Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

How to Read Virginia Woolf's Orlando (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-14 20:41:18
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Content

Today, as we shall soon be concluding our reading of Dostoyevsky, let’s enjoy an introductory discussion about our next reading experience. We’re talking about how to read Virginia Woolf’s 1928 Orlando.

Topics of discussion include: truth, time, biography, gender, charging language with meaning, how to read great literature, and much more.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 how to read Virginia Woolf’s Orlando
  • 1:15 questions around gender identity
  • 3:30 Modernism kicks back against Victorianism
  • 5:00 beginning in the Elizabethan era
  • 7:30 on idealisation vs truth/reality
  • 9:00 Virginia Woolf on Shakespeare’s sister
  • 11:45 revolutionising biography & history
  • 13:30 the Modernist’s anxiety of influence
  • 16:55 Virginia Woolf’s great love letter
  • 19:00 ‘Orlando had become a woman’
  • 24:00 the power to identify as a poet
  • 28:30 love, ephemerality & mortality
  • 32:30 ‘the timepiece of the mind’
  • 36:34 the art of fiction vs biography
  • 40:00 Orlando as linguistic fireworks display
  • 42:00 how did Virginia Woolf read literature?
  • 45:00 sharing a beautiful passage with you

Resources:

  • Recommended Edition: The Oxford World’s Classics paperback and the Penguin paperback are both splendid editions of Virginia Woolf’s work. I’m personally working from the Oxford edition, but feel free to use whichever edition is most attractive to you.
  • Biography: Hermione Lee’s biography of Virginia Woolf is masterful and makes for a tremendous companion for those who wish to get closer to the writer. I recommend dipping into chapters one, twenty-three, and twenty-eight (entitled ‘Biography,’ ‘Reading,’ and ‘Vita’).
  • Supplementary Reading: There are two works that make for thoroughly enjoyable additions to your reading of Virgina Woolf: A Room of One’s Own, and The Common Reader.
  • Film Appreciation: If you find it rewarding to supplement your reading with film adaptations, you may wish to check out the great 1993 film staring Tilda Swinton. But bear in mind that the bulk of the poetic power remains on the page!

Reading Assignment:

Our first discussion will leverage the first two chapters in Orlando, which take up just 71 pages in the Oxford Classics edition. Orlando is a very short work, and I encourage you to linger over your favourite passages, relish them, and make use of marginalia.

Questions for You:

1) What is your current relationship with Virginia Woolf? Will this be your first reading or a rereading of this great work?

2) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of Orlando?

3) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Virginia Woolf?

Happy reading, everybody!

Files

Previews only

How to Read Virginia Woolf's Orlando

0:00 how to read Virginia Woolf’s Orlando 1:15 questions around gender identification 3:30 Modernism kicks back against Victorianism 5:00 beginning in the Elizabethan era 7:30 on idealisation vs truth/reality 9:00 Virginia Woolf on Shakespeare’s sister 11:45 revolutionising biography & history 13:30 the Modernist’s anxiety of influence 16:55 Virginia Woolf’s great love letter 19:00 ‘Orlando had become a woman’ 24:00 the power to identify as a poet 25:30 healing the rift between the sexes 28:30 love, ephemerality & mortality 32:30 ‘the timepiece of the mind’ 36:34 the art of fiction vs biography 40:00 Orlando as linguistic fireworks display 42:00 how did Virginia Woolf read literature? 45:00 sharing a beautiful passage with you

Comments

Mike Botteley

To be honest have never read Woolf so I am going into this one with a completely open mind. Probably doesn't make for the best discussion at the moment but there you have it! I'd imagine its very different to our previous two big reads. I finished Dostoyevsky this morning and what a read it was. Its going to take a while to digest and ponder. Lets see how the new one goes.

Vicky

I have read Hermione Lee’s biography but not actually any of Woolf’s works. Am so glad we are reading this. Starting soon as finished TBK tonight ❤️

Rashmi

I haven’t read any VW either. Looking forward to it! Will be a nice break, I hope, after Dostoevsky. :) Coincidentally, both of my best friends have teenage transgender daughters. I have seen the struggles of both the children and the parents closeup, especially in the current political environment, with unfavorable laws being passed in my state and elsewhere. So the theme of this work resonates with me.

Evans Bowen

I'm so ready for this book. I just finished A Room of Ones Own last week in preparation Last year The Met Opera produced a new opera The Hours based on the Pulitzer-prize winning book and the Oscar winning movie of the same name. ---The story of Virginia Woolf and two women she influenced in the future. The opera is spectacular. I loved it so much that I saw it twice in one week. Fortunately you can see it on the Met Opera App. The composer Kevin Putz talks about the way opera can transcend time and Virginia and the other characters can be singing at the same time--transcending time and space. Just like Ben is talking about in the lecture. The ending of this opera is one of the most moving and beautiful scenes in all of opera as the three women sit on stage together singing a live song to life. I'm loving this deep dive into language and life.

hardcoreliterature
>>108534548

I’m so thrilled to hear this is your first reading of Woolf, Mike! I can’t wait to hear what you make of her work. And a huge congratulations on finishing TBK this morning! I completely agree on it needing a whole lot of digestion time!

hardcoreliterature
>>108535135

That’s amazing, Vicky! You’re so primed for an incredible experience with her work having read Hermione Lee’s great biography. I’m thrilled to be reading this one too, and can’t wait to get your first thoughts! ☺️

hardcoreliterature
>>108538071

A first time for you too, Rashmi! I’m so happy to hear that. You’ll love Virginia Woolf! :) A very strong shift from Dostoyevsky. I can’t wait to read her with you and hear your thoughts. It definitely sounds like Orlando is going to be a very resonant reading experience for you!

hardcoreliterature
>>108538363

Thank you so much for the superb opera recommendation, Evans! It looks absolutely phenomenal. I can see why you saw it twice in one week. I’m very excited to immerse myself in it. And I can’t wait to hear what you make of Orlando!

Rob (del’ly frèé) McClusky

Part of your video talked about critics. Here’s a thought… It’s like the critic of today (and a century ago) is the nurse from Romeo and Juliet— there may be some personal beliefs, but they quickly shift, or are hidden, to the tune of what will be accepted, or what benefits oneself the most.

Emily

I am so excited for this one! I have been reading a collection of Vita and Virginia's letters in anticipation.

Susan
>>108540394

You've given me something to think about. Mutability. True Truth. Our need to get along with others and our need to be liked by others. Our seemingly sometimes desperate need to not be one of those people who makes everyone uncomfortable with their unpopular, uncomfortable thoughts and discussions and convictions. Some folks manipulate. Some folks are manipulated. My thoughts are jumbled and I find that I am both uncomfortable and disgusted as I think about lies and manipulations. I like your phrase about quick shifting and hiding for acceptance or benefit.

Paula Baker

I read Virginia Woolf in college many moons ago but did not understand her writing! I'm hoping age, wisdom, and time will help me with Orlando. This is a big switch from Dostoyevsky! My first reading of The Brothers Karamazov was amazing. Incredible!!!!

Anne M

I have never successfully read VW although I tried a few times when I was first out of college. I am looking forward to trying again and trying to keep an open mind. I just finished TBK this evening. I loved it! But I’m ready to leave Russia now and dive into something different.

Jenny

I finished TBK last week and looking forward to diving into my first Virginia Woolf novel. The subject of gender is an interesting one but I struggle with certain aspects of it. Currently I am trying to remember to refer to one of my sons friends as “They” rather than she, since she (oops They) identify as non binary. I also know a teen that is going through gender reassignment as they feel they are in the wrong body. In my experience the younger generation seem to take this fluid approach to gender in their stride and it’s no big deal but I worry that they don’t get the right advice and support before starting treatment.

