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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How would I describe Virginia Woolf? Exactly by the title of the novel itself. It is like feeling “The Waves”. Reading Woolf is like dipping your toes in the shallow parts of the sea first, because you are intimidated by the depth of what lies ahead. There is no denying that I was overwhelmed by her, especially in this book. And yet, as you immerse yourself more and more into the story, you are sucked not only into her world, but in the minds of the people who are living in it. I admit that the novel can still be overwhelming even after the first few pages, yet one cannot help but sink into it. Here we are, meandering through the characters in the most dreamlike way possible. Her writing is, at first glance, technical, yet once you fully immerse yourself in her words it is the most smooth-sailing experience you can find in reading. The denseness of her work is not what should make readers avoid Woolf, it is the reason why so many scholars and writers are willing to explore in it. It is why she is arguably one of the best authors ever.
Her stream-of-consciousness style is as fluid as the passage of a gentle tide. Its seamless flow begins smoothly, yet each novel finds a way to crash upon readers, bringing back memories that stir our emotions. When the tide eventually reverts back to stillness, we can still somehow feel the weight and cold of certain events that has happened. Do you know the feeling of when you just finished swimming and you’re already on land, yet you somehow still feel the movement of the water as you lie down? That’s exactly what I felt after reading this novel. It goes the same way in how these characters, and we as human beings in general, have the capability to remember what has happened to us and what has happened to our world. It is indelible — it lingers.
IMO The Waves is her most impressive work. I love the rest as much as the next Woolf lover, yet The Waves truly embodies the concept of “being” and being a human despite the existence of grief— despite the inevitability of death, and of how time cannot be paused by anyone. Life is just as beautiful and scary as the ocean, yet we somehow must continue to stand still. We continue to feel everything. Even when the waves eventually calm down, we are left still moved.
It might be true that no one talks like these characters anymore in this day and age, yet I believe we still think like them. They are just as human as us, experiencing fear, love, jealousy, grief. They have all experienced what it means to love and to lose something and someone. I hold all these characters in my heart.
So the best advice I could give to those intimidated by Virginia Woolf? Do not just read her with your eyes, but let your skin touch and explore the waves of her words. Do not be afraid to confront the depths of your own consciousness!
Every novel she has written is a journey that is carried by her prose. There might not be a distinct destination like in other novels, yet there is no denying that you as a reader have coursed through the path of what it means to be a human, and what it means feel all of it. Your existence intertwines with the movement of the water and of the world❤️
Her stream-of-consciousness style is as fluid as the passage of a gentle tide. Its seamless flow begins smoothly, yet each novel finds a way to crash upon readers, bringing back memories that stir our emotions. When the tide eventually reverts back to stillness, we can still somehow feel the weight and cold of certain events that has happened. Do you know the feeling of when you just finished swimming and you’re already on land, yet you somehow still feel the movement of the water as you lie down? That’s exactly what I felt after reading this novel. It goes the same way in how these characters, and we as human beings in general, have the capability to remember what has happened to us and what has happened to our world. It is indelible — it lingers.
IMO The Waves is her most impressive work. I love the rest as much as the next Woolf lover, yet The Waves truly embodies the concept of “being” and being a human despite the existence of grief— despite the inevitability of death, and of how time cannot be paused by anyone. Life is just as beautiful and scary as the ocean, yet we somehow must continue to stand still. We continue to feel everything. Even when the waves eventually calm down, we are left still moved.
It might be true that no one talks like these characters anymore in this day and age, yet I believe we still think like them. They are just as human as us, experiencing fear, love, jealousy, grief. They have all experienced what it means to love and to lose something and someone. I hold all these characters in my heart.
So the best advice I could give to those intimidated by Virginia Woolf? Do not just read her with your eyes, but let your skin touch and explore the waves of her words. Do not be afraid to confront the depths of your own consciousness!
Every novel she has written is a journey that is carried by her prose. There might not be a distinct destination like in other novels, yet there is no denying that you as a reader have coursed through the path of what it means to be a human, and what it means feel all of it. Your existence intertwines with the movement of the water and of the world❤️
This was such a special read! The style takes some getting used to but other than that I can only recommend it!
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Virgina Woolf y el pináculo el modernismo anglosajón. Yo y mi léxico mediocre del inglés de principios de siglo. Aunque creo que peca de exceso de abstracción hacia el último tramo de la novela, sé que no haber disfrutado al 100% de la obra ha sido un defecto mío. Aprecio el componente experimental el estilo directo continuo, y he disfrutado menos el monólogo interior digamos "extremo". Volveré a intentarlo con "Al faro", pero dentro de un tiempo.
El final es inquietantemente profético.
El final es inquietantemente profético.