Book 91: A Room of One's Own and Book Stats.

Title: A Room of One's Own
Author: Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

First Published: 1929

My Edition: Harcourt (pictured at left)

Pages: 114

Other Works Include: The Voyage Out (1915), Night and Day (1919), Jacob's Room (1922), Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando (1928), The Waves (1931), The Years (1937), Between the Acts (1941)

I quite adore Virginia Woolf. She is an interesting woman who wrote many different things. She is complex and wonderful, and I am happy that I still have many things left by her to explore and read.

I have read a number of her novels, including Mrs. Dalloway (book 34 on my list), The Waves, Orlando, and To the Lighthouse. She does take some getting used to, but I have come to truly love her writing style.

This one is quite different. A Room of One's Own is based on a series of lectures she gave at a few colleges. I am looking forward to her thoughts on writing and women. As someone who has toyed around with writing at various points in my life, I am sure I will find a lot of inspiration in Woolf's words. Plus, the non-fiction will be a good change from all the fiction pieces I've been reading recently.

Like I said earlier, I have already read Mrs. Dalloway for this project. I still have Night and Day, To the Lighthouse, and The Voyage Out to look forward to. And if you are interested, here are the links to my posts on Mrs. Dalloway:

• Book Stats
• Intro to Mrs. Dalloway
• On Stream of Concsiousness Writing
• Finished

Book 34: Finished.

I had another post scheduled to post today, but after reading some of the comments about my musings on Virginia Woolf, I decided I needed to write an alternate post. So here we go.

It seems as if Virginia Woolf is one of the more intimidating writers for someone to pick up and read. I have to agree. The first time I read her work, I just didn't get it. I had no idea what she was talking about and to be honest, it sounded a lot like rambling that had no connection to any kind of plot. It also didn't help that there weren't any chapters. I mean, 170 something pages of straight text is daunting. Characters jump in and out of the pages at random and I was left feeling utterly confused.

So...Virginia Woolf. Yes, she is a difficult writer to understand and appreciate. Her works were revolutionary, and remain so. She wanted to challenge her readers with stories that on the surface seemed normal and mundane, but were told in a way that would capture the imaginations of her readers. Some people got what she was working for, and many did not.

The best way I can explain how you should approach Woolf is this: Don't think about it. The more you think about how the story is confusing and twisted and all over the place, the more lost you will become. Instead, you need to sink into her writing-let it envelope you and tell you the story in its own way. You can't rush it, or think too hard or you'll lose it. You have to let it wash over you, the words enter your mind and direct you along the path of her characters. Only then will Woolf make sense. Only then will you understand why she is one of the most influential writers and how her art-her writing-has changed the literary world.

In today's contemporary market, we are used to being told a story in a straight forward manner. There is a clear plot, a problem, distinct characters, and an eventual resolution. In many cases, we don't have to work to understand the story in front of us. It merely "is."

In books like Mrs. Dalloway, we are inside the story so much deeper than we are in another kind of novel. We become part of the characters. We know what they know. We reminisce inside their heads and understand their struggles as they happen. We don't know the solution, or if there will be one. Like her characters, we as the readers are just trying to make it through day by day, not knowing if there will be a happily ever after, or a conclusion. I suppose you could compare it to living your own life. You know that there will be an eventual end, but the steps and path you take to get there are unclear. You can only see what is presented to you, and must accept that.

Mrs. Dalloway is only about one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. She spends the day in preparation for a party she is throwing that night. As she goes through the motions of her day, she remembers people and places from the past. The narrative transfers to other characters as they also struggle with memories and thoughts leading up to the party in the evening. All of the characters highlighted seem to come to terms with their pasts, and how their choices and decisions led them to that moment. The climax and ultimate solution is how Clarissa ultimately comes to terms with the life she has led and where her life is going.

It is a simple enough story, one that we have all read before, but it is the way that Woolf weaves her tale that makes it so powerful.

