Bonamy

Bonamy has been introduced before the 5th chapter. Indeed, he was briefly mentioned in the third: "...or Richard Bonamy, reading Keats no longer, began making long pink spills from an old newspaper, bending forward, and looking eager and contented no more, but almost fierce. Why? Only perhaps that Keats died young--one wants to write poetry too and to love..." (30-31) Bonamy reappears in the book to hear Jacob's essay read aloud. Jacob's thinks that Bonamy is amazing, and that he knows "practically everything" (54). Finally, the narrator says, "Moreover, part of this is not Jacob but Richard Bonamy--the room; the market carts; the hour; the very moment of history." (55)

Now that I've basically written out every part of the book Bonamy has been involved in (sorry!), let me get to my concerns. In chapter three, I'm pretty sure Bonamy is writing love poems (hence the long pink spills). Jacob's essay is not about love, but is a brutal criticism (of something I did not catch). It is truth which will never be published. Which is more foolish? Is Bonamy's reappearance in the novel a message that he is someone to keep track of? My final question is about the last sentence I quoted. "...part of this is not Jacob but Richard Bonamy." What is "this"? Why have two people who are seemingly different (though both unknown to the reader to an extent) been grouped together to be parts of a whole? A whole what??? 1200239248

I think that Woolf has grouped these two people together based upon how they feel about each other. Although in Jacob's thoughts on pages 54-55 Woolf writes that Jacob thinks that Bonamy is perfect I think there is either sarcasm or jealously involved in this statement. Because Bonamy is so smart and knows so much, perhaps Jacob is jealous; however, Jacob says that although Bonamy knows a lot about French literature, Jacob knows far more about English literature. I know that anything that Woolf writes must have a double meaning, it cannot be as simple as Jacob really liking Bonamy, so Jacob must think he is above Bonamy. I also think that Bonamy has some sort of deep down dislike for Jacob because he knows so much more about English literature.1200936665