The Waves is a 1931 novel by Virginia Woolf. It is considered her most experimental work, and consists of soliloquies spoken by the book's six characters: Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis. Also important is Percival, the seventh character, though readers never hear him speak in his own voice. The soliloquies that span the characters' lives are broken up by nine brief third-person interludes detailing a coastal scene at varying stages in a day from sunrise to sunset. As the six characters or "voices" speak ...
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The Waves is a 1931 novel by Virginia Woolf. It is considered her most experimental work, and consists of soliloquies spoken by the book's six characters: Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis. Also important is Percival, the seventh character, though readers never hear him speak in his own voice. The soliloquies that span the characters' lives are broken up by nine brief third-person interludes detailing a coastal scene at varying stages in a day from sunrise to sunset. As the six characters or "voices" speak Woolf explores concepts of individuality, self and community. Each character is distinct, yet together they compose (as Ida Klitg�rd has put it) a gestalt about a silent central consciousness. In a 2015 poll conducted by BBC, The Waves was voted the 16th greatest British novel ever written.
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This was the second novel that I read by Virginia Woolf, and I was not disappointed. Woolf's superior ability to delve into the human mind and show us a character's thoughts is showcased in The Waves as she uses the interior soliloquy to lead us into the minds of six characters. Soon enough, one can identify the character without even reading who is speaking. Woolf's central idea is the constancy of life, how we carry the same thoughts and misgivings with us throughout time. I was engrossed by this novel and plan to read it a second time, because there is something on each page that catches your attention and speaks to you. If you are looking for a novel that will speak to you and that you can become involved in, The Waves is for you.
