The waves

English language

Published July 30, 1978

ISBN:
9780156949606

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5 stars (1 review)

The Waves is a 1931 novel by Virginia Woolf and is considered to be her most experimental work. The book consists of soliloquies spoken by six characters Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis. Also important is Percival, the seventh character, though readers never hear him speak in his own voice. The soliloquies that span the characters' lives are broken up by nine brief third-person interludes detailing a coastal scene at varying stages in a day from sunrise to sunset. As the six characters or "voices" speak, Woolf explores concepts of individuality, self and community. Each character is distinct, yet together they compose a gestalt about a silent central consciousness.In a 2015 poll conducted by BBC, The Waves was voted the 16th greatest British novel ever written.

8 editions

Les Vagues

5 stars

Plonger dans Les Vagues, c’est nager en eaux troubles. Virginia Woolf nous aura prévenus : c’est son livre le plus difficile. Texte poétique, souffles (flux) de pensées sous forme de monologues qui nous transportent d’une voix à l’autre, parfois pour quelques lignes, plus souvent pour de longs paragraphes, Virginia Woolf ne cherche pas à nous conforter. Une journée, une vie ; Les Vagues est un texte que je n’ai pas cherché à cerner mais qui m’a transporté, c’est indéniable, un texte dont la beauté nous porte sur un fond insaisissable, mouvant comme le sable sous l’effet des remous marins.