The+Questions

As we have established many times in the last few days, Woolf's writing in this book is a bit hard to follow (I believe the terminology for it as described by Brother Tom was that there is watery movement in the prose). As I was reading the second chapter, I noticed something Woolf did with the writing a few times that was problematic for me: she asked questions that the reader couldn't answer. For example: "--she had never dreamt of such a thing. Ought she to have guessed?" (12) "[Mrs. Jarvis] was going to walk on the moor. Had she again been pacing her lawn late at night? Had she again tapped on the study window and cried: 'Look at the moon, look at the moon, Herbert!'" (17) "There was something rigid about [Captain Barfoot]. Did he think? Probably the same thougts again and again. But were they 'nice' thoughts, interesting thoughts? He was a man with a temper; tenacious, faithful." (18) The narrator seems to know the answers to all the questions, so why would (s)he ask them? To bring up topics to be discussed? Could Woolf have revealed certain information by asking questions instead of stating facts to draw attention to the information provided in the questions? These were the two possibilities I came up with. Thoughts? 1199918914

I hadn’t noticed Woolf’s tendency to ask questions, however once you brought it up I see how it fits with her writing style. There definitely is, “watery movement in the prose.” Questions provide the reader with a sense of fluid thoughts. We are reading this book and can imagine the characters, or Woolf, thinking the exact words that we are reading. Another thing she tends to do in her writing style is mentioning something random right after a deep thought or event. I think this serves the same purpose as the questions. What we read, directly relates to her thoughts at the moment. I’m not sure the questions are used to bring up topics or emphasize information, because many of them seem to be almost unimportant. I think overall the questions serve the basic purpose to make the words sound more like an actual thought process. 1200014866

I too had not noticed her tendency to ask questions. But KLe, I don't think that the narrator knows the answers to the questions she is asking. I have my own theory as to why she asks them. I think that the narrator is sort of like the reader. She is observing the events unfolding before her. Just like how we, the reader, ask questions, uncertain about the implications of a word or passage, she does the same, wondering why what's happening is happening. Why do I think this? Because this is something that I think Woolf would do. She wants us to wonder about the novel and ask questions. The narrator's inquiries therefore catalyze the formation of our own.1200017175

I think the questions are very much a part of Woolf's writing style--her goal is to write in a unique way and require the reader to piece together the plot on his own. This book gives the reader much opportunity to exercise his ability to bring pieces of the plot together to make sense. Woolf takes this idea one step further by requiring the reader to formulate answers to questions that he does not know the answers to. This way, Woolf forces the reader to become even more evolved. Woolf forces the reader to think about the future of the plot by asking these questions. Perhaps through these questions, Woolf is trying to give the reader hints to what is going to happen and to help him better understand the novel. This is a part of Woolf's writing that is her own style. She has found a way to convey a novel differently; however, it can be more confusing to the author. Woolf takes care of this problem by giving the reader hints through the questions that she asks.1200154839

I agree with mha. I like the idea that all of these questions force us, the readers, to put the plot together like a puzzle. Woolf doesn't give the story away. She is going to work to make us figure it out. I think that these unanswered questions are part of what make reading this novel so difficult. Kec said that the questions seem unimportant. I agree; the questions that are asked seem to be about tiny details that, at least at this point in time, don't move the plot along or uncover any important information. I think that this is one of Woolf's ways of showing the importance of the unimportant. Through these questions she draws attentions to small details that would otherwise go unnoticed. Will these details be important later or are they just meaningless information?1200449010

//This page was last revised by bga on January 15, 2008.//