Nephele Tempest

I read Mrs. Dalloway back in school and A Room of One's Own at university. I found the first tough going at the time and meant to go back and reread at some point but never got around to it. I'm excited to be tackling some new Woolf, especially since I am a particular fan of stories dealing with time--travel, perceptions of, etc.--whatever the approach, I find it fascinating. And I just ordered a copy of the Hermione Lee biography.

Rashmi
>>108544664

A third good friend of mine has a teen child who goes by “they” now. They actually attempted suicide earlier this year. The high rate of depression and suicide in this group is heartbreaking.

Rashmi
>>108544760

I started Mrs Dalloway a couple of times but abandoned it early on. Also excited to tackle some VW now!

Tatiana

I have read Mrs. Dalloway, which I consider a masterpiece, and To The Lighthouse. Started and could not get into Orlando. The lecture may inspire me to give it another shot. I suspect this book will lead to a lot of discussion about gender fluidity and I am just not up for that or frankly anything controversial.

Rashmi

For Audible subscribers: Orlando narrated by Clare Higgins is available for no extra charge.

Karen Bird

I read several of Virginia Woolf's works a few years ago: Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, A Room of One's Own, Waves and Orlando. I really love them all, and I couldn't tell you which is my favorite. To be honest, I didn't expect to like her as much as I do. I liked Orlando in particular, and I am looking so forward to reading it again. Thank you Ben, as always.

Chrissy

Orlando sounds fascinating - I don't think Ive ever read anything quite like it! I read Mrs D. last year (my first and only Woolf), and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I'm really looking forward to Orlando. I'm currently making a new garden at my little terrace house in Sydney, and for inspiration am reading Caroline Zoob's beautiful 'Virginia Woolf's Garden', the story off the Virginia and Harold Woolf's garden at Monk's House oin Sussex. The book is drawn from their letters and diaries, and is crammed with garden plans, and the most glorious photographs of the house and gardens. It's the perfect book for any gardener who loves to read. Does planting hellebores and alchemilla, count as deep reading? Edit: 2) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of Orlando? Virginia is a fascinating woman, and I’d like to use Orlando as a springboard into learning more about her, as well as the rest of the Bloomsbury group. 3) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Virginia Woolf? Through reading, I can feel my empathy muscle becoming ever stronger, and I hope to develop it still further via the prism of Woolf’s characters. Ben, I’m not sure if this is what you mean, but I definitely am experiencing personal growth through reading great authors such as Virginia Woolf.

Jamie Newman

I haven't honestly read much of Woolf's work. I've been given bits of her writings by friends and have really enjoyed them, but am ashamed to admit I haven't gone much further! I'm excited to get to know her work and I think that given the political climate here in the US, this is a timely read. I've got the biography ordered and "The Common Reader". I'm very excited to dive into this one. I could use a gear shift after TBK (which I made it through...about in the same way I made it through my first marathon ;) ).

Cai Vail
>>108547359

Of course it does! Haha. I’m also gardening more than reading these days. Vita Sackville-West’s garden is a great inspiration to my own garden style at my humble abode, fun to make a literary connection with her through Woolf. I’ll have to look into the Zoob book you mentioned!

Cai Vail

Yet another book clubber that hasn’t yet read Woolf here. I’m excited for the change of pace, I have to admit I really struggled with TBK. Also very curious to dive into the gender element of this story. I have very strong opinions on this whole gender revolution/trend we’re experiencing culturally and wonder how this story will play into those opinions, or against them, as well as what others in the club glean from it. Thanks Ben for once again throwing us precisely the curveball we need when we need it!

cliff freeman

I think anyone interested in reading fiction exploring gender identity would enjoy The Left Hand of Darkness, a great semi-forgotten science fiction novel from the 1970s.

Suz R
>>108549538

It is on my list I am awaiting it arriving in the mail as I type this.

Suz R

This will be my second read through of Orlando. I think I will get more out of it now since I have the just of the matter plus I know Benjamin’s lectures will be brilliant as usual.

Chrissy
>>108547848

Cai, Im not proud of it, but I DNFd TBK. I struggled less with the book itself, than I did with the putting it down (I’m still feeling a twinge of remorse). Woolf is much more readable!

Linda Williamson

1) What is your current relationship with Virginia Woolf? Will this be your first reading or a rereading of this great work? This will be my first experience with Virginia Woolf. I am interested. and intrigued. 2) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of Orlando? At this time I have no expectations with the exception of reading of a long-recognized writer. As a writer myself it's always interesting to see how others pen their thoughts and lives out in ink through fiction, non-fiction, essays, poetry, short stories, long exhaustive novels, diaries, and letters or quick Haikus. Each time I read a new author I am automatically drawn to them more strongly than their writing. I did this with Tolstoy and with Dostoevsky. I expect I will do so with Virginia Woolf. 3) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Virginia Woolf? I don't have a good response for this question at this time. I am simply intrigued to read the book and likely will expand my thematic interests as a result of the book club discussions, the ever thoughtful and meaningful lectures, the reading, and my own personal experiences with the writing.

Mike

This will be my introduction to Virginia Woolf. I am 20 pages into Orlando and love the beginning and am enjoying Woolf’s prose. I’m eager to see if she is as good a writer as everyone says. I ordered the Woolf’s biography and look forward to learning about Woolf and her works. I miss Alyosha, Dmitry, Grushenka, and Ilusha’s friends.

Wyatt K.

