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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
An existential contemplation of the maddening inertia of everyday life; the monotonous idiosyncrasies; the existential futility one only experiences through the lens of deep depression. I understand your despair, Virginia. I feel it too.
I really enjoyed this book! I did not think that any of the stories were inherently bad, but there were a few standout stories in my opinion. My three favorite stories in this collection were A Mark on the Wall, A Society, and The Unwritten Novel. A Mark on the Wall is about a literal mark on a wall but delves into the narrator trying to assign different descriptions to what the mark actually is, in the end the mark is truly revealed. This is a great story that explores the associations between the narrator and a given character and vice versa. A Society is a powerful feminist tale. It explores the creation of a secret society to study the endeavors of men to see if they are truly worth bringing into the world. At the time and even today parents must sacrifice a lot for their children and the story does a great job of trying to come to terms with weighing the options of the choice to have children. The Unwritten Novel has some aspects in common with A Mark on the Wall in regards to exploring how the narrator interacts/sees an object/person. The Unwritten Novel has a much stronger focus on how this relates to a person and the narrator’s imagination starts making associations about the person’s character. It is a people-watching type of story and in the end, most of if not all of the associations that the narrator makes about the person they are watching are proven untrue. It does a great job of making the point to not start making judgments about others.
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
I liked the String Quartet, Kew Gardens and The Mark on the Wall quite a lot. The others were too clever for me to understand.
To me, the standout story in this collection is easily 'A Society'. It is certainly the most opaque social commentary out of them all, but that just helps it get it's point across more effectively. 'Kew Gardens' is at the opposite end of the spectrum, the story doesn't seem to comment upon anything at all, it might simply have been Woolf demonstrating her descriptive writing skill, which as far as I have seen, is unparalleled. 'Green and Blue' are similar to this.
I have to admit that 'An Unfinished Novel' is completely beyond me. I had the sense when reading it that it was something brilliant, but I can't say for sure, because I didn't understand a bloody word. Woolf jumps back and forth between characters, settings, reality and imaginings. I couldn't keep up.
Overall I really enjoyed this and it makes me eager to explore more of her work. 'Orlando' here I come.
I have to admit that 'An Unfinished Novel' is completely beyond me. I had the sense when reading it that it was something brilliant, but I can't say for sure, because I didn't understand a bloody word. Woolf jumps back and forth between characters, settings, reality and imaginings. I couldn't keep up.
Overall I really enjoyed this and it makes me eager to explore more of her work. 'Orlando' here I come.
slow-paced
The more I read of Virginia Woolf the more I love her. She is one of the best authors that ever lived, and her mind is so unique and precious. I wish more people nowadays could recognize her genius, and enjoy and learn from her work.
Beautiful stories. You can see her experimenting and finding her voice for her later novels.
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Notos Kitap'tan Alev Bulut çevirisiyle çıkan Pazartesi ya da Salı, Woolf'un kalemini tanımak için harika bir eser.
Girişte, eşi Leonard Woolf'un sunuş yazısı diyebileceğim, eserin bizlere ulaşmasına kadar geçen süreçte neler yapıldığı, içeriğin nasıl hazırlandığına dair harika bir yazı var. Sonrası hikayeler...
Mrs. Dalloway gibi kitaplarından detaylar bulmak beni ayrıca mutlu etti. Son kısımda ise Maurice Blanchot'un yazarın yaşamına dair bir anlatısı bulunmakta. Bu anlatıyı Fransızca'dan dilimize kazandıran ise Şule Çiltaş hanımefendi olmuş. Anlatıyı da eser kadar değerli bulduğumu söyleyebilirim. Woolf'u tanımak için nefis düşünceler detaylandırılmış.
Bu bağlamda Virginia Woolf sevenlerin mutlaka okuması gereken bir eser.
Küçük bir de not. Eserin önceki baskılarında çevirmen adı ön kapakta yer almaktayken bu baskıda çevirmen adı arka kapağa küçücük bir fontla yazılmış. Yayıncılık dünyasında yeni moda olan bu durumu kınıyorum.
Girişte, eşi Leonard Woolf'un sunuş yazısı diyebileceğim, eserin bizlere ulaşmasına kadar geçen süreçte neler yapıldığı, içeriğin nasıl hazırlandığına dair harika bir yazı var. Sonrası hikayeler...
Mrs. Dalloway gibi kitaplarından detaylar bulmak beni ayrıca mutlu etti. Son kısımda ise Maurice Blanchot'un yazarın yaşamına dair bir anlatısı bulunmakta. Bu anlatıyı Fransızca'dan dilimize kazandıran ise Şule Çiltaş hanımefendi olmuş. Anlatıyı da eser kadar değerli bulduğumu söyleyebilirim. Woolf'u tanımak için nefis düşünceler detaylandırılmış.
Bu bağlamda Virginia Woolf sevenlerin mutlaka okuması gereken bir eser.
Küçük bir de not. Eserin önceki baskılarında çevirmen adı ön kapakta yer almaktayken bu baskıda çevirmen adı arka kapağa küçücük bir fontla yazılmış. Yayıncılık dünyasında yeni moda olan bu durumu kınıyorum.