An Analysis Of Virginia Woolf's Techniques In To The Lighthouse

Virginia Woolf, one of the greatest stream-of-consciousness writers, made an eminent contribution to literature writing and criticism. To the Lighthouse is usually considered as her best work in which her important aesthetic ideas were realized and her writing techniques come to perfection. Being a very sensitive writer, Woolf could not help being influenced by her surroundings. In striving to present the rapid and disturbing changes of her age, Virginia Woolf felt it essential to reform her means of expression. Therefore, she devoted her great energy to writing experiments and offered us works with special characteristics of her own.The thesis analyzes the writing techniques of this novel concerning interior monologue, free association, symbolism, time and multiple viewpoints. Taking examples from the fiction, we shall have an idea of how Virginia Woolf depicts her characters' inner world through the manipulation of such techniques. With the wide use of the techniques, Woolf fully reveals the content and process of human consciousness to the reader. It provides readers with new views of human affairs and marks the perfection of her personal artistry. Virginia Woolf will always be remembered as the most famous woman modernist writer in England. Her experimental spirit will encourage later generations forever.