Night and Day Part 31

In this section, we aim to provide the reader with an array of perspectives on the text, as well as questions that challenge those perspectives. The commentary has been culled from sources as diverse as reviews contemporaneous with the work, letters written by the author, literary criticism of later generations, and appreciations written throughout the work's history. Following the commentary, a series of questions seeks to filter Virginia Woolf's Night and Day through a variety of points of view and bring about a richer understanding of this enduring work.

Comments TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT.

The reader of Night and Day Night and Day will find that, while each scene is complete, full of life, present significance, suggestive allusion, the progression of scenes is so arranged as to draw him on to a point in the story which-'only a love-story' though this be-is so exciting that to read it is to pa.s.s through a keen emotional experience. And thence comes the gradual descent, not into a house with shut doors and windows, but to a point whence the future prospect can be seen stretching away into the blue distance. will find that, while each scene is complete, full of life, present significance, suggestive allusion, the progression of scenes is so arranged as to draw him on to a point in the story which-'only a love-story' though this be-is so exciting that to read it is to pa.s.s through a keen emotional experience. And thence comes the gradual descent, not into a house with shut doors and windows, but to a point whence the future prospect can be seen stretching away into the blue distance.

-October 30, 1919

KATHERINE MANSFIELD.

To those of us who love to linger down at the harbour, as it were, watching the new s.h.i.+ps being builded, the old ones returning, and the many putting out to sea, comes the strange sight of Night and Day Night and Day sailing into port serene and resolute on a deliberate wind. The strangeness lies in her aloofness, her air of quiet perfection, her lack of any sign that she has made a perilous voyage-the absence of any scars. There she lies among the strange s.h.i.+pping-a tribute to civilization for our admiration and wonder.... sailing into port serene and resolute on a deliberate wind. The strangeness lies in her aloofness, her air of quiet perfection, her lack of any sign that she has made a perilous voyage-the absence of any scars. There she lies among the strange s.h.i.+pping-a tribute to civilization for our admiration and wonder....

We had thought that this world was vanished for ever, that it was impossible to find on the great ocean of literature a s.h.i.+p that was unaware of what has been happening. Yet here is Night and Day, Night and Day, fresh, new and exquisite, a novel in the tradition of the English novel. In the midst of our admiration it makes us feel old and chill: we had never thought to look upon its like again! fresh, new and exquisite, a novel in the tradition of the English novel. In the midst of our admiration it makes us feel old and chill: we had never thought to look upon its like again!

-from Athenaeum (November 21, 1919) (November 21, 1919)

W. L. GEORGE.

Here is perfect aloofness, entire distinction; Mrs. Virginia Woolf outstrips all novelists of her period, for she possesses two qualifications for high literature: pity, and fine disdain.

-from English Review English Review (March 1920) (March 1920) RUTH MURRAY UNDERHILL.

The half expressed thought, the interrupted sentences by which the action of Night and Day Night and Day proceeds, are baffling. Carry this sort of thing a few steps further and you have [Maurice] Maeterlinck. Yet even this intent study of a fragmentary and delicate thing strikes one as in the spirit of Tennyson's 'flower in the crannied wall' whose complete comprehension means comprehension of what G.o.d and man is. proceeds, are baffling. Carry this sort of thing a few steps further and you have [Maurice] Maeterlinck. Yet even this intent study of a fragmentary and delicate thing strikes one as in the spirit of Tennyson's 'flower in the crannied wall' whose complete comprehension means comprehension of what G.o.d and man is.

-from Bookman Bookman (August 1920) (August 1920) CLIVE BELL.

Night and Day is, I think, [Virginia Woolf's] most definite failure. She chose a perfectly conventional, a Victorian, theme, the is, I think, [Virginia Woolf's] most definite failure. She chose a perfectly conventional, a Victorian, theme, the premiers amours premiers amours of five young people.... She should have written about the of five young people.... She should have written about the quatre-vingt-dixieme quatre-vingt-dixieme to make her work strong and pa.s.sionate and to make her work strong and pa.s.sionate and real real (the grand (the grand desideratum desideratum); she should have written about Life.

