"The Common Reader" - Virginia Woolf

Exercises pages 531-532:

·           What is missing in conventional novels?

According to Virginia Woolf in conventional novels is missing the spirit of life, the truth and the reality.

·           How does Virginia Woolf describe life?

Virginia Woolf describes life in an unconventional way. She is able to describe a day or a moment in all its details. Life is complex. An ordinary mind on an ordinary day receives a myriad of impressions. Life is a luminous circle of light. Life is unknown. She describes life using the interior monologue.

·           What does Woolf mean by "the life of Monday or Tuesday"?

She means the every-day life. Life continues to change every day. Life is shaped by external elements and the spirit of the characters changes day by day.

·           What is the task of the novelist and how should fiction be written?

The novelist should write stories as he wants. He should base his work on his feelings and on his own choices. He should not be enslaved by conventions. The task of the novelist is to report the unknown and the uncircumscribed spirit of life.

·           Can you see any similarity between Woolf's ideas about fiction and Monet's Impressionist painting?

Both are able to capture a single moment. They focus their attention on the details of every single moment and describe it in a very particular way. They try to capture the spirit of life out of conventional schemes.