If you are looking to try something by Virginia Woolf, this is as good a place as any. Just don't think too hard and get frustrated. Let it be and let the words sink in slowly.

Book 34: Stream-of-Consciousness and Virginia Woolf.

I mentioned in my earlier post about Mrs. Dalloway that Virginia Woolf's style is hard to adjust to. I know from my own personal experience that I have to be in a right frame of mind to read Woolf (and Faulkner-I see huge similarities between the two).

Woolf liked to experiment with stream-of-consciousness among other writing techniques, which is why her novels can be hard to get into. It almost seems as if everything is disjointed and nothing seems cohesive. It is only through a lot of concentration and letting yourself just go with Woolf's flow that it begins to be pieced together.

I told a friend that in order to understand and appreciate this kind of writing, you have to think about how you think. I know that I can be sitting next to Matt on the couch having a conversation. While we are talking about one thing, my mind is racing. For example, I might mention to him that we need to buy more kitten food, and in my head I'll be thinking, "Well, we also need to buy new light bulbs, since I think we are out after I changed the one in the bedroom. I also really need to wash the duvet cover, but I should cook dinner first. But I don't think we have any onions left, which reminds me that the pantry is a mess." With that I will say, "I think you need to clean your stuff out of the pantry so I can re-organize the food items.

To him, it is a complete jump in conversation, but in my own head, it makes sense. I found a logical connection between kitten food and cleaning the pantry out. That process all took place in my head.

(And when we do have conversations like this, Matt always looks at me like I am crazy).

Virginia Woolf just translates that everyday thing we all do and puts it on paper. It makes the reader uncomfortable since we are so used to reading things linearly and cohesively. Having a character flash backwards or forward is confusing and throws us for a loop, but makes perfect sense for the character.

I think that is the biggest reason why readers new to Virginia Woolf find her difficult. It IS hard to change your perspective and get fully into a character's head. It is an intimate experience and hard to feel comfortable with.

But that is one of the reasons why I love writers like Virginia Woolf. In Mrs. Dalloway, she is taking me into the head of Clarissa Dalloway and a couple other main characters. I get to see their memories, their fears, their every thought on what seems to be a pretty normal day. Things like mending a dress become the biggest tasks in this kind of writing style.

I hope this helped explain a little. I know that just writing it out helped me solidify how I am feeling about the novel at this point (3/4 done), as well as reaffirm my love for this kind of writing.

Happy Reading!

Book 34: Mrs. Dalloway.

Reading anything by Virginia Woolf is an experience. I think she is probably one of the most difficult writers to understand and like for people who have never been exposed to her. She has a unique style that is almost off-putting the first time you read her writing. I think that throws many people off and they never return to her work.

I first read Virginia Woolf way back in high school. For fun, I decided to pick up a copy of The Waves since it was one of the favorite books of one of my English teachers. She raved about the language and the beauty of Woolf's writing (I feel I should also point out that this teacher also introduced me to Walt Whitman, who is my favorite poet, ever).

I ended up reading The Waves over the course of a few weeks. I found it difficult, confusing, frustrating, and beautiful. Even though I was probably only 15 or so when I read it, I knew that I was reading something truly powerful. I loved her narrative voice and the power of her story. I have reread The Waves numerous times since then and I have loved it every time. I think, no matter what, it will always remain my favorite piece of Woolf.

In college, none of my English classes required us to read any more of her longer work. I picked up a few here and there on my own to get some more exposure, but I always felt like I was missing something. I know that for many first-time Woolf readers, her works appear to be confusing and all over the place. I was just missing a piece of perspective.

In order to graduate, I had to take a class in the 480 level range. Since I had a lot of classes that conflicted, I was left taking a literary theory class my last semester in college. It was quite honestly the HARDEST class I have ever taken. We had this monster of a book filled with columns and columns of critiques. We read everything from Plato and Aristotle to Nietzsche and Emerson. I always left class with a throbbing headache.

