Discussion - Week Five - The Waves - Conclusions/The Book as a Whole

[Laurel]

I'm glad we'll be reading The Sound and the Fury. I kept thinking of it as I read The Waves.

[Traveller]

Laurele wrote: "I'm glad we'll be reading The Sound and the Fury. I kept thinking of it as I read The Waves."

Yes, interestingly enough, I did too. While we were busy with The Waves, I actually went to check on TS&TF, because of this and yet the style of narration was quite different, so the similarities didn't quite strike me at once.

Then I thought, perhaps the fact that TS&TF also features a kind of 1st person narration that reminds of the soliloquies, also in stream of consciousness form, and also with (albeit on a bigger scale) multiple narrators over the course of the novel, is what tickles one to compare them to some extent.

Of course they are both modernist novels, but there seems to be an almost closer similarity beyond that obvious fact.

[Carly]

Although I like the way she used the waves, the description of the nature around, in relation to the maturing of the six main characters, I gotta be honest - the book doesn't really hold me.

I am, however, looking over your posts, to see what y'all have to say about it.

I'll pick one of the other books here and work on it soon.

(I feel kinda guilty - I don't usually 'give up', but it might be I'm too distracted by all the other books I've been working on)

[Carly]

Something I've noticed in the past few weeks, is that in books i've been reading - a lot of 'em - my mind has been drawn back to The Waves. Even when reading fantasy/sci fi, I think of it.

I just finished 'When She Woke' by Hillary Jordan, a Goodreads member here, also the author.

Enjoyed it immensely, but it's the kind of book that makes you think about 'women' and their/our lives. And 'The Waves' came to mind a few times as I was listening to that novel.

[Carly]

Mrs. Dalloway ... well, yeah, that character is just one aspect of a woman's life. That's one of Woolf's novels I really enjoyed. Although it's funny in many spots, it is a serious look at a woman's mind as she lives through her days.

We are such complex characters, we women - ha ha!

There's the part of us that likes to take on the role of our fathers and brothers - I used to enjoy going through my father's fishing tackle and was often in major trouble for doing so - got the line more tangled than it was to begin with.

Oh, the joy when I actually caught a fish! In this new millennium it wouldn't be such a big deal, but in the middle of the last century, it was a big deal - we girls weren't thought to be the ones who would become the expert fishermen ... we did anyway, but it wasn't thought of as being a big prize.

I remember how proud I was when my youngest daughter, at about age 4 was sitting on a dock at Hastings, Ontario and hauled in a 6 incher, then proudly toddled back to the cottage dangling the poor thing from her line.

We didn't eat it - she wouldn't have allowed that. She just threw it back in the water.

[Jim]

Carly wrote: "Something I've noticed in the past few weeks, is that in books i've been reading - a lot of 'em - my mind has been drawn back to The Waves. Even when reading fantasy/sci fi, I think of it.

I jus..."

The Waves is a narrative experiment which, as you say, didn't really hold you. On the other hand, it has a kind of staying power beyond the immediate experience of the first read. Woolf put a lot into her work and no matter what our individual responses, she gets in there and speaks to the reader. I have a feeling you may pick it up again down the line....

[Carly]

Filipe wrote: "We are all matter. Matter has several minds, hasn't it?
Matters are better understood through complementarity, in my humble opinion. Enjoyed reading yours too."

When we discuss books that have to do with spirits/ghosts here, I'm often compelled to say 'well, we ARE spirit ... that's all any of us are is spirit'. We just happen to be here on earth doing our time as humans.

Why are we so surprised when a ghost shows up in our lives?

Anybody who hasn't been 'ghosted' wouldn't understand that though ... I have experienced a ghost. And it brought me to understand that we really are spirit.

I wonder if Whitney is ghosting anyone, or will be, after having passed on Saturday.

[Whitney]

Carly wrote: "I wonder if Whitney is ghosting anyone, or will be, after having passed on Saturday. ..."

My name is unusual enough among my generation that I give a start every time I see a reference like this. Then I check that my heart is still beating to confirm I'm still alive.

[Sue]

Jim wrote: "Traveller wrote: "Listen, I know I should probably look for a more appropriate thread to ask this, but could we do Mrs Dalloway sometime once we've done a few other authors for balance?"

Seems app..."

I am a taker for Mrs. Dalloway!!!! YAY!!!!!! I am always in the most dreadful hurry tho!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sue]

Is there a Sound and the Fury in the works too?? I read it with a face to face group of liberal vampire lovers and the discussion was very short (most didnt even read the book ) I was so disappointed I loved that book so much!!!