-from The Dial The Dial (December 1924) (December 1924)

E. M. FORSTER.

Night and Day seems to me a deliberate exercise in cla.s.sicism. It contains all that has characterised English fiction for good or evil during the last hundred and fifty years-faith in personal relations, recourse to humorous side shows, insistence on petty social differences. Even the style has been normalised, and though the machinery is modern, the resultant form is as traditional as seems to me a deliberate exercise in cla.s.sicism. It contains all that has characterised English fiction for good or evil during the last hundred and fifty years-faith in personal relations, recourse to humorous side shows, insistence on petty social differences. Even the style has been normalised, and though the machinery is modern, the resultant form is as traditional as Emma. Emma. Surely the writer is using tools that don't belong to her. Surely the writer is using tools that don't belong to her.

-from New Criterion New Criterion (April 1926) (April 1926)

ARNOLD BENNETT.

Virginia Woolf has pa.s.sionate praisers, who maintain that she is a discoverer in psychology and in form. Disagreeing, I regard her alleged form as the absence of form, and her psychology as an uncoordinated ma.s.s of interesting details, none of which is truly original.

-from The Realist The Realist (April 1929) (April 1929)

W. H. AUDEN.

I cannot imagine a time, however bleak, or a writer, whatever his school, when and for whom [Virginia Woolf's] devotion to her art, her industry, her severity with herself-above all, her pa.s.sionate love, not only or chiefly for the big moments of life but also for its daily humdrum "sausage-and-haddock" details-will not remain an example that is at once an inspiration and a judge.

-from the New Yorker New Yorker (March 6, 1954) (March 6, 1954) Questions 1. What is the problem in 1. What is the problem in Night and Day Night and Day? Is it in Katharine? In the men she knows or in men in general? In the manners and morals of her time and place? In the human condition?2. Some of Woolf's contemporaries described the novel as aloof, distant, cla.s.sical. Is there anything in the novel that reveals the author's relation to her material? Can you see Woolf in the book?3. The courts.h.i.+p between Katharine and Ralph, writes Rachel Wetzsteon in the introduction to this edition, "results in some of the most ravis.h.i.+ng pa.s.sages in the novel, and one of the most moving accounts ever written of being in love" (see p. xxi). What in these pa.s.sages, in either the style or the content, might Wetzsteon be referring to?4. Do you sympathize with Katharine? Is one's sympathy or lack of sympathy for Katharine likely to depend on whether one is a man or a woman? Could Night and Day Night and Day be fairly described as a feminist novel? be fairly described as a feminist novel?

FOR FURTHER READING.

Works by Virginia Woolf BOOKS PUBLISHED DURING WOOLF'S LIFETIME The Voyage Out. London: Duckworth, 1915. London: Duckworth, 1915.

Night and Day. London: Duckworth, 1919. London: Duckworth, 1919.

Monday or Tuesday. London: Hogarth Press, 1921. London: Hogarth Press, 1921.

Jacob's Room. London: Hogarth Press, 1922. London: Hogarth Press, 1922.

The Common Reader. London: Hogarth Press, 1925. London: Hogarth Press, 1925.

Mrs. Dalloway. London: Hogarth Press, 1925. London: Hogarth Press, 1925.

To the Lighthouse. London: Hogarth Press, 1927. London: Hogarth Press, 1927.

Orlando: A Biography. London: Hogarth Press, 1928. London: Hogarth Press, 1928.

A Room of One's Own. London: Hogarth Press, 1929. London: Hogarth Press, 1929.

The Waves. London: Hogarth Press, 1931. London: Hogarth Press, 1931.

The Common Reader: Second Series. London: Hogarth Press, 1932. London: Hogarth Press, 1932.

Flush: A Biography. London: Hogarth Press, 1933. London: Hogarth Press, 1933.

The Years. London: Hogarth Press, 1937. London: Hogarth Press, 1937.

Three Guineas. London: Hogarth Press, 1938. London: Hogarth Press, 1938.

Roger Fry: A Biography. London: Hogarth Press, 1940. London: Hogarth Press, 1940.

OTHER WORKS.

Between the Acts. London: Hogarth Press, 1941. London: Hogarth Press, 1941.

