woolf in winter: an invitation

 

"I have sometimes dreamt, at least, that when the Day of Judgment dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards—their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly on imperishable marble—the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when He sees us coming with our books under our arms, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.” Virginia Woolf

Reading Virginia Woolf. In the heart of winter. With friends who are both coming to this modernist master for the first time and those who will be enjoying the consuming stream-of-consciousness prose as repeat readers. Four of us would love for you to join us as we spend January and February reading through four Woolf novels - Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando and The Waves. The hosting-posting schedule is as follows:

Sarah ~ Mrs Dalloway (Jan 15) 

"Heralded as Woolf's greatest work of fiction, "Mrs. Dalloway" is not only a thorough rendering of a vivid human life, it is the outline on paper of human consciousness. In this vivid portrait of a single day in a woman's life, Clarissa Dalloway readies her house for friends and neighbors as she is is flooded with remembrances of faraway times."

Emily ~ To the Lighthouse (Jan 29) 

"The most autobiographical of Virginia Woolf's novels. It is based on her own early experiences, and while it touches on childhood and children's perceptions and desires, it is at its most trenchant when exploring adult relationships, marriage and the changing class-structure in the period spanning the Great War."

Frances ~ Orlando (Feb 12) 

"Originally published in 1928, this classic story by Virginia Woolf was modelled on her friend Vita Sackville-West's personality. Orlando chooses her own sexual identity as she lives through three centuries as both a man and a woman."

Claire ~ The Waves (Feb 26)

"Conveys the rhythms of life in synchrony with the cycle of nature and the passage of time. This book presents a searching exploration of individual and collective identity, and the observations and emotions of life, from the simplicity and surging optimism of youth to the vacancy and despair of middle-age."

Please join us? For one or for all four novels makes no difference. Claire, Sarah, Emily and I would love to read with you, would love your insights for what promises to be some great conversation. Look out for posts from all in the next few days. And just say "yes."