- Give yourself a solid block of time to begin the novel to get used
to the style and the way that the narrative shifts quickly between
memories of the past and events of the present.
- Think about the way that Woolf uses stream-of-consciousness style.
Does her style have anything in common with Joyce?
- Pay attention to how Woolf portrays women's lives and interests.
- Pay attention to the way that Woolf engages with and diverges from
the literary tradition.
- Think about how Woolf puts her characters into historical and social
context.
- Consider Woolf's status as a woman writer and how this affects the
subject matter she chooses.
- Pay attention to how Clarissa and Septimus might be seen as
doppelgangers or doubles for one another in the novel.
- Pay attention to the portrayal of sexuality in Woolf: it is subtle,
but it is a central concern for her.
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