To the Lighthouse

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Tue, 2005-02-15 13:53

To the Lighthouse

The Come-to-Piddle book reading club has been meeting valiantly throughout the dark winter months and I've agreed to grace them with my presence at the next get together.

The chosen tome up for discussion is dear Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse". Now, I remember reading this way, way back when - a good 25 years ago, I suspect. But, on re-reading it, I was struck by just how delightfully contemporary on all levels this book is! What a joy to re-discover! Woolf's prose is so elegant...I almost feel I'm bobbing up and down in an open boat somewhere in St Ives harbour.

However, one of the most interesting aspects for me is the way Woolf communicates to her reader Mrs Ramsay's death...the suddenness of it...the almost flippant manner in which Woolf imparts this news...is unbalancing and shocking...it's as if poor Mrs Ramsay is being thrown overboard! Her death was like a big wave that had me gasping for air.

Any thoughts about this novel, abctalers ? Any Woolf fanatics among you ? The Rev. Pritchard, chair of the book meeting club, is something of an amateur literary critic and will, I suppose, have all kinds of wierd and wonderful thoughts about phallic symbolism and deep psychological meaning. A bloody good read, I say.

Chin up, Bloomsbury buddies!

Sat, 2005-03-05 09:18

neil_the_auditor

I've tried reading this twice recently and given up; I'm sure it must be good, but when I've finally got to the end of a sentence I can never work out what was at the beginning and how it related.

Sat, 2005-03-05 10:05

Bob Roberts

Edith Breakwell, member of the book reading club, had the same problem. Rev Pritchard suggested that she read the third section first - which, according to his eminence, is easier on the eye - then work backwards. Not sure if it will help for you, neil, but it certainly won't spoil the plot (yes, they eventually sail to the lighthouse)...the only thing that might be puzzling, if you've already attempted the first part, is the non appearance of Mrs Ramsey in the third. (She's dead).

Sat, 2005-02-19 13:26

Liana

It's a long while since I read it also... your comment about how the death is recounted, reminded me of Hardy's description of the dead children in Jude the Obscure though. So matter of fact it felt like a punch in the guts. Is that better? Sorry I cant engage in TTL with you. Will try harder next time.

Sat, 2005-02-19 13:38

Bob Roberts

Thanks for that, Liana...I can now casually throw in to the discussion the Hardy reference, and make myself appear extremely well read!

Fri, 2005-02-25 10:28

Bob Roberts

Yes, a lot of Come-to-Piddle book club readers moaned about her sentence structure...too many subordinate clauses etc etc...However, I found this added to our sense of time passing...of the wonder of everyday life lived... Reverend Pritchard made a few interesting comments regarding the second section...about how it was written during the General Strike, which possibly influenced Woolf's decision to add two working class characters to clean the mess up! Clear evidence of Woolf's inherent snobbery, Pritchard said. (Clear evidence of our dear Reverend's anarchist tendencies, thought Bob Roberts). And my Hardy reference left the group swooning in admiration, you'll be pleased to hear. (All except for Arthur Groat, that is, who had fallen asleep with an open copy of The Daily Sport covering his wrinkled and toothless head).

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