To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
“The very stone one kicks with one's boot will outlast Shakespeare.”
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To the Lighthouse
Despite illnesses and technical difficulties, we have a brand new (and extra long) episode for you today! We’re discussing To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf—a modernist masterpiece that challenged our minds and sparked a great conversation about prose, structure, and stream-of-consciousness writing.
We also discuss Woolf’s very clear intentions for this work of art/literature, connections to her famous essay “A Room of One’s Own,” and—of course—plenty of contemporary pairings to surprise and delight you. We even ask: would Woolf like Taylor Swift?
What is the meaning of life? That was all—a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Listen to today’s episode wherever you get your podcasts, and while you’re there, will you please take two minutes to write a review? Reviews in Spotify and Apple Podcasts have a direct correlation to the podcast charts (based on our unscientific, completely anecdotal but pretty firm evidence and observations), and they also make our day!
A Collection of Public Scholarship on Woolf
I actually went to the lighthouse by Patricia Lockwood (The Atlantic)
Myth and To the Lighthouse (JSTOR)
- (Substack)
Virginia Woolf’s Handmade Notebooks
(Substack)
The Novel Pairings 2023 Gift Guide
We recently announced the release of our limited edition Novel Pairings merch, and we can’t wait for listeners to be able to cozy up with our super soft, vintage wash Novel Pairings University sweatshirts this winter! If you didn’t get a chance to see our new design, look no further.
On Patreon
In December, we’re reading “The Garden of Forking Paths” by Jorge Luis Borges. Over the last two years or so, we’ve learned it’s best for us (and for our families) to take a short break in December. With holidays, inevitable illnesses, travel, and the onset of winter where we live, December serves as a time for recharging our creative batteries and preparing for public scholarship in the new year. We will not be teaching any classes or hosting book club in December, but we will share bonus episodes and discuss the Borges short story on the main feed and in our Patreon Discord channel. We hope you appreciate the break, too—and we cannot wait for Wharton in Winter!
In January and February, we will read The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton for a special winter readalong. We will share recap episodes for Literature Scholars, historical context and nerdy classes as we embrace cozy classic reading and find community with fellow readers. Calendar to come!
Final Words
Readers, we hope you enjoyed today’s episode. We’d love to hear about your reading experiences with Woolf this month. Until then, we declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book.
Thank you for supporting the podcast and our work to make public scholarship fun and accessible. If you would like to stay connected to what’s happening at Novel Pairings, make sure to subscribe to this Substack and follow us on Instagram. Make sure you never miss an episode by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts. And if you love the work we’re doing, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts!
Wonderful! And thank you so much for the link to Beyond Bloomsbury 🧡