Hello Everyone! I can't wait to read Orlando (my first Virginia Woolf)! I just finished The Brothers Karamazov thirty minutes ago, and can't wait to get my hands on another masterpiece (I might get reading, again, in an hour)! I've got a few on the shelves that I want to eat up, and yet I get these urges to read other classics that just pop up (its never a good idea, in my case, to prepare reading assignments too far away, or I'll just pick something else). I bought Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" today, in anticipation of continuing a Dostoevsky reading spree (while I'm in the mood); but now I want to read Orlando (I'm sure I can do both). I also want to read Anna Karenina (It just sitting there on my self, staring at me when I read other books, and I feel like I'm doing an injustice to ignore it). So, I have a little plan (one of two plans): I either read Orlando this week, along with The Idiot over two weeks (this may seem like rushing, but I spend 2 to 3 hours to read 50 pages of Dostoevsky; it really depends on what passages I come across; and I never speed read), or (for plan two) I read The Last Days of Socrates (by Plato) this week, and Anna Karenina over this week and the next week (Again, a minimum, when dealing with two books, of 3 hours a day). Is this rushing Tolstoy too much? I know that I am supposed to take my time, and I do, but should there be breaks? Should I read some of Anna, and then pause (say, half way through) and read something else, and then come back to it. Or, with a person like me, eager to devour and take the time each day to sit for a few hours, a little too pretentious. I don't want to speed read the great books (that's against the HCLB code) but I really do want to read so much, and I have so little time. But, the big factor that is really applying the pressure to read a few of these classics now, is, that I have got a growing story (its getting out of control, really)- I think I might have mentioned it before - and it so happens that I can't imagine it being any shorter then an 800 page novel (believe me, I tried chopping it, and I did - it might have been 1200 pages before- but I can't get it any lower then 800; maybe 700). Its a bit of a compilation of my last two unfinished novel drafts (nearly finished) engulfed in this new idea, this know philosophy that's been brewing, and was precisely why I had to drop my last two stories; only this one could work, even if it takes me anywhere from a year to ten years to write, I must write it! So, I feel inclined to read a few more 800 page novels before I write my own. But, the best part about this, is, that I've got a little coffee shop right by where I live (a real gem) where I know everyone by name (as well as the owners and managers); and it so happens that 11 of them (some work there, some are regulars that I've met only a year or so ago when I started going there) have English and/or literature degrees (and working on a second degree). Anyhow, they are eager to get their hands on anything literary works, and want to read my story, serialized, each week (I come absolutely every Thursday). I usually get stuck into hour long discussions over there (with baristas and literally friends alike), and plan to take that conversationally motivation (the discussions can get pretty heated, but I value the conversations so much, purely due to the fact that the outcome of these converstions - which usually have to do with some theory of idea I come up with, and tried, sometimes in vain, to explain - always, always end up clearer and ever more scintillating) and use that to fuel the story. And so, long story short (I think its too late to say that) I want to serialize my story on a weekly basis, to give to my literary audience, however small (but always valued), to debate. And, since this project will take rough one year (53 weeks, if I keep it at an easy pace of 15 pages a week, after revision) I want to have a clear idea of where I'm going (I spend 70% of my time analyzing, and 30% writing, and I go much, much faster then anyone would suspect). Anyhow, I guess what I really wanted to ask was: would anyone know of solution to my dilemma (if it is one)? I don't speed read, but I read a lot; and I don't want to ruin my first impression of Anna, but I want to get to writing my story with its new inspiration and lessons. I would also like to ask if anyone has written anything serially, and/or if they know a magazine that I might publish such a long story serially within it (if they do that anymore; it seems like a lost art, really). And, finally, if anyone would like to read my story serially as I come out with it. It would only be 15 pages a week, and I'm open to any and all suggestions. I would be honored and deeply driven to continue if Benjamin would grace my manuscript with his literary genius; if only take a glimpse at it and say 'ya' or 'nay' (of course, he is by no means obliged to; but if I can get him interested...). Thanks you guys! I know this is all sort of jumping the gun, but sometimes (even if it is only to a few, select, respected, groups of people) I enjoy testing out my intentions for a future project; just so that I get around to doing it. I normally hold off, but I do so much writing that nobody sees; that surly, out of the hours and hundreds of pages of scrap ideas and stories I've penned (and pen within every hour of the day; if only one idea in a notebook), its alright to be outwardly expressive about one story (when the time it right). This story is me, my soul, my vision, 'my own divine spark of eternal flame'(as Higgins says in Pygmalion). Thanks, everyone! Any and all ideas are welcome! Have a nice day, and happy reading!

Nadine

I am really excited for this one. I have read To the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway and thought they were brilliant. I took a break from the book club after War and Peace and I am looking forward to getting back into it with this work.

Colin ellesmere

I started consciously only reading great literature in September 21. VW's To The Lighthouse was the book I started with. I read it on a solo cycling tour of SW China, often at night in a tent. I absolutely loved the book (which got thoroughly soaked in a storm one night) and thought then the English was the most exquisite I had ever come across. Every sentence seemed perfectly formed. The battered visage of the copy I still retain is a treasured reminder of a fantastic trip, and VW's wonderful company on route. I just bought a copy of Mrs Dalloway a few days ago in The Lost Bookshop in Chiang Mai (what a bookshop that is - run by an incredibly well read Irishman that would grace any literary debate with his wit and knowledge), and I am immensely looking forward to reading that, and Orlando. The concept for Orlando is a brilliant invention in itself. But I do wonder, having read quite a bit since September 21, if VW's English will still stand up to its exalted status I gave it back in Sept/Oct 21. However, I think it has good chance.

Clare Shepherd

I read the introduction in my Alma Classics edition, which has some biographical information, and suggestions for further reading at the back. I had the Hogarth Presss first edition, but lent it to a former friend. She borrowed a couple of books, read them and despite me making it clear that I wanted them returned, she "forgot" and gifted them to Oxfam. The Virginia Woolf was a gift from my grandfather, and thd other book was a wedding present from my great aunt. She is a former friend for this and another reason. Anyway, I shall wait and if the Alma Classics does not match up in page numbers when Ben does the first lecture, I will buy his recommended edition. I have read several of Virginia's books including her essays and diaries. I hope to overcome my dislike of her snobbishness in the course of this deep reading. She is a great writer and her "Room of One's" own and the "Common Reader" volumes are inspirational. The introduction to my Alma edition contains her acknowledgement to writers if the past and many of her contemporary including members of the Bloomsbury Set. It reads like a Who's Who of English Literature. I'm excited to be rereading "Orlando". I can't wait for Ben's first lecture and the ensuing conversation.

Clare Shepherd
>>108557894

What a wonderful story! My first read of Moby Dick was on my first holiday alone as a teen. I went to Cornwall, I know not as exotic as China". I went on a scooter, and stayed in a caravan near Padstow. One night I was reading the storm scene when the mother of a thunderstorm blew up with lightning strikes marching across the field. I thought it might strike the caravan but no, it passed over and away. However, many decades later I can still conjure to chapter and that night to mind. I think your reading of VW in China will be a similar experience for you.

Gunhild Bjørnvig

1. So far, I have only read Mrs. Dalloway by Woolf, but I have read it a couple of times over the past five years and have really come to like it, especially the shifting perspectives and how time can be stretched out or compressed. Though I often find them difficult, I like other modernist writers like Conrad, Kafka and Faulkner, so I think that Orlando will be great too. 2. I have been a member of HLBC since February reading Crime and Punishment, Anna Karenina and Romeo and Juliet, and I have found the lectures and discussions to be very stimulating. I have not done much deep reading prior to HLBC, and I hope that a guide on the side for Woolf will be just as good as for Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Shakespeare. 3. I am curious to see how Orlando compares to Mrs. Dalloway, and to other modernist novels.

Jonathon Glover

I actually got through a good chunk of Virginia Woolf during my year off on Parental Leave. Woolf is amazing and I have been blown away by her talent, observation skills, effortless prose and social commentary. I started with ‘Miss Dalloway’ before jumping into ‘Orlando’, ‘A Room of One’s Own’ and ‘To The Lighthouse’. And I thought all were astoundingly well written. Challenging and eloquent in that Modernist style. I’m really looking forward to completing a deeper read with this community. Orlando was different in tone, content and style than her other works. A little more whimsical and fun. I think this is going to be pretty special. And farewell to Russia for the short term

Misha

I read Mrs. Dalloway for the first time last year and enjoyed it. Well, I mostly enjoyed it! As someone who often has trouble "quieting" the mind (deplorable yogi), stream of consciousness can sometimes leave me feeling anxious. Too close for comfort. And I felt that way with Clarissa. Which, of course, made me feel close to Clarissa and more connected to the work. And wanting more Woolf. I also had the pleasure of seeing the Met's premiere of "The Hours" opera last December (based on Cunningham's book turned film, both based on Mrs. Dalloway but also brilliantly weaving in aspects of Woolf's life). It was *absolutely* breathtaking. The final 10 minutes - I've never experienced that kind of hush in a house before. And the tears. For an audience used to dramatic death and tragedy at every turn - they've never flowed quite like that. It certainly helped to have Renee Fleming as Clarissa. But it's a magnificent production they're bringing it back this upcoming season if you're in NYC and I believe it's available to stream at least partially on the Met's YouTube. I highly recommend for any Woolf/Mrs. Dalloway fans. So, yes, I'm very, very excited about Orlando. Such a change from TBK which I did ultimately enjoy. But oh I'm parched for the feminine voice. Ben's pristine planning of the HLBC schedule never goes unnoticed. And I've just ordered Lee's biography very excited for that too! FYI there were still a couple of used copies on BetterWorld last I checked for anyone on the hunt. Happy reading, everyone!

