Self Quest And Experimental Writing: An Analysis Of The Voyage Out

The Voyage Out is the first novel by the British woman writer Virginia Woolf, and it mainly concerns about the self discovery of a young girl Rachel Vinrace. The previous criticism to the novel all fails to point out that the unvictorian writing features lie in the experimental writing of the novel. In my opinion, there is certain relation between the heroine's self-discovery and the author's experimental writing, and I will analyze it in the following three aspects:Firstly, through the perspective of psychology, self discovery leads to experimental writing. Woolf is influenced by Freud to some degree and she realizes that people's unconsciousness is in disorder and illogical. Meanwhile, Woolf's understanding of people's psyche and reality is also embodied in her writing.Secondly, Woolf's Existential Consciousness bears much resemblance to the thought of Heidegger and Existentialism. In the process of her self discovery, Rachel always falls into deep philosophical thinking. What is more, Rachel's death is also the result of Woolf's thinking.Thirdly, both Woolf and Rachel are in the process of self-discovery and deconstruction of the tradition. Rachel's aunts want Rachel to be a Victorian lady; however, Rachel wants to find her self through her own effort. As a woman writer, Woolf isalso deconstructing the traditional woman image and traditional writing in order to find the proper way to express herself.In short, Woolf's understanding of people's psyche, her Existential Consciousness and her deconstruction of tradition, make her writing experimental in the depiction of Rachel's self discovery.