Reading List

10/25/09

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolfe


Maybe I have matured a little bit.

Back in my college days, this was the kind of book that drove me crazy. For instance:

It is stream of consciousness – it is people’s thoughts. And you have to read very closely to figure out whose head you are actually in, because from paragraph to paragraph it switches.

It has very long sentences and very long paragraphs. It does not “move”.

There is no main character. There are just characters that interact – or do not interact. No good guys or bad guys. In fact, the person who you think the book is about – well she dies about half way though and leaves you with out a main character.

And it is not about going to the lighthouse. It is more about not going to the lighthouse. In fact, when they set foot on the island of the lighthouse, the story ends.

Just how are you supposed to “get into’ a book like that?

But maybe I have matured – because I liked it. I guess if I had too, I could examine it and look at symbolism, and uncover themes – but I don’t have to. I know they are there, but I’m not in college anymore, so I just took what I wanted. It is the kind of book that, without my spiritual side, could be depressing, but I have matured and I see the fallacy of some of the pessimistic philosophy.
Yea, I liked it. Yea, it is one of the 501 Must Reads. No, I would not recommend it unless you really wan to so serious reading and introspective soul searching.