Evans Bowen
>>108564386

I'm so glad someone else has seen The Hours. I actually saw it at the HD cinema broadcast and took a friend a few days later to the encore. I hope to see it in NYC next year. That last scene..... I left the theater almost shaking from the beauty and brilliance of the opera.

Sharon Voeltz

I don’t have any relationship with Virginia Woolf’s writing. I went on a hunt for Orlando at one of my favorite used book stores. Didn’t find her there but they had a great display of Shakespeare’s books. I didn’t come out empty handed. I Found Middlemarch! On the hunt for Orlando, I’m sure it will be worth it.

Caroline P

Hello, I am really looking forward to this. I have saved this episode to watch when I finished The Brothers Karamazov. It was a treat to look forward too. I have not read Orlando before, only Mrs Dalloway fairly recently and To The Lighthouse a long long time ago. I always felt Virginia Woolf should be an author I would like because I love her writing but I think I expected something different from her actual books. I am very keen to pick her up again because my reading has changed since belonging to this bookclub and I think the time has come when I am going to get a lot more out of reading Woolf. I have had that Hermione Lee biography on my shelf for a time and am a bit excited to read that too. I enjoy audio books for non fiction and especially biography and was a bit disappointed to see Hermione Lees book hasn’t been recorded, but am happy to have the boom anyway. My mum just read A Room of Ones Own so I will be borrowing her copy.

Mirjam
>>108566619

Haha Dutch drivers, I know… they can be so aggresive. Too many cars in a small country. But we do have good roads compared to Belgium… Enjoy your beer!

John de Vignolles
>>108545197

She reads it a tad too slowly. I might try her on 1.1 but I'm not sure if that changes the pitch on Audible?

Ellen M

Virginia Woolf is one of those writers that I always felt like I ‘should have’ read in depth but never gotten around to doing so. I have a vague recollection of attempting Orlando in college (abandoned it) and trying others but didn’t seem to click with anything . I was probably too young/not ready? Happy to say I’m about 40 pages in and so far so good 👍 (Like others I’m also ready to move away from Russia and this is a total about face)

Mary L. Forster

I am a huge fan of Virginia Woolf although I have not read Orlando but know I am in for a big treat after listening to this fantastic lecture! I loved To The Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway and thought Michael Cunningham’s The Hours was brilliant as was the movie! I am gearing up to read The Waves since I have heard how much Woolf fans love it. I own the Hermione Lee biography and have it right beside me and have bookmarked the suggested chapters. I am very excited about reading Orlando! Thank you so much dear Ben! ❤️

Jan Mariolle

Virginia Woolf has been on my back burner for a very long time. I am pleased to be reading her work for the first time with the book group. I must admit to being very burnt out with the topic of gender, and claim a fierce resistance to diving any deeper into the subject. However, I believe in this wonderful group of people who will undoubtedly have unique insights I will enjoy. So with uncertainty I picked up the book and began reading the first chapter. Woolf’s writing stunned me with its beauty and precision. I did not anticipate her deep power of observation and poetic expression. It brought tears to my eyes. “When he put his hand on the window-sill to push the window open, it was instantly colored red, blue, and yellow like a butterfly’s wing.” Oh my, I see it all, I am there! How I appreciate such beauty after the deep immersion into TBK and it’s challenging psychological questions.

Klaus Waad

1) What is your current relationship with Virginia Woolf? Will this be your first reading or a rereading of this great work? a) I currently have no relationship with Virginia Woolf, although I'd like to have one. She's an author that's mentioned frequently, and I know I'm always saying, "I should read her sometime." Well, sometime is here; it's time to dive into her works. I plan on using the supplemental material to help flesh out my late May and June reading schedule that's basically all about Virginia Woolf (and my chapter a day of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien (closing at the end of June)). 2) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of Orlando? a) Frankly, I don't know because beyond the general topic of feminism, I'm in the dark when it comes to discussing her works or even distinguishing between them. After watching Ben's video, I understand that Orlando will be a discussion about the dynamic gender identity plays and the question of a person's inner essence. In my personal 'in real life' life, I don't know any transgender people, so my relationships come only from social media interactions. I'm hoping I can better understand their struggles and how I can aim to help both on a personal and societal level. 3) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Virginia Woolf? a) I'm not sure how to answer this question.

Wyatt K.

If Shakespeare were a women, there would be no Hamlet, McBeth, or any of this plays. The probability is a simple casework problem, where counting and probability is multiplied within each case, and each case is them add or multiplied; the slightest change in-between each case or stage of his life would alter his overall probability of achieving any one thing he had done as a man to be achieved if he was a women almost infinitely impossible. Some probabilities are infinite, and we must calculate there infinities by way of greater or lesser infinities. That is done using theoretical areas. Or, one may use expected values of a set number of probability for success. I think that his experiences and ideas were the forerunner for his plays, and he would simply not have the same experience or ideas if he were a women. The reason being, if nothing else, the fact that his timing of the day would be changed. He would have matured faster (for, girls mature faster the boys), he would have had other situations that he would never have had if he were not a man (as I'm sure we all know). Ideas come in split seconds, at random times; had he been 5 minutes late to his desk one day when some thought hit him, and a play, or scene of a play, was borne, then there would be no play at all. I'm sure that we all have had several projects throughout our lives, and worked towards them (regardless of our sex) with passion and thoughts and feeling. But, all thoughts and feelings and passions are different; and time plays the greatest roll in that. If I hadn't come across Benjamin a couple years ago by chance, I wouldn't be part of the club. Had I not been 2 minutes late because I had to fix my bicycle chain, I wouldn't have met someone who's now a dear friend. If I weren't a man, my sailing director wouldn't have played matchmaker with a crew, and I wouldn't have ended up losing the race due to her being our of practice (however pretty and witty she was). Which brings me to my second point: men and women are equal, but venture, naturally, to equate themselves through different mediums. I've learnt from men and women alike; but both have different lessons. I think that women have a far more natural ability than man to not only to mature faster, but stay forever above men in emotional and sociological complexity. Though, I find that men may be ever more bull headed and determinant, -- persisting longer in the face of hopeless scenarios (including emotional and sociological ones); most of which are hopeless, but they learn still from there mistakes or persist through them to the end and achieve the things of Caesar, Scipio Africanus, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Beethoven, Colin Chapman, etc. I think that women are cunning and form the backbone of any family or relations in order for family members to succeed, including themselves, naturally (where would we be, without a mother?); and I think that men are metaling resilient to all circumstances, naturally. I'm sure that are exceptions, but I think that by dissolving what is unique to ones sex, is not only degrading to both sexes as a whole, but to themselves. If men are the exact same as women, then women can't be any more cunning than man, or any more delicate or beautiful (which has been the topic of art and achievement from the battle of Troy, to the movie stars that have graced the silver screen). I think theres also an appreciation that we've lost for each others differences. Equality isn't conformity, but freedom to exercise ones own abilities. Every man is born equal; let them be equal but not the same. Every human fingerprint is different, so why should we assume that men are different from other men, and women from other women, and man from women? My best friend in the world is my sister, and if that isn't a testament to equality, then what is?

hardcoreliterature
>>108566868

I love taking trips like these to my favourite used bookstores, Sharon! Even if you don’t find the book you were looking for, you always come away with such delightful surprises. Middlemarch is a fantastic one to come out with! Virginia Woolf called George Eliot’s novel ‘one of the few English novels written for grownup people’ :)

Constance Stanton

Oddly, I don’t recall ever reading Virginia Woolf beyond a cursory few pages in response to the film, The Hours; but I have read about her life and have ordered the Lee biography. Ben did a great job of selling Orlando, and the passages he read aloud were tantalizing. So I’m looking forward to this. (I’m about ready to chuck TBK in the bin, but I’m determined to finish it; it will help to have some respite with something different now.) The topic of gender identity is timely. (Don’t get me started on pronouns…..) I’m curious to see how my views will be informed by Orlando and A Room of Her Own.

