MJ's Challenge ~ The Voyage Out

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I think we each need to remember why we're reading it.

In my case, it's not for entertainment but to develop an understanding of one of the most influential women writers in the history of my culture. I read Jane Austen and the Brontes long ago and I want to move on to more challenging texts. After this one, I'll be reading Virginia's other novels in sequence so I can observe her voice changing as her confidence as a writer grows. I had planned to wait until next summer but I'm happy to read it now.

So, this is why I don't care if it's full of sad characters to whom sad things happen. That's ok. For me, I'd still rather read her than not.

Also if it gets too sad, just put it down and walk away. Joy matters more than finishing a book.
 
MaryJanet said:
I think we each need to remember why we're reading it.

In my case, it's not for entertainment but to develop an understanding of one of the most influential women writers in the history of my culture. I read Jane Austen and the Brontes long ago and I want to move on to more challenging texts. After this one, I'll be reading Virginia's other novels in sequence so I can observe her voice changing as her confidence as a writer grows. I had planned to wait until next summer but I'm happy to read it now.

So, this is why I don't care if it's full of sad characters to whom sad things happen. That's ok. For me, I'd still rather read her than not.

Also if it gets too sad, just put it down and walk away. Joy matters more than finishing a book.
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I haven't forgotten ~ but my mind rarely works in straight lines so Woolfe, her work, her contemporaries, the age she lived in all contribute to my understanding of what is going on in her book. Her own world view informs how she interprets her world also & while she may not say so outright those views seep through her characters.
 
Ribh said:
I haven't forgotten ~ but my mind rarely works in straight lines so Woolfe, her work, her contemporaries, the age she lived in all contribute to my understanding of what is going on in her book. Her own world view informs how she interprets her world also & while she may not say so outright those views seep through her characters.
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Yrs! Good point
 
Ribh said:
@MaryJanet : you said you had further insights to share. I know it's a work morning for you but are you likely to share soon? nudge, nudge. ;)
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Basically a detailed rant about classism. I had a big one that I deleted and then RC opened it up and I jumped in.

My other comment is about vulnerability. They're safe on land, but a ship on an unimaginably deep ocean... The ribs of wrecked ships were visible at one point. Also, the characters are vulnerable to each other (as we all are vulnerable to each other) but VW has intensified it by placing them on a ship. Although they're not entwined in each other's minds yet, I get the feeling they will be once the first few days have passed. The pressure and tension can be built out of vulnerability on an intercharacter level and on the contextual level.

You're so right, Ribh. She writes tension, vulnerability and a sense of foreboding extremely truthfully.
 
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MaryJanet said:
Basically a detailed rant about classism. I had a big one that I deleted and then RC opened it up and I jumped in.

My other comment is about vulnerability. They're safe on land, but a ship on an imaginably deep ocean... The ribs of wrecked ships were visible at one point. Also, the characters are vulnerable to each other (as we all are vulnerable to each other) but VW has intensified it by placing them on a ship. Although they're not entwined in each other's minds yet, I get the feeling they will be once the first few days have passed. The pressure and tension can be built out of vulnerability on an intercharacter level and on the contextual level.

You're so right, Ribh. She writes tension, vulnerability and a sense of foreboding extremely truthfully.
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Yes, good points! Already I can see how we are each grasping a different thread of the story & contributing to a greater understanding of the whole.

I tend to be a big picture thinker while others are much more detail oriented & picking up on things I've missed.
 
MaryJanet said:
I am loving sharing the read with my friends 🤗 but I hope people drop the book if it's too sad for them. No second thoughts.
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I read Lord of the Flies ~ which I absolutely hated from beginning to end so VW is unlikely to faze me no matter how depressing she gets. And I like Plath... 🤣
 
Ribh said:
I read Lord of the Flies ~ which I absolutely hated from beginning to end so VW is unlikely to faze me no matter how depressing she gets. And I like Plath... 🤣
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Plath is amazing.

I did LotF in high school and some of Golding's other novels later. LotF was an interesting thought experiment wasn't it! If there's one thing I took away from that novel it was "don't be unkind and continue to stick up for yourself and for a sense of community" That's two things...
 
MaryJanet said:
Plath is amazing.

I did LotF in high school and some of Golding's other novels later. LotF was an interesting thought experiment wasn't it! If there's one thing I took away from that novel it was "don't be unkind and continue to stick up for yourself and for a sense of community" That's two things...
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Yes LOTF was a High School read for me too. What I took away was don't ever leave a group of boys to fend for themselves! 🤣 I know when they did the movie they lost control of the mob & there was nearly a tragedy. :( I never read another Golding. Heart of Darkness was another novel that turned me completely off an author.

Plath is just b..... brilliant!
 

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