To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
" To The Lighthouse" Blog task...
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? (Key: The 'How' of the narrative technique is to be discussed along with features of Stream of Consciousness technique which helps Woolf to put in effective manner what she experienced in abstractions.)
∆ Virginia Woolf is the master of stream of consciousness. she was fully conscious about the inadequacy of human relationship. one of the main reason of the failure to establish satisfactory human relationship is that the words are main source of communication between one-another. but sometimes words fail to express full complexity of a character's thought and and feelings. so sometimes they become misleading. Mrs.Woolf was aware about it so she tried stream of consciousness technique. Often Lily realize that silence is more expressive than the words. sometimes silence leads towards healthy relationship. what Mrs. Woolf has experienced she beautifully put all those things in the character of Ms.Lily, struggle of an artist, restriction of society etc. Lily has gift of visualizing the past, Characters of Mr.Ramsay and Mrs.Ramsay through her eyes, her vision. all this things are narrated in interior monologues. in this way she conveys a sense of the amazing richness and complexity of life.
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. )
∆ Character of Mrs. Ramsay is a round character which remains from beginning to the end in the novel, first she is physically living and then in minds of people she remains live. Along with Lily Briscoe we also as a reader, throughout the novel wants to understand her character and her life as a whole. How she deals with all family members and makes family united. She plays the role of a wife, mother, and house keeper. Here Virginia Woolf also beautifies this character as well as it also seems that she is criticizing this character. And by drawing her as a motherly figure Virginia Woolf also tributes her.
3] Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)? (Key: Take help from the presentation on Symbolism to connect Mrs. Caroline Ramsay with Lighthouse. Secondly, the narrator / author cannot fully disappear from the novel and thus the stoicism of Lily to paint and thus prove that she can paint, is symbolically presented in stoicism of Lighthouse. Read 'lighthouse' symbol from presentation slide with this insight to connect lighthouse with the narrator. Give your concluding remarks in the comment below in this blog )
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∆ Lighthouse is a symbol for giving light to everyone, guide to everyone who is lost. In the novel Mrs. Ramsay play role like lighthouse. She takes care of husband, tells stories every afternoon to James that he grew well and that’s why James loves mother and hates father. She also advises Lily to Marry. She also takes care of other who comes there. It is she who was spirit of house and that why everyone miss her after her death. So lighthouse symbolically suggests Mrs. Ramsay.
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? (Key: The strokes of light-beams. . . )
∆ It is a symbol of preservation or change of technology and it improving human culture.It is an instrument of science and it occupies the same sphere as the lighthouse .It could be viewed as a domestic lighthouse of sorts it also represents by Mrs Ramsay as a mother training or shaping her children's mind.
5] What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel? (Key: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/325047/Kunstlerroman)
∆ Kunstlerroman' is a German term which is about the somebody's life or Artist's novel, or we can say which describe development or a struggle of an artist as in ' To The Light House' Lily's character and the novel itself is a struggle of an artist she what's to prove her intelligence in front of men.
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'.
∆ Virginia Woolf her self who is categorically represented by Lily so in the light house she explain her dilemma with the use of Lily's character. In this novel Mrs.Ramsay always has to or balance the relations between son and father, but Mr.Ramsay storms about in a temper when people do not act according to his wishes or his timetable. He demands and gets his wife's full attention any time he needs it, he is left alone to his thoughts and he is not bothered with the mundane details of like the family's finance.
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?
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∆ We can say that the comparison to the movie and the novel is good to see what difference between each other. Movie was modern version of lighting, decoration and character are improve a lot as compare the novel the movie..
In the novel Lily Brisco said :
" she looked at her canvas; it was blurred. With a sudden intensity, as if she saw it clear for a second, she drew a line there, in the centre. It was done; it was finished. Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision"
In the film :
"Closed doors, open windows" - lies on the bed and with some sort of satisfaction utters: "Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool"
In the film we can observe Lily's confusion that she was trying to think like Mrs Ramsay..
If we connect both the dialogue, we can understand it more clearly:
"Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool, I have had my vision"
As compared with the last line of the novel “I have find my vision “in the novel extreme wish of James to reached to the lighthouse and the banging of the novel Lilly Briscoe started a painting of Mrs. Ramsay and at the end of the novel Lilly final touch to the painting “I have had my vision” So it shows psychologically author itself reached her vision.
Lilly Briscoe her own self represented the character of Virginia Woolf.
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.) with reference to the ending of the film (After the final stroke on the canvass with finishing touch, Lily walks inside the house. As she goes ante-chamber, the light and dark shade makes his face play hide-and-seek. She climbs stairs, puts her brush aside, walks through the dark and light to enter her room. Gently closes the door - speaks: "Closed doors, open windows" - lies on the bed and with some sort of satisfaction utters: "Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool".)
∆ This last line is more important. Because after the long struggle Lily Briscoe got the vision which is lies in last line of this novel. And that vision is that the love and death are ultimate truth. Nothing is permanent. One must die and one has to have love in his or her life. These two things are necessary in one life. But this essential things Lily understand at the end when Mrs. Ramsay died. But the death of Mrs. Ramsay effect highly on every characters. She cannot forgettable. She remains in the mind of the characters. Open Window has significance that window connected with mind. Both are collected with the memories. Open window maybe gave spark to Lily Briscoe. And maybe it is gave the reminder of Mrs. Ramsay and also the vision which she desire at the beginning of the novel.
9] What does the catalogue named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does cutting of 'Refrigerator' signify?
∆ Refrigerator uses for keeping the things as it is. and in novel also through the symbol of refrigerator, writer suggests that the protagonist of the novel Mrs.Ramsay tries to preserve the things. She always tries to preserve the refine form of culture as it is her responsibility. It is suggestion to James from Mrs. Ramsay to cut refrigerator from the catalog of Army and Navy. Refrigerator also one kind of technology and technology itself a symbol of constantly change and improving so , it also stands for improving human culture.
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?
∆ This story used by Virginia Woolf why ,Virginia Woolf uses this misogynistic story. One is parallel fisherman wife and Mrs. Ramsay read one traditional, way of looking. Both make unreasonable demand upon their husband. She also anti husband, Mrs. Ramsay favor of child.
Where is the fisherman wife also anti husband and always ask for something that husband don't want to do. And don't want to go for that thing.
She is a subverting misogynist of ferity. Mrs. Ramsay is acting from empathy, she has much more common with the empathetic. and reasonable fisherman rather than his wife. So subverting and ironical use of that.So, subverting ironically way of looking this misogynist myth. Or That reading become necessary to understanding.
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..SIX time India mentioned in the present novel, first is for patriarchal rule means male dominant country in which women's role like Mrs. Ramsay as An ideal Bharatiya naari....
Thank You.....
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