- About Virginia Woolf :-
Virginia Woolf was a one of the modern English writer. Her full name was Adeline Virginia Woolf. She was strong feminist writer and author in 20th century. Especially her satirical work on society,culture,feminism and politic system. Here I want to discuss on her famous modern novel " To the Lighthouse " which connected also her life.
She lived short life may be age of 59 between 1882-194 but she was suffering a lot through mental illness & Society. I listened & read in sources that she committed suicide also. Why did she suicide ? We can't give particular reason for her suicide. It's happening rarely cases in the world that writer preferred Suicide. Her parents Leslie Stephen also historian,author and critic. She had own 'Hogarth press'. Hence according to her choice she could wrote and published own way. Her famous work like as,
1) Mrs. Dalloway ( 1925 )
2) To the Lighthouse ( 1927 )
3) Orlando ( 1928 )
4) A Room of one's own ( 1929 )
- " To The Lighthouse ":-
Here title used very symbolic way because ' Lighthouse' is symbol of something statistic, Overcoming Challenges, adversity or guide for loss path into sea. I should notify that Virginia Woolf has sense of geographical because she used Geographical location and poetic imagine in the novel. Moreover she employed narrative technique of 'stream of Consciousness' in this novel artistically. It's difficult task for her which read each character's sub- conscious mind.
- Thinking Activity:-
Q-1) How can you explain that 'what' Virginia Woolf wanted to say (for example, the complexity of human relationship, the everyday battles that people are at in their relationship with near and dear ones, the struggle of a female artist against the values of middle/upper class society etc) can only be said in the way she has said?(Key: The 'How' of the narrative technique is to be discussed along with features of Stream of Consciousness technique which helps Woolf to put in effective manner what she experienced in abstractions.)
Ans.:- Virginia Woolf has good ability to discrimination and deep sensitivity which proved through representation of the each characters. Another things I found she defines information of her life with biographical way. At the end of the novel may be Virginia Woolf represented her struggle, ambitions by Lily Briscoe. We know that she has luxurious life but she has not freedom. So Virginia Woolf as a women who think a lot then She wrote on women rights & real circumstances of female, Patriarchal population of modern times. Throughout of the novel she interpreted duty & relationship of female characters with male character with different ways. Mrs. Ramsay played various roll as a motherhood, wife, house keeper.
Q-2). Do you agree: "The novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay"?
Ans :- Yes, I agree that the novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay. Virginia Woolf was rebellious during her age. Then even if she is putting a domestic character like Mrs. Ramsay we can say that it is for criticizing the stereotypes of woman and for that she is putting a total opposite personality Lily. By showing Mrs. Ramsay as an idea woman Woolf tries to criticize the way society see women. In this novel Mrs. Ramsay is a way through which whole family converse with each other but we also can see that till she is alive no relations of family was healthy but after her death all problems have seems to resolve. This way it is critique of Mrs. Ramsay.
On the other hand it is also tribute to Mrs. Ramsay, because after her death she was alive in the memory of everyone. At the end also she is the subject of Lily’s painting and when she completes her painting and she got her vision which is Mrs. Ramsay. At the end whole Ramsay family goes to the lighthouse because it was the wish of Mrs. Ramsay and family wants to fulfill it. The family also takes the gift which is made my Mrs. Ramsay to give to the people leaving on the lighthouse. So these ways the novel is also tribute to Mrs. Ramsay
Q-3) Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)? (Key: Take help from the presentation on Symbolism to connect Mrs. Caroline Ramsay with Lighthouse. Secondly, the narrator / author cannot fully disappear from the novel and thus the stoicism of Lily to paint and thus prove that she can paint, is symbolically presented in stoicism of Lighthouse.
Ans :- I have to say that here both expanding are true because when we imagine the lighthouse as a symbol of Mrs. Ramsay so that She played roll as a delightful way in all the character of the novel. We know that in the movie, lighthouse was inside of sea so there Lighthouse was bearing to slapping of water with loneliness. Same as happening with Mrs. Ramsay in the novel. She remained ready anytime for fulfillment of all desire's everybody but any one couldn't understand her condition or ambition. Another thing lighthouse is single among the sea and it's known through own identity. May be here I compare lighthouse is not used only for Mrs. Ramsay but also suitable for lily Briscoe.
Q-4) Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)?