Collected Essays. Edited by Leonard Woolf. 4 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1966, 1967. Edited by Leonard Woolf. 4 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1966, 1967.

The Letters of Virginia Woolf. Edited by Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann. 6 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1975-1980. Edited by Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann. 6 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1975-1980.

Freshwater: A Comedy. Edited by Lucio Ruotolo. London: Hogarth Press, 1976. A play. Edited by Lucio Ruotolo. London: Hogarth Press, 1976. A play.

Moments of Being: Unpublished Autobiographical Writings. Edited by Jeanne Schulkind. London: Chatto and Windus, 1976. Edited by Jeanne Schulkind. London: Chatto and Windus, 1976.

The Diary of Virginia Woolf. Edited by Anne Olivier Bell. 5 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1977. Edited by Anne Olivier Bell. 5 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1977.

Virginia Woolf's Reading Notebooks. Edited by Brenda R. Silver. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Edited by Brenda R. Silver. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983.

The Complete Shorter Fiction. Edited by Susan d.i.c.k. London: Hogarth Press, 1985. Edited by Susan d.i.c.k. London: Hogarth Press, 1985.

The Essays of Virginia Woolf. Edited by Andrew McNeillie. 4 vols. of a projected 6. London: Hogarth Press, 1986-. Edited by Andrew McNeillie. 4 vols. of a projected 6. London: Hogarth Press, 1986-.

A Pa.s.sionate Apprentice: The Early Journals 1897-1909. Edited by Mitch.e.l.l A. Leaska. London: Hogarth Press, 1990. Edited by Mitch.e.l.l A. Leaska. London: Hogarth Press, 1990.

BIOGRAPHY AND BACKGROUND.

Annan, Noel. Leslie Stephen: The G.o.dless Victorian. Leslie Stephen: The G.o.dless Victorian. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1984. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1984.

Bell, Quentin. Virginia Woolf: A Biography. Virginia Woolf: A Biography. 2 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1972. The first major study of Woolf's life, written by her nephew. 2 vols. London: Hogarth Press, 1972. The first major study of Woolf's life, written by her nephew.

Bishop, Edward. A Virginia Woolf Chronology. A Virginia Woolf Chronology. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1989. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1989.

Boyd, Elizabeth French. Bloomsbury Heritage: Their Mothers and Their Aunts. Bloomsbury Heritage: Their Mothers and Their Aunts. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1976. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1976.

Dunn, Jane. A Very Close Conspiracy: Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. A Very Close Conspiracy: Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. London: Jonathan Cape, 1990. London: Jonathan Cape, 1990.

Gordon, Lyndall. Virginia Woolf: A Writer's Virginia Woolf: A Writer's Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984. Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.

Lee, Hermione. Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. The most thorough biography to date. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. The most thorough biography to date.

Marcus, Jane, ed. Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury: A Centenary Celebration. Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury: A Centenary Celebration. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1987. Several useful chapters on Bloomsbury members. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1987. Several useful chapters on Bloomsbury members.

Nicolson, Nigel. Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf. New York: Viking, 2000. A concise study, written by the son of Woolf's friends Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West. New York: Viking, 2000. A concise study, written by the son of Woolf's friends Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West.

Rose, Phyllis. Woman of Letters: A Life of Virginia Woolf. Woman of Letters: A Life of Virginia Woolf. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1978. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1978.

Spalding, Frances. Vanessa Bell. Vanessa Bell. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1983. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1983.

Stape, J. H., ed. Virginia Woolf: Interviews and Recollections. Virginia Woolf: Interviews and Recollections. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1995. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan, 1995.

Stephen, Sir Leslie. The Mausoleum Book. The Mausoleum Book. Introduction by Alan Bell. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977. Stephen wrote this epistolary memoir to mourn the death of his wife and Woolf's mother, Julia, in 1895. Introduction by Alan Bell. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977. Stephen wrote this epistolary memoir to mourn the death of his wife and Woolf's mother, Julia, in 1895.

Woolf, Leonard. An Autobiography. An Autobiography. 2 vols. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. First published in five volumes by the Hogarth Press, London (1960-1969) under the t.i.tles 2 vols. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. First published in five volumes by the Hogarth Press, London (1960-1969) under the t.i.tles Sowing, Growing, Beginning Again, Downhill All the Way, Sowing, Growing, Beginning Again, Downhill All the Way, and and The Journey Not the Arrival Matters. The Journey Not the Arrival Matters.