David Campbell

I’m still quite new to Virginia Woolf. I read Mrs Dalloway earlier in the year, and feel like I just scratched the surface on her very different style of writing. I’m looking forward to my first read of Orlando. I’m looking forward to bringing all of the growth from the deeper dive into Shakespeare will bring to this, as well as a real shift in perspective than The Brothers Karamazov. I’m also looking forward to the supplementary work, and really looking forward to adding in A Room of Ones Own to this as well.

Kyle Smith

First, let me say that I’m so glad we’re moving away from moralistic literature now.—In an essay called “Old Bloomsbury” from her collection “Moments of Being,” Virginia Woolf recounts the moment that her newly minted Bloomsbury Group stepped out of hoary Victorianism and into the modernism that they were instrumental in launching: “Suddenly the door opened and the long and sinister figure of Mr Lytton Strachey stood on the threshold. He pointed his finger at a stain on Vanessa’s [Vanessa Stephen, Virginia Woolf’s sister] white dress. ‘Semen?’ he said. Can one really say it? I thought and we burst out laughing. With that one word all barriers of reticence and reserve went down. A flood of the sacred fluid seemed to overwhelm us. Sex permeated our conversation. The word bugger* was never far from our lips. We discussed copulation with the same excitement and openness that we had discussed the nature of good.” *As a gay man myself, I’d like to opine that while “bugger” is a homophobic slur, at least the Bloomsbury Group were openly talking about homosexuality, especially Lytton Strachey, who was openly gay at a time when everybody knew what happened to Oscar Wilde. As for Virginia and Vita, “gross indecency” laws did not apply to women because Queen Victoria (a name spit on the ground when I hear it, just like I do with Jimmy Swaggart, Fred Phelps, Rick Santorum, and Ron DeSantis) had said, “Women wouldn’t do such things.”

Signe Kopps
>>108598312

This reminds me of being in a writing class and as soon as one person wrote a hot sex scene, the floodgates opened and the rest of us, until then reticent to write so boldly, felt free to write about sex.

David Fedesna

The 100 year old historic theater in my city shows classic movies every summer. The schedule was just released and there, at the end of July, is Orlando. Already have my tickets and looking forward to watching it for the first time on the big screen, not long after reading Woolf for the first time.

julia roth

This is my first Woolf and I am incredibly excited! I feel like I should have read her at some point already, but I’ve never gotten around to it. I’m glad I’ll be able to start soon. This work in particular is going to be very interesting to me personally. I am in a word, a butch lesbian, and have been since I was a child (as in, I was always traditionally masculine, to the point I actually got my ears pierced at 8 years old because I wanted people to “know” I was a girl haha). My relationship with gender, sex, and sexuality is a long and complicated one, as I’ve been through a crisis and a half over it all. My experience as an extremely masculine woman will influence my reading of this work, but I’m excited to see how my interpretations will be different from those more “typical” in gender expression (sorry, I don’t know a better way to word that). Going into this work, I’m excited to bring my own experiences, as well as my reading from a book called The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall written in the 1920s, which follows a woman named Stephen who is a masculine lesbian from childhood through her adulthood and explores similar themes of sex and gender. There were some lines in that book which I related to immensely, and emotions Stephen had that I had felt before as well. Highly recommend and I can’t wait to read a kind of similar book.

Dani

I like Virginia Woolfe--I've read Mrs. Dalloway, A Room of One's Own and To The Lighthouse, all of which I'd like to re-read. I'll be honest--I've tried to read Orlando twice and didn't get very far. I'm not sure if I'll try again with the group but perhaps the insight from upcoming lectures and comments will inspire me. Thank you for great opening lecture Ben, and for the tip on the Hermione Lee biography of VW.

Mathew Morrison

Thanks for the great opening lecture, Ben! Fantastic as always. To answer the first question, I've had a rocky relationship with Virginia Woolf. I read "To the Lighthouse" in college and thought it to be a pile of nonsense. I read it again a few years ago and found the language to be so beautiful that it made up for what I still felt was a lack of engaging narrative. And this past December I read "A Room of One's Own" and found it nothing short of life-changing. It sounds a bit silly to say, but I found it so enriching and wonderfully written. I'll read it again as we go along with Orlando, and overall I'm quite thrilled to be reading it. As for themes I'm looking forward to and themes to pull from my wider reading, like many people I'm looking forward to the idea of gender, gender identity, and sexuality. You are definitely right in that our conception of gender has changed throughout history. One of my favorite examples is that pink used to be seen as a very masculine color, and blue to be feminine. And even as recently as the mid-20th century, a woman wearing pants was seen as almost a degenerate thing. So I've always been fascinated with the idea and themes of gender in literature (such as men crying and kissing each other in The Brothers Karamazov, an act that would be seen in my hometown as [insert homophobic slur] and not as a platonic or familial act). Many others have touched on gender identity and the differences between the genders/sexes, and my view has mostly been that the things that matter the most in life--what makes a person good, trustworthy, reliable, honest, etcetera--are traits shared by us all. We've got differences, sure, but in a world where there's so much misery, why add to it by being so restrictive if someone isn't hurting another? I've got several transgender friends, who transitioned well before it was a hot button issue, and it breaks my heart to see some of the things that are said about them as a whole. I'm hoping that Orlando helps me contextualize a lot of these issues and helps others understand that these questions of identity have always been there. So much of our world is socially constructed, and these constructs change. I think we're so lucky to be able to trace those changes throughout history via literature, and what a gift it is to be able to read them through the lens of one of the most gifted writers of her era. I'm sorry, this is a very charged topic and I rambled on incessantly. I'm very much looking forward to this, and thank you for putting the book on my radar!

Jamie Newman
>>108603633

I don't think you rambled on at all and you put into words what I was wanting to say. I want to contextualize things as well and I couldn't agree more about our social constructions. I think I'm a bit sad that we let our constructions get in the way of treating one another with love and respect. Very much looking forward to being on this journey with folks here.

mariah schneider

This will be my first read of anything by Virginia Wolf. I'm sure it will be an interesting shift after "The Brother's Karamazov." I would also like to read "A Room of One's Own" at some point. I finally got to reading some of Tolstoy's Essays and it will be interesting to read an essay by another author that we are tackling. I hope to get an appreciation for gender studies out of this book. It's not a topic that I dwell on that much and as Matthew pointed out above, there were moments of male friendship and other relationships in the Brother's Karamazov that would be looked upon oddly in my culture today. It will be an interesting contrast.

Martin

Ben, I am so glad you are going to continue on the line pursuing Virginia's reading. I was actually going to submit a question at the next question time and ask you to elaborate on her habit of getting to know and relate to the author of the work she is reading. I am looking forward to much more on this aspect of "How to Read the Great Books".