Ans:-Yes I think at some extent lighthouse symbolically stands for Mrs. Ramsay. For whole family and guests she is the one who stands with light in her hand to show directions to the others. She suffers alone from all miseries of her self and of others also. She is constantly having inner conflicts with herself like the waves at sea-shore. But I also feel that lighthouse symbolically stands for Lily Briscoe also. As she is representing Virginia Woolf, we can say as a woman artist in Victorian age she has to suffer a lot and that suffering of standing alone, more searching and at some level guiding others to start walking on their own path, it suggests that lighthouse is symbolically stands for Lily Briscoe. As a woman artist she has to stand in against of society and that constant suffering is we can see as sea waves. So I found the symbol of lighthouse more for Lily Briscoe than Mrs. Ramsay.
Q-5) What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel?
Ans:- The kunstlerroman novel talk's about the artist growth. This we can take in two ways. Frist in Novel We found in the charachar of the Lily Brisco. She has faced so many crisis during her journey as a painter. The second We can connect with the Wloof's personal life. As a author she has also faced struggle during her life.
Q-6) . "... the wages of obedience is death, and the daughter that reproduces mothering to perfection, including child-bearing, already has on her cheeks the pallor of death. One reminded here of various texts by Lucy Irigaray, in which she attacks mothers for being, however unwillingly, accomplices in the patriarchal system of oppression." (Viola). In light of this remark, explain briefly Lily's dilemma in 'To The Lighthouse'.
Ans :- The character of Lily she is more faminist she won't believe in practice of traditional womanhood. She won't like to serve man and she also doesn't like when Mr. Ramsay want sympathy and look towards her. But she failed to provide that thing to him. She is unlike Mrs. Ramsay. We found that the suggestion of marriage is also not like by her. Because she is different then other traditional woman it may be the reason she desied to live alone.
Q-7) You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg Do you think that the novel is more poignant than the movie? If yes, do you ascribe the fact that the power of words is much greater than that of the screen / visuals?
Ans :- If I talked about my experience if beginning of both the I like about the novel. Because From very begging we enter in the mind of different characters. That allows us to know about actual there that and there did. That are there word and there did are match or not. We come to Know about that are they just preatting of being good or they are in actual good. This is he reason. I like more then the movie.
Q-8) How do you interpret the last line of the novel (It was done; it was finished.Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.) with reference to the ending of the film (After the final stroke on the canvass with finishing touch, Lily walks inside the house. As she goes ante-chamber, the light and dark shade makes her face play hide-and-seek. She climbs stairs, puts her brush aside, walks through the dark and light to enter her room. Gently closes the door - speaks: "Closed doors, open windows" - lies on the bed and with some sort of satisfaction utters: "Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool".)
Ans :- The last lines of novel and movie both are different. In the novel Lily's last line is "I have had my vision" and in the movie it is "Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool". So if we take reference to understand novel's last line, from my perspective, it is the realization of Lily what she actually wants. She is fool to think about being like Mrs. Ramsay, she got her vision in her painting. Now she will continue with her painting and not with the thought of being like Mrs. Ramsay.
Q-9) What does the catalog named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does cutting 'Refrigerator signify?
Ans :- Army and navy catalog signifies time of was
Refrigerator symbolizes preservation of culture. In the novel Mrs. Ramsay is traditional housewife, guiding James while cutting refrigerator suggests that she wants other to preserve culture, for instance she suggest Lily to marry. Apart from this refrigerator is also a symbol of change that new era new technology is coming and people also using it.
Q-10) Why did Virginia give such prominence to the tale of the “Fisherman’s Wife”? In particular, why did she weave such a misogynist tale into the fabric of a book which so eloquently challenges received patriarchal notions about the roles and capabilities of women?
Ans:- It's good skill that writer used story in between story. Here Virginia Woolf had extraordinary skill of satire through the storytelling method. She used tale of ' The Fisherman's wife ' in the novel. In this story women character was presented strong rather than Mrs. Ramsay. The fisherman's wife demanded more and more. This female character opposite of Mrs. Ramsa. But Virginia Woolf also compared & contrast among Mr.Ramsay, Lily Briscoe and Transey. In the novel I can find that after death of Mrs.Ramsay, Mr. Ramsay and his family had difficult to handle everything. Most of the characters has different challenges like as Lily tried to completed her painting, Poet challenge to complete poem, Scholar try to complete Ph.d. thesis but at the end of the novel all characters fulfill their challenges.
Q-11) How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'?
Ans :- India is represent 6 times in novel. The character of Mrs. Ramsay the way she tell people to stay with them then how she tell them to stay. Wealth of india is also represent in the Novel.
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