At the beginning of this century, Virginia Woolf reacted against literary tradition, sought a new definition of fiction, applied her modern, post-freudian outlook and radically feminist ideas to the problem of writing novels and, in so doing, re-defined our concept of this literary form. The results can be seen in Mrs Dalloway, To The Lighthouse and The Waves, three novels of a flowing, impressionistic texture that are, at the same time, highly structured. Through detailed analysis of selected extracts from the novels, the reader is taught to explore the delicate and yet rich writing Woolf achieved and to inquire into the significance of her ironies and symbolic structures. This guide does not sidestep the complexity of her works, but challenges the reader to confront, examine and enjoy it.

Author Biography

NICHOLAS MARSH is the author of the popular How to Begin Studying English Literature, now in its second edition, and the Master Guide, The Wife of Bath's Tale. He teaches English at Francis Holland School, Regent's Park, London.