The three-part structure of To the Lighthouse

Type :

Book review

Pages :

4 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

07/29/2009

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction
Ramsays' summer home in Hebrides
Representative part of the lighthouse
The novel's setting on abstract thoughts
The second part of the novel
The breakage of the story
Conclusion

Abstract

Virginia Woolf's 1927 novel, To the lighthouse makes great use of introspective thought and philosophical questions infused within the prose. It is a novel in the modernist sense, wherein the plot is secondary to the emotional responses sparked by the heavy dialogue spoken throughout the story. Members of the Ramsay family are the central characters of Woolf's story. Set in the years between 1910 and 1920, To the lighthouse centers upon the Ramsay family's trips to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Throughout these trips, the members of the family encounter various aspects of psychological self-exploration. The characters largely observe actions of the others, and it is with this observation that the story is described. The prose that Woolf employs is often rambling and difficult to follow without much coherency in regard to progressing the plot. This is a tactic consciously used by the author to place greater emphasis on the themes, rather than simply telling the reader of events to move the story to a natural conclusion. With this method, Woolf is able to impress upon the reader the importance of the character development. The three-part structure allows the author to develop the characters across ten years, and many important life moments.