"Let us record the atoms as they fall upon the mind in the order in which they fall, let us trace the pattern, however disconnected and incoherent in appearance, which each sight or incident scores upon the consciousness. Let us not take it for granted that life exists more fully in what is commonly thought big than in what is commonly thought small" ("Modern Fiction"). Virginia Woolf's fiction represents a self-conscious and highly experimental challenge to the conventions of Victorian and Edwardian fiction. This course will explore the development of her innovative narrative techniques, and her efforts to bridge the gap between experience and its representation in language. Accompanying concerns will be Woolf's challenges to stable gender roles, her conception of the relationship of gender to creativity, and the ways in which her powerful lyric impulses are reflected in her fiction. We will read most of the major novels, including The Voyage Out, Jacob's Room, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, The Waves, and Between the Acts, together with selected short fiction and critical essays. This course will be taught largely by discussion. Requirements: weekly journal entries, one 5- to 7-page paper, and one 10- to 12-page paper. Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150. (Post-1900)