ENGL 340T(S) Fiction of Virginia Woolf (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 335T) (W)

"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 her efforts to bridge the gap between experience and its representation in language by following the evolution of her innovative narrative techniques for portraying consciousness, memory, selfhood, relationships, and community. Along the way, we will consider Woolf's challenges to stable gender roles and her reconception of women's positions as creators. We will read most of the major novels, including The Voyage Out, Jacob's Room, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Waves, and Between the Acts, together with selected short fiction and critical essays by Woolf and her contemporaries, and more recent critical work on Woolf. Format: tutorial. Requirements: students will meet with the instructor in pairs for an hour each week. They will alternate between writing 5- to 7-page papers and commentaries on their partner's papers, and will also be required to do a substantial revision of one essay as a final project. Students will be evaluated on their written work, their oral presentations of that work and their analyses of their colleague's work. Prerequisites: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10). (Post-1900)

Hour: CASE