Following the announcement of the Classic club’s Women’s Classic literature challenge – I declared my intention of reading more by and about Virginia Woolf. I also said it would be nice to have company – a read-a-long or something. Naturally a couple of people gave me a gentle nudge towards hosting one; it seems others might want to read VW as part of a group read too. So one reason for this post is to gauge what interest there would be from both classic clubbers and non-classic clubbers. Earlier this year I read Orlando and The Voyage Out – thoroughly enjoying both, and I have been keen to get reading more Woolf.
I have just (a couple of hours ago) finished A Room of One’s Own – review will be in a few days – busyness permitting. I suppose that has whetted my appetite for more. Last night I attended a lovely (if very small) feminist book group, and I took along To the Lighthouse to pitch for a future read – and good news we shall be reading it in January. To the Lighthouse – although not Virginia Woolf’s first novel does seem a good place to start – the title suggestive to me of a beacon – leading me toward other works. Currently my classic club list has To the Lighthouse, Night and Day and Flush by Virginia Woolf on it – I am trying to resist further tinkering with the list – but I think my VW reading will go beyond just those three.
This is where I need your help – especially those of you who know VW’s work better than I do. Firstly how best to organise a read-along or Woolf-a-long or whatever we might call it? I personally don’t much like the “ week 1 read chapter 1 – 6, week 2 read chapters 7 – 13” approach simply because it just isn’t the way I like to read. I also think that Virginia’s Woolf’s novels aren’t really large enough to warrant that kind of read-along. The other thing is that not everyone may want to read the same things. Some people have read lots of Woolf already, others not much. So I’ve come up with a broad outline of a possible Woolf-a-long that might be flexible enough for some – or too flexible to work, I can’t decide. Please let me know what you think – and of course if you’d be interested in joining. Another thing is what editions of short stories and essays would be best to go for? The collections of stories published in Woolf’s lifetime don’t appear to be the same as the collections readily available now. I am drawn to the OUP or penguin editions preferring the idea of a relatively small volume rather than a huge complete shorter fiction edition which I know is available especially for ereaders.
I thought I would start in January, because (selfishly) I have lots of books in the queue for the next two months.
So how about six books over twelve months? Too ambitious or about right?
January/February – a famous Woolf novel – To the Lighthouse or Mrs Dalloway
March/April – beginnings and endings – The Voyage Out/ Night and Day (Woolf’s first and second novels – or Between the Acts – Woolf’s final novel
May/June – shorter fiction – any collection of short stories
July/August – biographies – either Flush, Orlando or a biography of Virginia Woolf
September/ October nonfiction – either an essay collection or Virginia Woolf’s diaries
November/December – another novel – The Years/ Jacobs Room/ The Waves
So please let me know what you think. This is not a sign up post – just wondered what the interest might be – and whether people think this would work. Virginia Woolf aficionados – which short story collections, essay collections would you recommend?
heavenali 
Love this idea Ali – count me in 😊
Ooh good. Look out for an official sign up post in December with any changes I make to the schedule.
I love this idea too! I have just committed myself to the Classic Women’s Literature Event for next year and on my list is to read more Woolf! I have read a few of her novels at university and she came up a lot in lectures, of course. But I still don’t feel like I really know enough about her! I like the mix of novels, short fiction, essays, diaries and autobiographies your rough idea covers.
I think Virginia Woolf is on many people’s lists.
This is fabulous, Ali, and despite my terrible track record with readalongs, I’m in. I think you have the balance just right because it’s beautifully flexible and I think it would work well. I don’t get along with the so many pages or chapters in a set time regime, but a book every two months is definitely doable. As for short stories – as you know I recently read her Selected Short Stories from Penguin which contains the collection “Night and Day” from 1921, complete with original Vanessa Bell woodcuts, plus 7 extra stories. I’d recommend it as a good place to start, particularly as it’s a collection that was published during her lifetime. There’s also “Mrs. Dalloway’s Party” which brings together all the short stories that surround the main Dalloway book. This is going to be fun! 🙂
Oh thanks for recommendation of that edition that could be a good one to look out for. So glad you’ll join me I know how you love Woolf.
