Aims
This course aims to:
• explore the two primary texts, focusing upon Woolf’s innovations in fiction writing
• give the historical and social context of each novel
• enable you to participate in discussion about the texts and their implications
Content
Virginia Woolf is regarded as one of the greatest British writers of the 20th century. This course studies two major works written in the 1920s, Mrs Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927). We will also read extracts from some essays and short stories (which will be provided). Our aim is to study both her ideas and her literary techniques. What makes her work a delight to some, and a challenge to others? What is the relationship between her ideas and literary form? How did Woolf make her mark upon the development of the novel in the 20th century?
To get the most out of the course, you should read the set texts before you come to Cambridge and expect to reread them while you are here. In class, we will undertake some ‘close reading’ in the Cambridge tradition. This technique helps us to understand in very precise ways how an author is using language, and to grasp something of the richness and complexity of a literary work. We will also study Woolf’s life and historical context, with consideration of her ideas about women, education, and marriage. If you have time before you come, you might read other books by Woolf, such as Jacob’s Room (1922) or her essay A Room of One’s Own (1929). You might also read the biographies of Woolf by Hermione Lee or Michael Whitworth.
Please buy your own copy of the set texts by Woolf, if possible, in the Oxford World Classics edition.
Presentation of the course
Sessions will begin with an introductory lecture and presentation, then an opportunity for students to explore sections of the texts in more detail in pairs or small groups, followed by re-convening as a full group for the sharing of ideas and further discussion.
Course sessions
1. Introduction: Woolf in the 1920s. What came before Mrs Dalloway?
2. Mrs Dalloway. Characters and their life on the page.
3. From London to memories of Cornwall: To the Lighthouse
4. To the Lighthouse; childhood, marriage and family
5. Woolf’s writing in the 1920s: Conclusions
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
• to gain a greater knowledge of the primary texts and an understanding of their historical context
• to develop skills of close literary analysis and sensitivity to tone, style, and genre
• to be able to discuss ideas in a group situation and to contribute usefully to debate about issues addressed in the course
Required reading
*Woolf, Virginia, Mrs Dalloway, ed. Bradshaw, David (Oxford: Oxford World Classics, 2008) ISBN 9780199536009
*Woolf, Virginia, To the Lighthouse, ed. Bradshaw, David (Oxford: Oxford World Classics, 2008) ISBN 9780199536610
