Thinking activity on 'To The Lighthouse'
Virginia Woolf is known for the term stream of consciousness, in which mind is struggling with time. As she was struggling with the time. Steam of consciousness means time travels in the past and in the future but, but we are in the present.
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?
Through the complex comp human relationships Virginia wanted to say that relationship needs support of trust. In the novel everyone wants that they are remembered by their dear ones, as Mrs. Ramsay wanted to be immortal with her art of cooking. In the novel she is chain between her children and father. According to her, spreading love is better than telling truth...
It is a biographical work of art so, through the character of Lily Brisco she wanted to break the the patriarchal mentality as Charles Tensley says that "women can't write, can't paint."
2. Do you agree: "The novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay"? (Key: Take some clues from the painting of Mrs Ramsay drawn by Lily Briscoe and the article by Andre Viola and Glenn Pedersen. Can we read Mrs. R in context of the idea of Ideal Indian Woman -
Virginia Woolf is known for the term stream of consciousness, in which mind is struggling with time. As she was struggling with the time. Steam of consciousness means time travels in the past and in the future but, but we are in the present.
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?
Through the complex comp human relationships Virginia wanted to say that relationship needs support of trust. In the novel everyone wants that they are remembered by their dear ones, as Mrs. Ramsay wanted to be immortal with her art of cooking. In the novel she is chain between her children and father. According to her, spreading love is better than telling truth...
It is a biographical work of art so, through the character of Lily Brisco she wanted to break the the patriarchal mentality as Charles Tensley says that "women can't write, can't paint."
2. Do you agree: "The novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay"? (Key: Take some clues from the painting of Mrs Ramsay drawn by Lily Briscoe and the article by Andre Viola and Glenn Pedersen. Can we read Mrs. R in context of the idea of Ideal Indian Woman -
Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni.
Yes, the novel is the both tribute and the critique to Mrs. Ramsay, because she remains the centre. She presented as 'prefect woman' who does everything to make people happy, the death of Prue makes her inferior to men.
3. Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)?
Through the presentation we can interpret that Mrs. Ramsay is the central figure of the novel. Lighthouse as the symbol of giving light to whom who losts their path and Mrs. Ramsay connected with it, she tack care of everyone. Lily's personality match with Woolf's personality, Woolf's thoughts reflects in Lily's thinking process.
4. In the article by Joseph Blotner, two myths are patterned together. Name the myths? How they are zeroed down to the symbols of 'Window' and 'Lighthouse'? How does the male phallic symbol represent feminine Mrs. Ramsay?
Woolf has used Oedipus myth, the myth of Rhea and the other. Myth of Oedipus present the character like James and Mrs. Ramsay. In pagan myth Rhea, Demeter and Persephone, these are reflected in Mrs. Ramsay's character.
5. What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel?
'Kunstlerroman' novel means novel about the growth of an artist. In the novel we can find that Lily's character makes it 'kunstlerroman', in the end of the novel, when Lily finished her painting it describes the growth of her mind.
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'.
Lily rejects the patriarchal beliefs and criticized whom, who believed in who sacrifice to patriarchal world.
7. You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg (you can see it again in the embedded video below this). 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?
Novel starts with dialogue of James and Mrs. Ramsay, and it ends with Lily's completed painting. "Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision." It is said that in the novel and it described visual effects of sound and light, which gives more charm.
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.)
We can interpret that Lily have her vision, it also symbolises Virginia's vision that she wanted to prove her self and she wanted to say that she can write and paint, she described it through the character of Lily Brisco. "Closed doors, open window", the last of the film is also significant.
9. What does the catalogue named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does cutting of 'Refrigerator' signify?
Refrigerator symbolised as preserving something and it suggests the character of Mrs. Ramsay, who is preserver of culture. It presents the technology and human thoughts. Her approach to her son and to daughter is different, and it suggestion to James from Mrs. Ramsay to cut refrigerator from the catalogue of army and navy.
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?
Virginia creates a satire through the tale of 'Fisherman and his wife'. It is German fairytale, the Grim brothers collected this story. It is a misogynistic kind of a story, and tells that never listen of women. The story represents the female as a weak and too much demanding. Here it's kind of satire on Mrs. Ramsay, who shaped her child with such kind of ideas.
11. How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'?
Augustus Carmichael refers India as a land of desire and Mrs. Ramsay presented as purely Indian woman who constantly pampers male ego.
Thank you....
Yes, the novel is the both tribute and the critique to Mrs. Ramsay, because she remains the centre. She presented as 'prefect woman' who does everything to make people happy, the death of Prue makes her inferior to men.
3. Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)?
Through the presentation we can interpret that Mrs. Ramsay is the central figure of the novel. Lighthouse as the symbol of giving light to whom who losts their path and Mrs. Ramsay connected with it, she tack care of everyone. Lily's personality match with Woolf's personality, Woolf's thoughts reflects in Lily's thinking process.
4. In the article by Joseph Blotner, two myths are patterned together. Name the myths? How they are zeroed down to the symbols of 'Window' and 'Lighthouse'? How does the male phallic symbol represent feminine Mrs. Ramsay?
Woolf has used Oedipus myth, the myth of Rhea and the other. Myth of Oedipus present the character like James and Mrs. Ramsay. In pagan myth Rhea, Demeter and Persephone, these are reflected in Mrs. Ramsay's character.
5. What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel?
'Kunstlerroman' novel means novel about the growth of an artist. In the novel we can find that Lily's character makes it 'kunstlerroman', in the end of the novel, when Lily finished her painting it describes the growth of her mind.
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'.
Lily rejects the patriarchal beliefs and criticized whom, who believed in who sacrifice to patriarchal world.
7. You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg (you can see it again in the embedded video below this). 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?
Novel starts with dialogue of James and Mrs. Ramsay, and it ends with Lily's completed painting. "Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision." It is said that in the novel and it described visual effects of sound and light, which gives more charm.
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.)
We can interpret that Lily have her vision, it also symbolises Virginia's vision that she wanted to prove her self and she wanted to say that she can write and paint, she described it through the character of Lily Brisco. "Closed doors, open window", the last of the film is also significant.
9. What does the catalogue named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does cutting of 'Refrigerator' signify?
Refrigerator symbolised as preserving something and it suggests the character of Mrs. Ramsay, who is preserver of culture. It presents the technology and human thoughts. Her approach to her son and to daughter is different, and it suggestion to James from Mrs. Ramsay to cut refrigerator from the catalogue of army and navy.
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?
Virginia creates a satire through the tale of 'Fisherman and his wife'. It is German fairytale, the Grim brothers collected this story. It is a misogynistic kind of a story, and tells that never listen of women. The story represents the female as a weak and too much demanding. Here it's kind of satire on Mrs. Ramsay, who shaped her child with such kind of ideas.
11. How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'?
Augustus Carmichael refers India as a land of desire and Mrs. Ramsay presented as purely Indian woman who constantly pampers male ego.
Thank you....
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