Synopses & Reviews
Harcourt is proud to introduce new annotated editions of three Virginia Woolf classics, ideal for the college classroom and beyond. For the first time, students reading these books will have the resources at hand to help them understand the text as well as the reasons and methods behind Woolf's writing. We've commissioned the best-known Woolf scholars in the field to provide invaluable introductions, editing, critical analysis, and suggestions for further reading. These much-awaited volumes are the first of many annotated Woolf editions Harcourt plans on publishing in the coming years.
To the Lighthouse is one of the greatest literary achievements of the twentieth century and the author's most popular novel. The serene and maternal Mrs. Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr. Ramsay, and their children and assorted guests are on holiday on the Isle of Skye. From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse,Virginia Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between male and female principles.
Annotated and with an introduction by Mark Hussey.
Review
"Though obviously I love Mrs. Dalloway, I might, if forced, have to say that To the Lighthouse is my favorite novel. It's the one in which [Woolf's] extreme idiosyncrasy as a writer perfectly married a kind of impeccable symmetry and form. It's a very peculiar, perfectly made novel." Michael Cunningham (from the Powells.com interview)
Synopsis
The annotated, authorized edition of one of the great literary masterpieces of the twentieth century with commentary by leading Virginia Woolf scholar Mark Hussey.
From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse, Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and conflict between men and women.
To the Lighthouse is made up of three powerfully charged visions into the life of the Ramsay family living in a summer house off the rocky coast of Scotland. There's the serene and maternal Mrs. Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr. Ramsay, their eight children, and assorted holiday guests. With the lighthouse excursion postponed, Woolf shows the small joys and quiet tragedies of everyday life that seemingly could go on forever.
But as time winds its way through their lives, the Ramsays face, alone and together, the greatest of human challenges and its greatest triumph--the human capacity for change.
A moving portrait in miniature of family life, To the Lighthouse also has profoundly universal implications, giving language to the silent space that separates people and the space that they transgress to reach each other.
This authorized edition from the Virginia Woolf library features:
Biographical PrefaceChronologyIntroduction to the textExtensive notesSuggestions for further reading
This annotated edition is the perfect companion to more fully understand To the Lighthouse, its importance in twentieth century literature, and Virginia Woolf's world.
Synopsis
Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse is one of her greatest literary achievements and among the most influential novels of the twentieth century.
The serene and maternal Mrs. Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr. Ramsay, and their children and assorted guests are on holiday on the Isle of Skye. From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse, Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between men and women.
About the Author
VIRGINIA WOOLF (1882-1941), one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century, transformed the art of the novel. The author of numerous novels, collections of letters, journals, and short stories, she was an admired literary critic and a master of the essay form.
MARK HUSSEY, general editor of Harcourt's new annotated Woolf series, is professor of English and women's and gender studies, and editor of the Woolf Studies Annual, at Pace University. He lives in Upper Nyack, New York.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Preface: Virginia Woolf ix
Chronology xix
Introduction xxxv
To the Lighthouse 1
Notes to To the Lighthouse 213
Suggestions for Further Reading: Virginia Woolf 235
Suggestions for Further Reading: To the Lighthouse 239