TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

'To the Lighthouse' is the most autobiographical of Virginia Woolf's novels. It follows the Ramsey family as they visit their summer home in the Hebrides, on the Isle of Skye, over the course of a decade. The physical location and activities of the family members take a backseat to their internal thoughts and observations in this introspective and philosophical novel. The reader is given a peek inside the minds of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey and their children as they grapple with loss, disappointment, resentment, and the passage of time. While the summer home and its nearby isolated lighthouse change little over the years, the Ramseys are deeply affected by war, death, and loneliness. While it touches on childhood and children's perceptions and desires, it is at its most trenchant when exploring adult relationships, marriage and the changing class-structure in the period spanning the Great War. 159pp. Paperback.