Showing results for title "The Voyage Out", by author "Virginia Woolf" in Literary History & Criticism

Join Rachel Vinrace as she sets sail for South America aboard her fathers ship, embarking on a transformative journey of self-discovery akin to a modern mythical adventure. The eclectic mix of passengers serves as a canvas for Virginia Woolf to satirize the quirks of Edwardian society. This novel not only introduces the iconic Clarissa Dalloway, featured in Woolfs later work, Mrs Dalloway, but also includes characters inspired by real-life figures close to Woolf. St John Hirst channels the essence of Lytton Strachey, while Helen Ambrose reflects elements of Woolfs sister, Vanessa Bell. Rachels...

The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolfs debut novel published in 1915, takes readers on an enchanting journey to South America aboard her fathers ship. Here, Rachel Vinrace embarks on a transformative quest of self-discovery amidst a cast of mismatched passengers, allowing Woolf to cleverly satirize the complexities of Edwardian society. This novel not only introduces readers to Clarissa Dalloway, the protagonist of Woolfs later work, Mrs. Dalloway, but also captivates with its unique narrative style. E. M. Forster praised it as ...a strange, tragic, inspired book whose scene is a South America not ...

First published in 1915, The Voyage Out marked the literary debut of one of the great pioneers of the modern novel. Virginia Woolf's extraordinary narrative follows a group of lively, eccentric British tourists embarking on a sea voyage from London to South America. Among them is Rachel Vinrace, a shy, motherless young woman who has been taken along under the wing of her Aunt Helen, so that she may learn "how to live".