The Presence Of Realism In To The Lighthouse

Virginia Woolf and James Joyce are usually regarded as the classic novelists of stream of consciousness techniques and one of the representative figures of modernism. Woolf's theory on art of novels and her techniques enrich the form of fiction. Woolf's novels in the middle period of her career, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Waves are most representative of her innovative style and are regarded as the best English novels in the 20th century. Woolf's modernist novels explore the psychological world of her characters. Her new focus of narrative extends the mimetic practices of the 18th and 19th century realists..Since Woolf's novels first came out, critics in the west have focused on Woolf's interest in the mind (feature of"modernism"), or the"stream of consciousness"techniques. Her most representative novels are especially regarded as"spiritual". The critics have either focused on the poetic styles of her novels, or studied the heightened consciousness of her characters from the point of view of psychoanalysis. They fundamentally miss and overlook one important aspect of her novels: her response to historical and ideological changes and her commitment to capturing and representing those changes; her representation of the quotidian experiences in her fiction. Only since the 1980s, the political and social elements in Woolf's works have begun to be recognized. This thesis attempts to explore the realistic aspect of To the Lighthouse, with the intention to show its function in revealing and defining character. It is expected that this thesis can offer a new angle and a better understanding of Woolf's novels. That is the the theme and value of this thesis.The thesis consists of five parts. It begins with a general introduction of Woolf's contribution to literary theory and techniques as a modernist writer. The literature review generalizes the fruitful Woolf studies both at home and abroad, from which a conclusion is drawn: there is much academic space left to study To the Lighthouse. In China as well as abroad, most of Woolf studies have tended to emphasize the"spiritual"or poetic features of her fiction, her stream of consciousness technique, while neglecting her presentation of social realism and quotidian experiences. This conclusion provides the writer with a new perspective to probe the novel.Chapter One defines the notion of realism in literature. It discusses its origin in the mimetic theory of art; the appearance and development of"modern realism"in the 18th and 19th century Europe, with the representation of the life of lower-middle class as its subject; the highest achivement of English realistic novels in the hands of the great masters Dickens and Thakeray. The great realistic conventions leave a"lasting imprint on British fiction to this moment", according to Malcolm Bradbury, that the"modern novel's"break with those conventions was never complete. The thesis will be based on the relation between literature and reality, and discuss Woolf's representation of the social and political forces,and everyday reality in her fiction, and its function in chatacterization. Lastly the thesis will discuss Woolf's experimental realism, and her development of the theory of realism. According to Auerbach, instead of presenting the whole process of an event, Woolf shifts her focus on a random moment in life and attempts to explore"the wealth of reality and depth of life in every moment", therefore her"reality"is fragmentary, her details are highly selective and symbolic.Chapter Two discusses Woolf's realism on the socio-political level, revealing how the novel reflects the historical and ideological shifts, and how the change in values influences her characters.Chapter Three focuses on Woolf's representation of everyday reality. It illustrates how Woolf portrays her characters by their physical features and by their habits. Woolf also celebrates the nobility of domestic life, seeing in it creativity and harmony, and seeing it as a sphere of human connectednessThe conclusion points out that there is the presence of realistic elements in To the Lighthouse. This thesis will show with examples, on the one level, Woolf's treatment of historical, political and social forces; and on the other, Woolf's representation of details of everyday reality, and the functions these details perform in revealing characters. Woolf's attempts to shift the focus of narrative and to change perspective of observation enrich the form of realistic novels. It is expected this thesis will provide a new perspective to Woolf criticism.