What a wonderful idea. I’ve had an idea of reading the novels in order for a while now, so this could be the push I need, and I like the idea of reading some of her other writing along the way.
Yes I wanted to throw a variety of things into the pot for consideration.
I’m afraid I won’t be joining you, as I’m a bit Woolf-ed out at present, but I do recommend Mrs Dalloway as a read a long book, since there’s so many different levels and things to discuss in it. Perhaps also some of the chapters out of her Common Reader would be good discussion starters as well… and I think her essays are marvelous and too little discussed in general!
Yes I think A Common reader would be a good one to consider I think I will add it to the non-fiction section. Thanks.
This sounds like a lovely idea and I’d love to join in! I think the format you’ve come up with is a great one 🙂
Great! Glad the format sounds like it will work for you.
Alison, I have read Virginia Woolf since I was ten (in French then) and Mother gave me “To the Lighthouse” to begin with.
Even if you find that Woolf’s novels are short, they are very compact and rich. There is a wealth of critical material that helps in your reading that may take different angles – lots of different angles. Do not forget that each writing is an experiment. The “Voyage Out” and “Night and Day” are rather straight narratives as well as “Flush”. “Jacob’s Room’, “Mrs Dalloway” are more difficult, then “To the Lighthouse” even more, to culminate with “The Waves” and its stream of consciousness narrative. “The Years” are interesting read along with the first draft “The Pargiters”, and both “Orlando” and “Between the Acts” start a new path towards what could have been if…
As to essays, of course “A Room of one’s own” and “Two Guineas” are essential in the women canon of literature. Otherwise, the two volumes of “The Common Reader” are rather easy and you might propose them as a contrast with Susan Hill’s “Howards End is on the Landing”, for instance.
There are the letters and diaries – there must be selections – big chunks of each.
As to the short stories, their collections vary according to the publishing houses, unless you find the complete collection – but that would be too heavy. The same occurs with the essays.
I have always used the classic OUP editions for reading at the beginning: they are perfect when you want some documented reading but not too heavy with notes and references for specialists.
I think that it would be a good idea to read a biography to understand the context as the books were not written in a vacuum. There is a Glendinning, if my memory is good, and of course one written by her nephew (and therefore more partial but more “from within”), Quentin Bell.
It could be interesting as well to remind people that Woolf was not the only one to experiment at that time and that, in Britain (I leave other countries), Dorothy Richardson had been and was writing “Pilgrimage”.
Short stories might be comparerd to those of Katherine Mansfield of course, and the novels to those of EM Forster as belonging to the same set. But he is not the only one.
But do not read Woolf alone without some preparation and some notions of literary devicesas well as critical material.
Thanks for your thoughts Camille. Yes I think the complex nature of the novels is what made me plump for two months for one book. Which should allow for people to properly absorb the writing and consider their responses. Some one else mentioned The Common Reader which I am going to add to the non-fiction section.
I may seem to insist, Alison, but really, in the case of Virginia Woolf, a biography is useful to provide the background of her work. She is so complex and difficult! In fct with a schadule of two months per book, you might have “A year with Virginia Woolf” theme, beginning in January,with times at the ed of each span of two months as a common time to exchange ideas and opinions about the book or Books that would have been read. You could make a very interesting and communal read-along where bloggers would be blogging WITHIN your project, as individals sharing with others in order to form a different kind of book group and blogs.
Well there’s only so much time I can devote to one thing. If you look at the schedule I have suggested (which I will tweak anyway) I have included a biography of Woolf in the ‘biography’ section. I haven’t come down on the side of one in particular as I assume people are able to decide this for themselves if they choose to read a biography of Woolf.