Tatiana

So far the introduction to this book has brought out gender confessionals. Virginia Wolf was systematically molested as a child by a relative, which, if you don't know about this, does lifelong damage and leads at minimum to promiscuity (to try to wipe out the stain), a series of chaotic relationships, and more often addiction and suicide. I have seen it up close and know whereof I speak. Her suicide was not unexpected, age 60, second Saturn return. However, fun and light and poetic her work may seem, the undertone is there. To take her work seriously you have to take her life seriously.

Laura Smith

I haven’t read any Woolf yet so I’m looking forward to this. Also looking forward to holding a smaller book!

Laura Smith

Also, off topic but THANK YOU for updating the Contents Page! I use that page almost daily and it’s the easiest way to find all your amazing content!

Tatiana
>>108633958

Exactly, Lara, I was getting shoulder muscle cramps, literally. Bought a book stand.

Caroline P

Oh my goodness, I just started Orlando and Hermione Lees biography.. I feel I am in the hands of two masters in the art of writing. This is going to be fun!

Darlene Fallows

This will be my first reading of Virginia Woolf. I’ve read the first 20 pages and I’m loving it. I love the passage of Orlando under the Oak tree. Truthfully, I’m almost terrified this reading will break my heart. I feel so much empathy for people that are feeling so much hate and judgement because of who they love. I hope I can find some wisdom to gently say to a few friends who are so judgmental of others.

Ellen M
>>108633395

Hi Tanya, thanks for sharing, I didn’t know this about Virginia. I don’t find her fun or light at all (or at least I didn’t when I first attempted her books back in college). Can you elaborate on ‘second Saturn return’?

Khalil Lezzaik

This will be my first reading of Virginia Wolf as well! As a new member of your book club, I have to say that your work Benjamin allows me (in Boris Paternak's words) to enjoy and study great literature by exploring the extraordinary in ordinary people and saying with ordinary words extraordinary things. In sincerest terms, Thank You

Ellen M
>>108560535

Totally off topic but I couldn’t get past ‘during my YEAR OFF on parental leave’ (yes American mom here who is still bitter about the less than 3 months maternity leave I got to spend with my babies before getting back to work 😡)

Patti R

This will be my first reading of Virginia Woolf, although I did see the Tilda Swinton movie version of "Orlando" when it came out back in 1993. I loved the movie, so I'm glad to finally read the book 30 years later! I did my masters thesis on gender politics in music, with particular focus on pants roles in opera and the use of castrati in opera, so this novel and the change in gender of the main character really speaks to my heart.

Amanthi Chandraratna

This will be my first reading of Virginia Woolf. I myself am a bit surprised about this since I was a Comparative Literature and Women's Studies double major in college. I am looking forward to reading Orlando since it will be a historical perspective on transgenderism and a seminal work for feminism. I am afraid, I have not gotten on well with contemporary works in this space and I feel/hope Woolf will give me a great perspective from which to approach the writers that came after her. Time permitting, I will dip into her biography as well, didn't get that opportunity with Tolstoy, but I am fascinated with the tropes and view points of the 19th and early 20th century so I think the biography will make for a great bedtime easy read in conjunction with reading Orlando. I have been an incredible slow poke with Dostoyevsky, I have a hard time keeping up with the multiple changing of character names, sometimes on the same page, it has made it really difficult for me to move along at a decent clip. I did see that so many folks are loving it, and I am striving to be a member of your camp.

Rashmi
>>108558522

Glad to have you here, Gunhild! I had not done much deep reading before joining either. The lectures and discussion are amazingly good as you are already finding out!

Rashmi
>>108558243

Oh gosh, so upsetting! I guess moral of the story- do not lend precious books to anyone.

Rashmi
>>108566963

Hi Caroline, it's so neat that you and your mom read the same books. I would love for anyone in my current immediate family to read along with me but I'm glad to have this community at least!

Ann Lowe

This is my first Virginia Woolf. I have already started it & it feels different from anything else I’ve read. I’m really enjoying it. I like the theme of gender changing. I don’t think the soul has a gender. It is another garment we put on for this life. It definitely impacts us depending on when or where we are born. This is so fascinating for VW to display it in this way. The description of the ice coming at the end of Chapter One is almost psychedelic- between LSD (well I’ve never indulged) and Wizard of Oz before she lands on Oz. It’s great. So happy to have Ben to understand it better.

Erika Kozlowski

I can't wait! I've loved our Russian sojourn, but looking forward to a totally different work!

hardcoreliterature
>>108542040

I had the same reaction to Woolf in college, Paula! I think you’ll have a strong appreciation for her work coming to Orlando now! I can’t wait to hear what you make of it :) And I’m so thrilled you got so much out of TBK!

Linda

The last time Orlando appeared on my radar was during my English degree and I have today found my copy of the book. It is crease free and not an underlining to be found. That should tell you something about my feelings for Virginia Woolf back then. I clearly didn’t even bother to read it! So it will be interesting to see how I feel about it after a gap of 15 years.

Jessica

Advice needed: I've never read Virginia Woolf before, is this the best place to start? Any recommendations on other works I should read by her?

Jennifer S

Thank you for this get-ready lecture, Benjamin. Good guides, much appreciated. I'm looking forward to reading the Hermione Lee bio along with Orlando. The novel Orlando has many beautiful prose pieces that are lists, landscapes, long views that add a symphonic element to the novel. Plus the book contains a bit of wit and drollery; that makes a refreshing change from heavy-on-the-bass Russian fiction.

Karen Beard

I have been very curious about Virginia Woolf, but have never read her. I, too, am looking forward to this read.

Aaron Kyereh-Mireku

My copy of Orlando arrived today! I look forward to reading it. I have so far only read Mrs Dalloway, and whilst I appreciated the beauty of Woolf's prose, I found the characters dull and self-absorbed living their pedestrian middle-class lives and obsessing over their pitiful existences. Orlando promises to be more exciting! Woolf is an author I really want to explore and I look forward to reading the book with the book club.

Aaron Kyereh-Mireku
>>108726024

I read Mrs Dalloway, which, whilst short and sweet and containing mesmerising prose, is very centered on the lives of very English and very middle-class people. If you can put up with their navel-gazing and pettiness, you will get a lot out of it!

Aaron Marion
>>108600533

Thank you for your honesty and openness. I am a pastor so this is a touchy subject for me on both a personal, but more so professional, level. My goal in this group during this book is to learn. The communities I run in are usually very hostile to gender related issues and so there is no real discussion that happens. So I can’t wait to here and learn from the experiences and thoughts of people like yourself in this group over the next month or so!

Aaron Marion

I have about a hundred pages left of The Brothers Karamazov that I’ll finish up in the next few days. My copy of Orlando arrived today. What do I hope to get out of this? As a pastor, and English high school teacher at a private Christian school, I hope to gain perspective. Gender issues are a nonstarter conversational piece around these parts. It’s even become impossible to discuss online without being yelled at and called names simply for asking questions and trying to learn rather than automatically accepting. So I hope that we can all have peaceful, well crafted and thought out discussion on the topic. My goal is to mostly read and listen to all of you as we discuss this book together. Hopefully, by the end , I’ll have learned a thing or two!

LongArm

Ben, I have to admit that the gender debate that is being played out in the media makes me uncomfortable. I initially thought I would skip this book because I didn’t want to deal with it. After hearing you lecture,

LongArm

I decided to give it a try.

