The Waves

Consider how Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style of narration affected your sense of connection to the characters, using examples from the language and form to discuss.

Analyse the structure of the narratives to illuminate how Woolf explores ideas of identity, individuality, and connection.

The Waves has often been described as “a poem” or “poetic prose.” Analyze the language to explore why this is. Why do you think Woolf heightens and abstracts the language of her novel, especially in some passages?

The pursuit of happiness, beauty, and meaning is a major concern in this novel. Of the six central narrators, who do you think has the happiest life? Explain your reasoning.

Woolf called her novel a “biography.” What do you think she meant by this and how does this description illuminate Woolf’s experimentation in The Waves with the nature and boundaries of reality and unreality in literature?

In what ways is Percival a “real” character in this novel? How does Woolf’s design of his character raise questions about truth, identity, and perception?

How does Woolf explore ideas of gender identity and role in The Waves? Consider how this expresses the modernist principles of self-determinism and personal freedom.

Three of the main characters in this novel want to be writers. How does Woolf use Neville, Louis, and Bernard to explore the writer’s identity and the pursuit of authentic voice?