After our gathering to discuss Virginia Woolf’s To The
Lighthouse I stand by my previous post, but acknowledge that the discussion it invoked
was robust and intriguing.
Indeed, large portions of the story occur inside the minds
of each of the characters. Melinda
pointed out that it was a great study in how different reality is from what we
think is happening. While they had
dinner each of the dinner guests had a completely different take on the conversation
and interactions. No one really had a
clear take on the others motivations – and in most cases the assumptions being
made were 100% removed from the true thoughts of the other persons.
As for my frustration with the pace and flow of the
narrative, Christine was adamant that the details that Mrs. Woolf left out
simply didn’t matter. Yes, character A
was dead and we don’t need to know why or how, or even what the others thought
or experienced when it occurred. They
were dead and it is final. We didn’t all (me) agree, but I respect her
take on the narrative.
It is probably safe to predict that T.T.L. will not earn our
Book of the Year prize as less than 50% of us managed to finish it. That says something when the book is only 175
pages – sure they are serving soup for 100 of those pages, but still.
Mrs. Woolf did have an amazing gift for describing the
details of regular life. In Mrs. Dalloway,
which we read in 2000, a good portion of
the story is devoted to preparing for a party, so it should be no surprise that
dinner and an eventual journey to the lighthouse would be the plot of an entire
book. In our connected world, we
certainly don’t spend this much time analyzing the details of daily life.
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