Ben Bryan
>>108761545

Hey Aaron, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you bringing an open mind to the conversations and reading. Something we should all strive for.

Tatiana
>>108787360

There are many other aspects to it, you can look at a complex work through multiple lenses. I do not think the gender issue is even the main theme.

Leah

I can't wait to read Virginia Woolf for the first time. I can't imagine how different the experience would be without your lectures - you bring so much passion and excitement to the reading.

Phil

Some favorite lines so far: “Life is a dream. ‘Tis waking that kills us.” “He who robs us of our dreams robs us of life” “The less we see the more we believe.”

Hélène B

I fear reading it after the roller coaster of TBK. I remember trying reading it in my youth and abondoning it quickly. I feel I'll finish it this time but, even though I must agree it is beautifully written, I am not really moved (I just began to read however). We'll see how it stands in the end. I count on you, Ben, to show us the beauties of this book !

hardcoreliterature
>>108645513

I’m so happy to hear that, Caroline!! You’re so right! Two great masters right there :) It’s going to be a fun ride!

Cai Vail
>>108803360

Is there evidence that Woolf was transgender? I’m only familiar with the main points of her biography.

Florian Pesantes

My very first reading of anything Ms Woolf had written and what a pleasure! Delightful language, so rhythmic, one can read it aloud like blank verse. I had additionally purchased an audiobook read by Brandy Rose, dreadfully slurred reading, I deleted it angrily after enduring ten minutes and listened rather to my own voice albeit the thick German accent. Such a splendid sense of humour, thank you for this recommendation, Ben. I though got stuck in a rabbit hole dug by Sir Thomas Browne, “Letter to a friend” and inspired by his mentioning of Tris(h)agium ended here: https://youtu.be/_MBDWyW5l1k And now: “Something completely different” (Monty Python): I have acquired a new musical addiction to this young and utterly talented pianist Alexander Malofeev who is currently located in Bournemouth, U.K. you surely won’t regret to listen to this: https://youtu.be/PQyErbTpSN0 Knole House is certainly on my bucket list now.

Terri Matter
>>108835634

The audiobook available for free on audible read by Claire Higgins is beautifully voiced.

Hilary King

Revisiting Virginia Woolf arrives at such an interesting time for me. I read A Room of One’s Own years ago and she opened my eyes to so many possibilities. Why I haven’t read any of her novels besides To the Lighthouse, I don’t know. Her writing is so beautiful and communicates so much. I’m glad we’re reading Orlando slowly and deeply — I want to savor it.

Jaye Cee

I am very much looking forward to this, and am going to start alongside TBK so as to stay with the group discussion. I have generally had o my one big read on the go at a time, so this will be new. I've read Mrs Dalloway, but it was years ago, and have almost no memory of it, so it feels like I'm new to Woolf. My mother used to talk a lot about To the Lighthouse and stream of consciousness when I was younger, but since I never read it, I feel I've created a construct of what her writing is like. I'm looking forward to reading a book that was written in English, so I know I'm experiencing what the author themselves intended, or as near as, and I'm interested in exploring more of the early 20th century cannon, which is so rich and exciting.

Pierre Bolkonsky

I haven't read anything by Virginia Woolf and I admit that the story of this book doesn't appeal that much to me. But it's a short book and I welcome the opportunity to get back on the book club schedule after I failed to do that with The Brothers Karamzov (which I'm still reading). Also I'm curious about modernism and this whole era of literature which I know little about. Ben's lectures are always interesting no matter the book so I'm looking forward to this!

Elizabeth Madden

I am most definitely not a Woolf 'fan' but I am always open to others' opinions and. like Pierre, I find Ben's lectures interesting and informative, so I am happy to re-read this novel/biography /polemic against gender bias again.

Susan

I am uncertain about reading this book. Current events and popular concerns have exhausted my capacity for gender issues. However, I read the first two chapters yesterday, and I found the story to be interesting and the writing to be beautiful. I currently want to read more. Orlando's issues seem to be common to humanity and not so much only the purview of one particular group or another. I wonder if this will turn out to be one of those stories that is about what the reader makes of it. I'm smiling over that last sentence as all stories are subject to the reader's interpretation.

Laura Smith
>>108896604

I loved your last two sentences - I often find myself having a similar thought process!

River

Dearest Ben! I have just listened to your lecture and I had to write to you immediately. What a joy, what enthusiasm, what inspiration you have given me at this exact moment in time. That 48 minutes or so passed by in a flash, and that included me pausing to take notes!! I am a bit behind in my reading, having struggled to finish TBK, as well as constantly being at war with just how to split my time between the two great loves of my life - Literature and Naturalizing; that is learning about the wildflowers, trees, insects and mushrooms and just being out there. In short, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This, as well as many other times spent at your site, are most definitely, the lasting moments of what makes me, me.

John Ward

Great opening lecture Ben. You've persuaded me to go deeper into this than I expected. I've ordered the Hermione Lee biography, started reading A Room of One's Own, and Orlando, and fished out my copies of Mrs Dalloway and The Hours for a potential reread alongside listening to the Opera of The Hours which is available on YouTube, though without a libretto, so I will make do with a synopsis of each act from Bing as ChatGBT doesn't know about events from the last few years! So I've put lots of things on hold for this one; I couldn't resist prose of this quality, which is one thing that the great Russian writers cannot offer me.

Jennifer S
>>108939110

I love the Latin names of trees, insects, wildflowers, animals. I cannot remember them well, but they do linger beautifully for a while. Nature is very refreshing and healing. I have lost the ability to hike in the wilderness (poor balance in late age); but I retain the ability to multiply plants. Now in May my garden is wonderfully untidy and abundant with flowers and all shades of green. I sit there with a book and sometimes gaze, inhale, open my heart. So glad you mentioned Naturalizing. Best regards!

Elizabeth Madden

I have been reading the novel in a rather rapid way as a first reading, and although I have to admit that Woolf writes some very effective descriptions, she does tend to belabor and overdo it, IMO. It is a pity she never learned how useful the 'less is more' adage is to any writer. There are some flashes of humor, which I found quite unexpected, having read most of her other novels and prose and not having regarded her as a very witty woman, but the social snobbery that I find so off-putting in her work is shining through this one, too, alas. It's a rather bourgeois trait of hers, I think: the genuine aristocracy isn't nearly so class-conscious and doesn't idolize rank and wealth in the same way she does.

Pierre Bolkonsky
>>108675533

I just finished chapter one as well, and I feel like I just woke up from a pleasant dream. It's a rather unusual and rather enjoyable read. I couldn't help but laugh at the last paragraph and the last sentence of the chapter :)

Wian

Hello everyone, it's great to be here! This is my first post and first time reading anything by Virginia Woolf. I'm most excited to experience Woolf's mastery of the English language; how she poetically and beautifully writes verses for us to ponder, reflect on and discuss.

MaryEllen McLaughlin

This will be my first read of Orlando. I have only read (and liked) A Room of One's Own by Woolf so far.

Elizabeth D

I too am a first time reader of Woolf. From the description I am pretty sure this is a book I would never pick on my own but joining this club is about becoming more adventurous with my reading…so here goes nothing.

Angie

This will be my first time in reading anything by Virginia Woolf. I am looking forward to it, to have a greater understanding of who she was from my own perspective. I read the Biography chapter in Lee's autobiography after watching your intro. I am looking forward to reading this "love letter" and enjoying the languaging and prose. I'm still working on TBK, but I got a fairly late start on it. Hopefully I won't fall behind on Orlando, ha!

