《To the Lighthouse吴健兰》.ppt

Brief introduction To the Lighthouse (5 May 1927) is a novel by Virginia Woolf. centering on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. Plot summary Part 1 the window Part 2 time passes Part 3 the lighthouse The window The section begins with Mrs Ramsay assuring James that they should be able to visit the lighthouse on the next day. This prediction is denied by Mr Ramsay, who voices his certainty that the weather will not be clear. The Ramsays have been joined at the house by a number of friends and colleagues, one of them being Lily Briscoe, who begins the novel as a young, uncertain painter attempting a portrayal of Mrs. Ramsay and James. Time passes Ten years pass, during which the four-year First World War begins and ends. Mrs Ramsay passes away, Prue dies from complications of childbirth, and Andrew is killed in the war. Mr Ramsay is left adrift without his wife to praise and comfort him during his bouts of fear and his anguish regarding the longevity of his philosophical work. The lighthouse Mr Ramsay finally plans on taking the long-delayed trip to the lighthouse with his son James and daughter Cam(illa). While they set sail for the lighthouse, Lily attempts to finally complete the painting she has held in her mind since the start of the novel. She reconsiders her memory of Mrs and Mr Ramsay, balancing the multitude of impressions from ten years ago in an effort to reach towards an objective truth about Mrs Ramsay and life itself. Narration and perspective The novel lacks an omniscient narrator (except in the second section: Time Passes) The lack of an omniscient narrator means that, throughout the novel, no clear guide exists for the reader and that only through character development can we formulate our own opinions and views because much is morally ambiguous. Allusions to autobiography Woolf began writing To the Lighthouse partly as a way of understanding and dealin