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A review by ephemera8
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
4.0
This was baby's first stream of consciousness, modernist novel for me. It was a real struggle getting used to the density and complexity of Woolf's prose, and I didn't really get into a good groove until I finished the first 6 or 7 chapters. Let's not even talk about her use of pronouns. However, once I become adjusted to the reflective, meandering quality of the text, To the Lighthouse proved itself to be a very enjoyable read.
Woolf follows a family and a group of their friends staying at a vacation home on the Isle of Sky. The novel isn't too concerned with it's plot, but with the inner thoughts of characters and the exploration of philosophical and existential puzzles. The novel is complex and multifaceted, but I will outline some specific themes it explores. Lily's perspective, a friend of the family, illustrates fundamental flaws in human relationships, the intensity of grief, and the struggles of an artist. Woolf was also influenced by Freud; an Oedipal complex is established within the first chapter and (spoiler) left unresolved at the end of the novel. The book also treats the passage of time as something perhaps uncertain and subject to human perception. The bulk of the novel takes place within the span of a single afternoon, and single morning, with ~20 detailing the 10 years between the two. This middle section, Time Passes, was my favorite part of the text.
Overall, it was a tough start but an extremely enjoyable read. Would recommend to anyone with a passing interest in modernist literature.
Woolf follows a family and a group of their friends staying at a vacation home on the Isle of Sky. The novel isn't too concerned with it's plot, but with the inner thoughts of characters and the exploration of philosophical and existential puzzles. The novel is complex and multifaceted, but I will outline some specific themes it explores. Lily's perspective, a friend of the family, illustrates fundamental flaws in human relationships, the intensity of grief, and the struggles of an artist. Woolf was also influenced by Freud; an Oedipal complex is established within the first chapter and (spoiler) left unresolved at the end of the novel. The book also treats the passage of time as something perhaps uncertain and subject to human perception. The bulk of the novel takes place within the span of a single afternoon, and single morning, with ~20 detailing the 10 years between the two. This middle section, Time Passes, was my favorite part of the text.
Overall, it was a tough start but an extremely enjoyable read. Would recommend to anyone with a passing interest in modernist literature.