The Waves by Virginia Woolf

Links to FREE online copies of all texts will be provided in the comments section of this event page, shortly before our start time.

WELCOME: to our in-session reading and discussion of literature by and near Virginia Woolf, every Tuesday evening.

Tonight we continue our several-months-long journey through the most experimental, and most poetically beautiful, of Woolf's nine novels. This is a slow reading group, so please don't hesitate to jump in "midstream". You'll get the gist, and we focus on the current text.

In this book, six friends grow from childhood through late adulthood. "The power of communicating with profound insight and discriminating exactness experiences which are widespread and produce in the reader a sense of recognition is an essential part of Virginia Woolf’s creative gift, though it is not the whole. It is developed to its fullest extent in The Waves."

In addition to reading and discussing the text itself, we will deepen our understanding by reading excerpts from Woolf's relevant letters and diaries, and by tracing her friends' and family's lives which are woven through the characters, as well as other biographic information. For example, there is a quite a bit of Woolf's sister, the artist Vanessa Bell, in one of the current characters. Therefore, we will also be looking at Bell's life and paintings over the next few weeks, in conjunction with our reading of the novel.

Prior familiarity with the material is not necessary to enjoy these evenings. Taking turns, we read aloud during the session, discovering and discussing as we go. For those who do like to pre-read and even read ahead, here is a free copy of The Waves: https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0201091h.html

Aim: To have fun! A deep dive, to gain some degree of understanding and appreciation of the text.

Who: We are mostly non-professional readers, learners and enthusiasts. Non-native speakers of English especially welcome. All ages, gender orientations, ethnicities. Friendly people, mindful of each others’ experience in the session.

Where: Zoom. The link will be visible when you rsvp.

How to prepare: No prep necessary. We do our reading IN the sessions, out loud, taking turns.

What to bring: An open mind and a sense of humor. The text will be provided free of charge during the zoom via pdf or screen share.

Format: We take turns, with each person reading a few paragraphs at time out loud, pausing for discussion as we go. Reading aloud and discussing not required. It is fine to simply listen; most people do discover that they love reading aloud.

PLEASE NOTE:

• We begin on time. If you need to arrive later, log in to the zoom waiting room and you will be integrated into the group once we come to a natural stopping point. Special note to first timers: you are most welcome. However, due to the nature of the reading experience, and a recent plague of zoom bombers, if a first timer needs to log in after our scheduled start time, please first direct message Sherry or Mark an hour or more ahead of the start time. Otherwise, if you come late, you will not be admitted .
• Links to free online copies of all texts will be provided in the comments on the event page. will be announced every Tuesday, in the comments section.
• Please open the material and find the starting point as you are logging in, so you will be ready to go.