Here is the thinking activity worksheet with the answers
1. How can you explain that 'what' Virginia Woolf wanted to say (for example, the complexity of human relationship, the everyday battles that people are at in their relationship with near and dear ones, the struggle of a female artist against the values of middle/upper class society etc.) can only be said in the way she has said?
(Key: The 'How' of the narrative technique is to be discussed along with features of Stream of Consciousness technique which helps Woolf to put in effective manner what she experienced in abstractions.)
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2. Do you agree: "The novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay"? (Key: Take some clues from the painting of Mrs. Ramsay drawn by Lily Briscoe and the article by Andre Viola and Glenn Pedersen. Can we read Mrs. R in context of the idea of Ideal Indian Woman - Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni. )
Ans: This is the 18th century thinking. Today, all the new thinking and perspectives about gender roles and identity are welcomed in modern world.
3. Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)? (Key: Take help from the presentation on Symbolism to connect Mrs. Caroline Ramsay with Lighthouse. Secondly, the narrator / author cannot fully disappear from the novel and thus the stoicism of Lily to paint and thus prove that she can paint, is symbolically presented in stoicism of Lighthouse. Read 'lighthouse' symbol from presentation slide with this insight to connect lighthouse with the narrator. Give your concluding remarks in the comment below in this blog)
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4. In the article by Joseph Blotner, two myths are patterned together. Name the myths? How they are zeroed down to the symbols of 'Window' and 'Lighthouse'? How does the male phallic symbol represent feminine Mrs. Ramsay? (Key: The strokes of light-beams. . . )
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6. "... the wages of obedience is death, and the daughter that reproduces mothering to perfection, including child-bearing, already has on her cheeks the pallor of death. One reminded here of various texts by Lucy Irigaray, in which she attacks mothers for being, however unwillingly, accomplices in the patriarchal system of oppression." (Viola). In light of this remark, explain briefly Lily's dilemma in 'To The Lighthouse'.
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Ans: Visited.
8. You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg (you can see it again in the embedded video below this). Do you think that the novel is more poignant than the movie? If yes, do you ascribe the fact that the power of words is much greater than that of the screen / visuals?
Ans: Well, it is accepted that a picture is worth than thousand words. But in this particular novel, Virginia Woolf creates a picture which is sharper than of the film. Though some frames of the film stand best. It is advisable to always read the original book before watching it's audio visual adaptation. Colin Gregg, however, has captured many interesting frames which exactly reminds readers of the novel. For instance, James biting nails while sharply gazing at his father, signifies the hatred towards his father, Mr. Ramsay.
On the other hand, Virginia Woolf has given the strong and in-depth nuance of the major characters. With the technique of stream of consciousness, she creates a milieu of the Ramsay family in the reader's mind. Woolf has spectacularly captured the thought process of Mrs. Ramsay, James, Mr. Ramsay, Lily Briscoe. While reading the stream of consciousness of the characters, it seems like a reader is watching a moving picture while reading the book. This captivity itself is a successful thing for an author. The novel is poignant than the film. We have ample examples from the text itself.
James, is more closer to her mother. while thinking about his father Mr. Ramsay, He thinks about his mother Mrs. Ramsay, "who was ten thousand times better in every way than he was (James thought),..." (Woolf, 4). On the contrary, James, had so much hatred for his father that, "Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father’s breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it." (Woolf, 4).
"Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr. Ramsay excited in his children’s breasts by his mere presence..." (Woolf, 4).
These are few examples which best explain that the book is more poignant than a film. Though, Colin Gregg's attempt to make an adaptation is also worth noting.
9. How do you interpret the last line of the novel (It was done; it was finished. Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.) with reference to the ending of the film (After the final stroke on the canvass with finishing touch, Lily walks inside the house. As she goes ante-chamber, the light and dark shade makes his face play hide-and-seek. She climbs stairs, puts her brush aside, walks through the dark and light to enter her room. Gently closes the door - speaks: "Closed doors, open windows" - lies on the bed and with some sort of satisfaction utters: "Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool".)
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Ans: War and consumerism. This connotation of consumerism with association of war is significant. Because it was the time where, purchasing goods and utensils from Army Navy store was thought as some sort of significant thing. People used to take sense of pride in purchasing things from such stores. Army and Navy stores basically keep the best quality goods at reasonable, bargain price for soldiers.
In terms of marketing also we can see that James is cutting a picture of refrigerator from the Army Navy catalogue. We can draw a parallel between war and modernity also. Refrigerator's basic function is to preserve the food for long time. It stops the process of decomposing. It is also a sign of social change as it is a modern device with new technology. Refrigerator conveys the idea of preservation of natural thing. This way it signifies the human mindset of preserving and freezing the things, which is obviously against the natural order. Decomposition of a fruit, or a milk is bad only in the eyes of human being, otherwise it is only a part of natural process. It is a stage of an edible thing, just the way we have childhood, youth and geezerhood in human life. Similarly, spring, autumn, winter, monsoon are just a condition of nature, but it is human who categorize the seasons as good or bad.
11. Why did Virginia give such prominence to the tale of the “Fisherman’s Wife”? In particular, why did she weave such a misogynist tale into the fabric of a book which so eloquently challenges received patriarchal notions about the roles and capabilities of women?
Ans: Mrs. Ramsay reads a story of the "Fisherman's Wife" to children. The original theme of the story is materialistic greed of a fisherman's wife. The story, connotes a false belief about the greedy nature of women, and has a misogynistic tone. But here, Virginia Woolf subverts the reference and uses the story as a sharp voice of women in front of patriarch society. Woolf, perhaps, wanted to show the openness of speech that fisherman's wife is having and demanding various things from her husband, and also wanted to be a rebel in the time of Victorian mindset where women's voice was almost silent or not heard.
12. How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'? (Read this blog for passing reference)
Ans: India is referred six times in the novel.
13. Write summaries of these articles:
Mythic Pattern in To the Lighthouse
Journal: PMLA
Author: Joseph Blotner
Fluidity vs. Masculinity:
Lily's Dilemma in Woolf's To the Lighthouse
Journal: Journal of Modern Literature
Author: Andre Viola
Vision in To the Lighthouse by Glenn Pedersen
Journal: PMLA
Author: Glenn Pedersen
Thank You!
References:
Woolf, Viginia. To The Lighthouse. Ebooks@Adelaide,
2004, p. 4, PDF. Accessed 23 Oct 2020.
Blotner, Joseph L. “Mythic Patterns in to
the Lighthouse.” PMLA, vol. 71, no. 4, 1956, pp. 547–562. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/460631. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.
Viola, André. “Fluidity versus Muscularity: Lily's Dilemma in Woolf's ‘To
the Lighthouse.’” Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 24, no. 2, 2000, pp.
271–289. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3831911. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.
Pedersen, Glenn. “Vision in to the Lighthouse.” PMLA, vol. 73, no. 5, 1958, pp.
585–600. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/460303.
Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.
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