Why I love Virginia Woolf

It’s not because of the plot, nor is it the characters.  It’s the language.  (If you like action-driven page turners, you probably won’t like Woolf.)  Virginia Woolf, along with James Joyce, was one of the pioneers of early Modernism and stream-of-consciousness writing style.  When I first read her novels in college, I fell in love with her nimble, innovative use of language that so beautifully captures the evanescent inner life of her characters.  As one critic noted, in Woolf’s novels “”Nothing happens… yet all of life happens.” 

Start with the To the Lighthouse (1927), a beautiful portrait of the Ramsay family and visiting painter Lily.  Although Woolf experiments with shifting points of view and stream-of-consciousness in this novel, there is actually a (slim) plot with a beginning, middle and end.  Then, when you are ready to ditch all elements of tradition, proceed on to The Waves (1931) – my personal favorite – a highly experimental novel about the inner and interconnected lives of 6 men and women, told completely in soliloquies and interior monologue. 

If you enjoy Woolf’s fiction, don’t overlook her many volumes of diaries, essays, and letters.   She was quite a prolific writer, and continues to have huge posthumous influence.  Check out The Hours, Michael Cunningham’s book (also a movie starring Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman) based on Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. 

Much has been written about Woolf’s life.  Hermione Lee’s outstanding (but long) book, Virginia Woolf, is considered the definitive biography.  Nigel Nicolson’s biography is also excellent (and less than a quarter the length).  Or try searching the library subscription database Literature Resource Center for brief biographical overviews and literary criticism.  For an even shorter summary, try the Wikipedia entry.