Good! That’s nice. I agree that a serious reading of Woolf is time consuming. There is so much subtext, paratext, critical material, exegesis, themes, reading grids, that people devote their lives to her as some others dvote their lives to Jane Austen or in France to Marcel Proust (Proust is not so far from Woolf) or Balzac or Zola or earlier novlists and writers. 🙂
I’m in! I have To The Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway and could read either in January. This will be my introduction to Woolf so it would be nice to do it in company!
Ooh your first Woolf novels! That’s exciting 😊
I know! It would be great fun to do a readalong.
I’d love to join in too – at least part of the way?
You’d be very welcome for any part of the readalong.
I have read Orlando and enjoyed it much more than I expected to, but I haven’t tried any of Woolf’s other books yet. I’m not sure if I would be able to commit to reading all six books, but I would love to join in with at least some of them.
Naturally it will be fine to read as many or as few as you want.
Coincidentally, I’ve been planning to reread some VW, as she is one of my absolute favourites. I like your tentative plan above, but I also agree with Camille’s warning that the novels are quite complex and – not difficult exactly – but rich and requiring lots of discussion. Especially works like Mrs. Dalloway or The Waves.
The Voyage Out is perhaps too conventional – it is Woolf still trying to find her way through the literary norms of her period. I do plan to reread Between the Acts, which is sadly underrated, and also quite good fun (as I seem to remember).
Her diary and letters are a delight and there are selections available, so I would recommend that. Also, her Common Reader literary criticism is witty and often spot-on. Moments of Being is her autobiographical writing and gives a nice context to her family and friends. The Leon Edel book about the Bloomsbury set may be moving you too far from just Virginia Woolf, but it’s still one of the best, most comprehensive works on that period.
I’m hoping that some discussion can happen via Twitter or on in the comments sections of people’s blog posts. Hopefully a two month turn around will be flexible enough to allow for this. Between the Acts does sound fascinating.
I love it, you can certainly count me in!
What a wonderful idea, Ali. I think a flexible schedule would work better for Woolf. I am by no means an expert, and it’s been a good while since I’ve last read some of her work, but since it is complex, a 2-month schedule would give people time to read and digest. I am not sure I can commit to your entire event, but I would join in for some of your selections.
Of course dipping on and out as suits you is absolutely fine. 😊
I’m in – I’d like to re-read some Woolf and read the ones I have never read, so go for it. Also, I won’t have any reading challenges on the go apart from my on-going gentle plod through Trollope, so it’ll be ideal. Hooray!
Hooray. So glad you’ll be joining in.
Love this idea! I read Mrs Dalloway this year and would like to reread To the Lighthouse and Orlando. Any others would be new to me but also welcome. I might not manage more than one or two books but would welcome the opportunity to read others’ contributions.
It would be lovely if you could join us for any part of the challenge Lory.
iId like to be able to dip in and out. Would that be possible Ali??
Yes of course that would be fine, it needs to work for the people taking part.
in that case, count me in. though i will need a reminder come January. i’m a blogger with very little brain
Well this post wasn’t supposed to be a sign up post but it seems to have turned into one. In December I will post a reminder/sign up with the adjustments to the schedule that have been talked about in other comments.
It sounds like a great idea, Ali. It’s been a while since I read any VW, so I might join for one book. It depends on how things go next year. Would that be okay?
Of course that would be fine Jacqui.
I’ll join in – at least some of the time. I’ve got a fair few VW’s that don’t get re-read because I get carried away by new books! I first read The Waves as a teenager (when i should have been revising for A levels), so from that point her writing gets ‘easier’.
Great. Join in for as much or as little as you like. I am leaving The Waves for now I know that one’s difficult.
What an excellent idea, and so thoughtfully planned out, Ali! I will relish the opportunity to re-read some Woolf, and to finally read some of her letters and diaries more thoroughly. (And if you’re wondering which biography to read, may I recommend Winifred Holtby’s? Not the most scholarly, but a fun overlap between two writers of the period.)