Somewhere in the middle we read a few of Woolf's essays and everything clicked into perspective for me. Why she writes the way she does, the power of what she was trying to accomplish in her work. It was inspiring and is the reason I remain a huge fan of Virginia Woolf.

One of the things I also learned is that you learn to love her even more with each reading of her work. This will be my third reading of Mrs. Dalloway and I hope to take even more away this time about this marvelous author.

Book 34: Book Stats.

Title: Mrs. Dalloway
Author: Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
First Published: 1925

My Edition: Harcourt
Pages: 194

Other Works Include: The Voyage Out (1915), Night and Day (1919), Jacob's Room (1922), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando (1928), A Room of One's Own (1929), The Waves (1931), The Years (1937), Between the Acts (1941)

I have read quite a bit of Woolf's work. For my literary theory class in college, we read a few of her essays and I fell in love with her writing style. She is definitely a challenge and I think you either love her, or hate her. Her style is innovative and different from the "norm" so that throws a lot of people off when they first are exposed to her.

In addition to her essays, I have also read a few of her novels. My favorite that I have read by her so far is The Waves.

For my challenge I will be reading 5 pieces of Woolf's work: Mrs. Dalloway, Night and Day, A Room of One's Own, To the Lighthouse, and The Voyage Out and this is the first that I am reading for this challenge.

Sunday Salon: March 28, 2010.

This was definitely a more calm week than last week. I would say that it was needed!

The weather changes have really been bothering me. I am susceptible to migraines, and I have had quite a few this week. With fronts coming in, the temperature changing, my head has been pounding almost all week.

I am glad to say that starting tomorrow I got back to full time hours working at the park and my supervisor pay! Matt and I are really looking forward to me working more and I can't wait to have more time to be out of the house and doing something. I love working at the park!

Unfortunately, no sub jobs for this week. I rarely saw anything posted and when I did, it was something I am not qualified to sub in (special education resource rooms).

There are rumors circulating in Michigan that there is a bill in question forcing many teachers of retiring age to retire, or they will be forced to start paying their own benefits. As an unemployed educator, I'm not sure what to think about this. There are a LARGE number of retired-age teachers still working, so having those jobs open would mean great things for the thousands of people in my situation! But, I don't know if this bill is the right way to do that. Who knows!

In reading news this week, I had another great week. I managed to get through a Holmes novel and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Woolf always takes a little more concentration than I think it will, but it is always worth it. I even went to the library to check some things out and get small paperback copies of each of the Holmes novels. I have rheumatoid arthritis and my big, hardcover edition of the complete Holmes stories and novels is too heavy to hold up. Unfortunately, my library is lacking in the individual novels. All they have are the big compilations which doesn't help my situation. I did find a large print edition of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. I read A Study in Scarlet out of it and the huge letters actually made my eyes go a little batty. All of the other novels and story collections I am trying to get through inter-library loan. We'll see how that goes.

I also made some big changes here on the blog. After an e-mail from blogger letting me know they were revising some templates and editing options, I decided to take advantage of their new 3-column look with a total blog makeover that is completely different from what I had (hopefully you noticed). It makes things easier for me since I don't have to scroll way down to see some vital pieces of information. I also think the template is little more custom to my blog-the whole "odyssey" theme. I am loving it, but expect to see a few small tweaks and changes as I get used to it.

I also added another page at the top. I have been getting a lot of e-mails recently with questions about my blog, so I figured I should answer them. Rather than have one big post, I thought it would be easier to have an easily seen page with the answers. Feel free to check it out!


This coming week I am hoping to get through another Sherlock Holmes novel, as well as The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I am also hoping to start one of the 2 Dumas novels I am reading for my stop on the Classics Circuit. My giveaway for two signed, hardcover copies of Carrie Ryan's books ends Thursday at midnight.

I am hoping for another good reading week, so keep your fingers crossed!

Happy reading everyone!