later generations, and appreciations written throughout the work"s history. Following the commentary, a series of questions seeks to filter Virginia Woolf"s The Voyage Out The Voyage Out through a variety of points of view and bring about a richer understanding of this enduring work. through a variety of points of view and bring about a richer understanding of this enduring work.
Comments
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT.
Never was a book more feminine, more recklessly feminine. It may be labelled clever and shrewd, mocking, suggestive, subtle, "modern," but these terms do not convey the spirit of it - which essentially is feminine. That quality is, of course, indescribable; but it must not, in this case, be taken to suggest a spirit shallow and weak or one fanatically strong; it must not be supposed that the book is sentimental or cynical, frivolous or hard, as individual experience or prejudice may lead one hastily to a.s.sume; it stands here for tolerance and that feminine sort of strength (or inertia) that accepts what is, whether beautiful or ugly; for cruelty, perhaps, wilfulness certainly, and a quivering eagerness about life, admirably dissembled behind an air of detachment. The wit, too, is feminine with its alert scampering from one point to another and the s.p.a.ce between taken for granted; one smiles and grows grave and chuckles just as one would in the company of the picturesque aunt who is not the chief personage, but who somehow dominates the whole tragic comedy. And most feminine are the shocks that are plentifully administered; most of them are just contrariness and so one laughs, but some come from one or another of those modern obsessions by notions that most of us are too old-fashioned to blurt out in mixed company, and at these we duly catch our breaths - which is really to say that the shocks are successful.
- April 1, 1915
THE OBSERVER OBSERVER.
This is just the story of a voyage, and some rather unusual people, interspersed with some highly usual ones, who spent some time shut up together. Two of them agree to love each other, and one of the two dies. That is all, in vaguest outline; but the filling in is done with something startlingly like genius. That is not a word to use in-advisedly, but there is something greater than talent that colours the cleverness of this book. Its perpetual effort to say the real thing and not the expected thing, its humour and its sense of irony, the occasional poignancy of its emotions, its profound originality - well, one does not wish to lose the critical faculty over any book, and its hold may be a personal and subjective matter, but among ordinary novels it is a wild swan among good grey geese to one reviewer, to whom its author"s name is entirely new and unknown.
- April 4, 1915
E. M. FORSTER.
Mrs. Woolf"s success is ... remarkable since there is one serious defect in her equipment; her chief characters are not vivid. There is nothing false in them, but when she ceases to touch them they cease, they do not stroll out of their sentences, and even develop a tendency to merge shadowlike.... [But] if Mrs. Woolf does not "do" her four main characters very vividly, and is apt to let them all become clever together, and differ only by their opinions, then on what does her success depend? Some readers - those who demand the milk of human kindness, even in its tinned form - will say that she has not succeeded; but the bigness of her achievement should impress anyone weaned from baby food. She believes in adventure - here is the main point - believes in it pa.s.sionately, and knows that it can only be undertaken alone. Human relations are no subst.i.tute for adventure, because when real they are uncomfortable, and when comfortable they must be unreal. It is for a voyage into solitude that man was created, and Rachel, Helen, Hewet, Hirst, all learn this lesson, which is exquisitely reinforced by the setting of tropical scenery - the soul, like the body, voyages at her own risk.
- from Daily News and Leader Daily News and Leader (April 8, 1915) (April 8, 1915) LYTTON STRACHEY.
The Voyage Out - ! You know how I adore that book. I read it with breathless pleasure, the minute it came out - a special messenger came running out with it from Bickers. I don"t think I ever enjoyed the reading of a book so much. And I was surprised by it. I had naturally expected wit and exquisiteness - what people call "brilliance," but it"s a wretched word - but what amazed me was to find such a wonderful solidity as well. Something Tolstoyan, I thought - especially that last account of the illness, which really - well! - And then the people were not not mere satirical silhouettes, but solid too, with other sides to them: Shakespeare wouldn"t have been ashamed of some of them, I thought. I love, too, the feeling reigning throughout - perhaps the most important part of any book - the secular sense of it all - 18th century in its absence of folly, but with colour and amus.e.m.e.nt of modern life as well. Oh, it"s very, very unvictorian! mere satirical silhouettes, but solid too, with other sides to them: Shakespeare wouldn"t have been ashamed of some of them, I thought. I love, too, the feeling reigning throughout - perhaps the most important part of any book - the secular sense of it all - 18th century in its absence of folly, but with colour and amus.e.m.e.nt of modern life as well. Oh, it"s very, very unvictorian!
- from a letter to Virginia Woolf (February 25, 1916)
VIRGINIA WOOLF.
Your praise is far the nicest of any I"ve had - having as you know, an ancient reverence for your understanding of these things, so that I can hardly believe that you do like that book. You almost give me courage to read it, which I"ve not done since it was printed, and I wonder how it would strike me now.
- from a letter to Lytton Strachey (February 28, 1916)
Questions 1. Is your att.i.tude toward Rachel sympathetic or antipathetic? If both, in what proportions? What are your grounds for sympathy and antipathy?2. Does the landscape of The Voyage Out seem to you symbolic, or would you describe it as simply realistic? a.n.a.lyze a pa.s.sage that supports your way of looking at this question.3. Do you see Rachel"s death as naturalistic - some tropical disease striking her down - or do you see it as psychosomatic? In the latter case, how would you diagnose her condition? Morbid fear of s.e.x? A preference for death over the loss of freedom that goes with marriage?4. Is Woolf"s treatment of her male characters invidious - that is, does it vilify them unfairly?
FOR FURTHER READING.
Selected Works by Virginia Woolf Woolf The Common Reader. 1925. Edited by Andrew McNeillie. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. 1925. Edited by Andrew McNeillie. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984.
The Letters of Virginia Woolf, Vol. 1: 1888-1912. Edited by Nigel Nicolson; a.s.sistant Editor Joanne Trautmann. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975. Edited by Nigel Nicolson; a.s.sistant Editor Joanne Trautmann. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975.
The Diary of Virginia Woolf. 5 volumes. Edited by Anne Olivier Bell. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977-1984. 5 volumes. Edited by Anne Olivier Bell. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977-1984.
To the Lighthouse. 1927. New York: Harvest/Harcourt, 1989. 1927. New York: Harvest/Harcourt, 1989.
Melymbrosia: An Early Version of "The Voyage Out. " Edited by Louise DeSalvo. New York: New York Public Library, 1982. " Edited by Louise DeSalvo. New York: New York Public Library, 1982.
Mrs. Dalloway. 1925. New York: Harvest/Harcourt, 1990. 1925. New York: Harvest/Harcourt, 1990.
Moments of Being. 1976. Edited by Jeanne Schulkind. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. 1976. Edited by Jeanne Schulkind. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985.
A Pa.s.sionate Apprentice: The Early Journals, 1897-1909. Edited by Mitch.e.l.l A. Leaska. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. Edited by Mitch.e.l.l A. Leaska. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.
A Room of One"s Own. 1929. New York: Harvest/Harcourt, 1989. 1929. New York: Harvest/Harcourt, 1989.
A Writer"s Diary. Edited by Leonard Woolf: New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1953. Edited by Leonard Woolf: New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1953.
Biographies Bell, Quentin. Virginia Woolf: A Biography. Virginia Woolf: A Biography. 2 volumes. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972. 2 volumes. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972.