Oh I love Winifred Holtby. I seem to remember reading a Virginia Woolf bio years ago by Nigel Nicholson? (son of Vita). Wonder if I still have I somewhere- probably not *sigh*
I’ve got the Nigel Nicolson one and the Holtby one so you can just borrow one of those!
Fabulous. Thank you.
[…] The blog post – speaking of readalongs, Ali has come up with a really brilliant Woolf readalong plan for 2016. It’s a very thoughtful look at Woolf’s life and career, with plenty of […]
What a great idea and the flexible schedule appeals greatly – I’m not sure I’ll join in the whole event but I will definitely dip in and out and see what you all have to say.
Dipping in and out will be fine. 😊
I’ve only ever managed a few pages of a Room of My Own, but have always intended to have a go at some of the others – so now I have no excuses ! Thank you for effort in planning this event.
Glad to have you with us.
Ali…how you always come to my rescue….I will JOIN and thank heavens you are starting with To The Lighthouse! Thank You again and you are simply the best!
Glad to have you with us 😊
This sounds wonderful — I read all of Woolf when I was in university back in the late 80’s. I agree you must add selections from the common reader. Mrs Dalloway has always been my favorite, it was the first Woolf novel I read & I have collected several editions . I have re read it many times since and it is a different novel everytime. Just wonderful.
I will certainly join in though I don’t know that my reading skills are sharp enough for The Waves at this point in my life. I remember it being a very challenging novel . And my skills have atrophied by reading lots of contemporary fiction
No well I probably won’t read The Waves either but I knew others might want to.
I think this is a wonderful idea! Count me in. I love Woolf and any incentive to read her is good. I don’t actually have any ideas about how to run the book group, but I do recommend Between the Acts (probably my favorite Woolf)! And, yes, many are so short that they could be discussed in a week. I have never read Flush, but found a very nice old copy in a used bookstore in Omaha.
The only books on that list that I have is To the Lighthouse Mrs Dalloway and Orlando and The Voyage out on kindle. I will have to do a bit of acquiring of books in the New year.
I’m interested. I’ve read To The Lighthouse, A Room, Mrs. Dalloway. I like the idea of just specifying months/types of books… I don’t readalong correctly either when it’s by week. Or maybe it can just be post on a particular topic or theme in a particular month? Using any book you choose, and just read the books throughout the year so you have more to go on?
Yes possibly, hopefully people can find a way to make the project work for them. I still need to decide whether I will do discussion posts or just reviews. Time is becoming a massive factor for me these days.
Thanks to Poppy, I’ve found my way here. I would love to participate. This has been my year to discover (at long, long last) Virginia Woolf. I’ve read To the Lighthouse, The Waves, A Room of Her Own, and A Writer’s Diary. I’ll read any and all else, and I’d love to read a biography. Thank you for starting this wonderful project. I look forward to the voyage out! 🙂
So glad you found your way here. Welcome aboard – it should be fun.
Love the idea. Can’t promise to do it all, but I’ll give it a shot
Great 😊
Books by Woolf I would like to read are Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, The Waves, and Between the Acts.
I might participate in a read along or two, but I prefer reading a book at my own pace and then discussing together afterwards whether on Twitter hashtag or Googledoc
That’s probably exactly how I will do it really.
I am reading ADELINE a novel about Virginia.By Norah Vincent.Published by Virago.Not seen this on any blog.I gave up on a different novel called VANESSA AND HER SISTER as it was written in an unusual way.
I have seen A Adeline reviewed generally very favourably.
Hi Ali, an early Happy New Year to you! As the old year teeters towards a close and feel as though am chasing my tail less (famous last), I am so tempted by your great VW read-along idea – but is it too late to join you? x
Absolutely not. Also you don’t have to commit to the whole thing – you can dip in and out as you please. 😊
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