. The Wise Virgins: A Story of Words, Opinions, and a Few Emotions. The Wise Virgins: A Story of Words, Opinions, and a Few Emotions. London: Edward Arnold, 1914. A novel containing recognizable portraits of Virginia and Vanessa, as well as of Leonard and his family. London: Edward Arnold, 1914. A novel containing recognizable portraits of Virginia and Vanessa, as well as of Leonard and his family.

CRITICISM.

Bazin, Nancy Topping. Virginia Woolf and the Androgynous Vision. Virginia Woolf and the Androgynous Vision. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1973. A chapter on New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1973. A chapter on Night and Day Night and Day describes Katharine's "quest for the point of equilibrium between the inner and the outer, the feminine and the masculine." describes Katharine's "quest for the point of equilibrium between the inner and the outer, the feminine and the masculine."

Briggs, Julia, ed. Virginia Woolf: Introduction to the Major Works. Virginia Woolf: Introduction to the Major Works. London: Virago, 1994. Excellent essays by various critics. London: Virago, 1994. Excellent essays by various critics.

DiBattista, Maria. Virginia Woolf's Major Novels: The Fables of Anon. Virginia Woolf's Major Novels: The Fables of Anon. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1980. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1980.

Fleishman, Avrom. Virginia Woolf: A Critical Reading. Virginia Woolf: A Critical Reading. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1975. Astute a.n.a.lysis of the Shakespearean dimension of Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1975. Astute a.n.a.lysis of the Shakespearean dimension of Night and Day. Night and Day.

Forster, E. M. Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1942. An early study by an old friend. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1942. An early study by an old friend.

Majumdar, Robin, and Allen McLaurin, eds. Virginia Woolf: The Critical Heritage. Virginia Woolf: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1975. Includes Katherine Mansfield's review of London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1975. Includes Katherine Mansfield's review of Night and Day Night and Day mentioned in the Introduction (see p. xiii). mentioned in the Introduction (see p. xiii).

Marcus, Jane. Virginia Woolf and the Languages of Patriarchy. Virginia Woolf and the Languages of Patriarchy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987. Argues in a chapter on Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987. Argues in a chapter on Night and Day Night and Day that while the novel is "structured on Mozart's that while the novel is "structured on Mozart's Magic Flute," Magic Flute," it also mocks the opera's celebration of patriarchy by "invoking a less severe and more feminine alternative." it also mocks the opera's celebration of patriarchy by "invoking a less severe and more feminine alternative."

Paul, Janis. The Victorian Heritage of Virginia Woolf: The External World in Her Novels. The Victorian Heritage of Virginia Woolf: The External World in Her Novels. Norman, OK: Pilgrim Books, 1987. A chapter on Norman, OK: Pilgrim Books, 1987. A chapter on Night and Day Night and Day calls Katharine "a Modernist spirit trapped in a Victorian novel." calls Katharine "a Modernist spirit trapped in a Victorian novel."

Roe, Sue, and Susan Sellers, eds. The Cambridge Companion The Cambridge Companion to to Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. A useful collection of essays on Woolf's work, life, and times. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. A useful collection of essays on Woolf's work, life, and times.

Rosenthal, Michael. Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979. Lucid and concise study of the major works. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979. Lucid and concise study of the major works.

Schlack, Beverly Ann. Continuing Presences: Virginia Woolf's Use of Literary Allusion. Continuing Presences: Virginia Woolf's Use of Literary Allusion. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1979. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1979.

Squier, Susan M. Virginia Woolf and London: The s.e.xual Politics of the City. Virginia Woolf and London: The s.e.xual Politics of the City. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985. Argues that Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985. Argues that Night and Day Night and Day "resembles the cla.s.sic city novel." "resembles the cla.s.sic city novel."

Zwerdling, Alex. Virginia Woolf and the Real World. Virginia Woolf and the Real World. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. Discusses the influence of contemporary history and politics on her work. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. Discusses the influence of contemporary history and politics on her work.