John Ward

Did anyone say how funny this book is? It takes a lot to make me laugh, but I found the visit of the poet Nick Greene hilarious. Can't remember laughing so much since I read London Fields by the now late Martin Amis.

Justin Ordoñez

Excited to get started on this one and hoping my eBay seller can get it to me quickly. Had some unfortunate events in my life slow me down these last months but this sounds like exactly the read that could kick me back into high gear. I'm somewhat familiar with Woolf but she's ended up being one of those figures where I've read more writing discussing Woolf than I have any actual Woolf. Of course, I've read many excerpts from her writing. She's often quoted or referenced, and for good reason. I daresay she'd be a top Tweeter in today's world--constantly pushing the limits of 128 characters without breaking a sweat, altho I doubt she'd have much affection for Musk or his antics. I hope to gain a wider understanding of Woolf but especially to take-in her ideas and usage of "time" in Orlando. "Time," for me, is often a broken concept. The seconds drown on, measured precisely by automatic clocks and beamed to our iPhones, to ensure everyone alive is measuring themselves to the same system, but I find my mood often drives how much time I have. I go through phases where I read hours per day, write hours per day, work my job, exercise, and tend to responsibilities like car or home repair--no issues. And other stretches where I do practically nothing and yet it feels like every day I am surprised to find the sun setting on me so soon once again, followed by the crisis of knowing days are numbered, and my melancholy so deeply ingrained in my routine it's like a pair of jeans that fit perfectly but does that mean they are good jeans? Does fit indicate their worthiness, their contribution? Or is comfort an misnomer? Does it simply mean an escape valve from pain we are unwilling or unable to survive feeling? The trans-aspect is interesting to me, as well, given the cultural obsession my country is currently submerged. Everything about it is so steeped in appropriated-academic language or politicized concepts tying non-related ideas together to drive systemic change while few of us understand (myself included) the lasting consequences. I wonder what it will feel like to encounter a person questioning gender but in another time and place so foreign to me I will have to significantly stretch my imagination to place myself in its setting. Given how much society and life has changed since the introduction of the smart phone, I find I'm losing any connection to life before it, and so a book that is almost a hundred years old will likely feel an additional hundred years older than it would've only twenty ago as the "old world" becomes almost like memories you're uncertain really happened--how could they have happened? How did people do ANY of this without a cell phone? (I wish authors had taken more care to describe boredom in their writings. I know it seemed utterly unimportant to them but what would they say about it that could wow us now--as under-stimulated and yet also overburdened as we are?) Orlando may be capable of loosening some of my anxieties about these subject and help to open myself up to a newer or refreshed understanding.

John Ward

Just received my copy of the Hermione Lee biography and if the first chapter is anything to go by I think I will enjoy this as much as the Richard Ellmann biography of James Joyce. You get so many marvellous insights into the author's works from a great biography. Thanks for another brilliant suggestion Ben.

Michelle

Hello! I'm happy to be joining in with HLBC live for the first time with Orlando. For the last few months since I've joined, I've been slowly reading Anna Karenina and listening to Ben's wonderful accompanying lectures. As for Virginia Woolf, my only experience with her prior to this was playing Honey in Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" several years ago. I've always been curious about VW, but hadn't had the opportunity to study her closely until now. I'm currently reading the suggested chapters in Lee's biography of Woolf, and finishing A Room of One's Own (loving it!) and will be starting Orlando likely after work tomorrow. Excited to be on this journey with you all. Cheers!

Kristen Egener Chaddah
>>109103306

Welcome! What a connection you make with your own experience of playing Honey in Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf? That’s very cool! I studied that play years ago in a Contemporary Drama course and we watched the movie version with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor that wrung me out emotionally. I’ll never forget how powerfully it affected me. I didn’t understand the reference to Virginia Woolf in the title of the play or maybe I’ve forgotten. Perhaps you might explain?

Angela

Well I am actually reading this when I’m supposed to , I got bogged down and still haven’t finished Karamazov and am also behind on plays and the last 3 Shakespeare’s , I am struggling to keep up !

Ms P
>>109133962

Don't worry Angela, you're not alone! I'm in the same situation :)

Helen Lyons

I am looking forward to starting this work I have read many biographies and works of Virginia Woolf and her circle - including her sister Vanessa Bell. I find this time period fascinating. Virginia and her sister definately rallied against their very repressive upbringing. The loss of their Mother had an enormous impact on their lives, especially Virginia who suffered many breakdowns.

Anna Rowe

My first experience with Woolf was a failed attempt of To the Lighthouse (3 failed attempts). I though that maybe she just wasn't a writer for me. But sometime later I came across A Room of One's Own and I fell hard for Virginia Woolf. I have since read a collection of her essays which I really enjoyed. They were a good reading exercise for me, because you really need to be focused to enjoy her essays. My mind would wander and I would pull it back to the text over and over until I settled into a level of concentration that I really enjoyed. I loved this intro lecture to Orlando and I'm quite excited to read it. I'm a bit late to the party but my book comes tomorrow so I will catch up.

Anna Rowe

Ben I really appreciate your suggestions for supplementary reading and take advantage of them as often as possible.

hardcoreliterature
>>110108875

I remember my first attempts with Woolf were with To the Lighthouse and The Waves, and I found myself failing to get through them too. A Room of One's Own was hugely instrumental for me falling in love with her work too, Anna Maria :) I can't wait to hear what you make of Orlando!

Laura DiFrancesco

I really really enjoyed the foray into A Room of One’s Own!! Great suggestion and primer. 1) What is your current relationship with Virginia Woolf? Will this be your first reading or a rereading of this great work? This is my first encounter with Virginia Woolf. So, it will be a first reading. I just read AROOO per your recommendation. I had no idea that she had taken her own life until diving into her biography. It makes me so incredibly sad and disappointed. 2) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of Orlando? I look forward to learning more about what Woolf finds to be good writing after reading her commentary in AROOO. In addition, I loved the reading rabbit holes included in AROOO & hope for more. 3) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Virginia Woolf? While I agree we inevitably bring our own ideas to reading, I go into reading with an open mind and try not to plan to bring anything into a reading. I try to sit back and observe and listen like I would if I were sitting with them in person listening to their story. I try not to bring an agenda. So, nothing.

Donna Reynolds

This is a pointless post but here goes anyway... I'm way behind in the reading, trying to catch up. And last night I picked up Orlando. And sighed. Short version: I'm burned out on gender-bending stuff, on pronoun dramas and mediocre male athletes suddenly discovering their inner female and competing, or trying to compete, against biological women. I can't face this right now.

Jeff

Beginning my back catalog coverage with this, i had collected a bunch of Feminism and Gender studies books more than a year ago, and had gotten Nigel Nicolson's Portrait of a Marriage, i haven't completed the video yet, so if you mentioned this resource, ... but is this a good reference? Also in a similar topic there's a memoir of one Lili Elbe who was the first man to turn into a woman (it wasn't such a safe operation at that time), very depressing, and i should snap up the Vita Sackville West Delphi collection, most bang for my buck that way, however no footnotes :( My favorite feminist btw is Andrea Dworkin, she can do a blistering attack on what's going wrong like no one i know, also i loved Mary Daly, two extreme 2nd wavers, this material for me made a better argument against organized religion than anyone including Nietzsche for me. Powerful stuff!

Len Schaller

I read Orlando as a teenager and now I return to it ten years later. Very excited! I'm curious to see how my view of this book has changed, because I have since realised I'm trans. This will certainly bring an additional, very personal, layer to it.