Chapter Introduction of To the Lighthouse - Study Guide by Virginia Woolf

Introduction

To the Lighthouse (1924) is one of the most complex and accomplished novels to come out of the Modernist movement. Only Ulysses is more profound in its disregard for the rules of the novel, and its enjoyment for breaking the seemingly unbreakable rules of literature set in place during the Victorian era. Virginia Woolf was experimenting with a new way of writing the novel: she considered whether 'elegy' might be a more apt word to describe To the Lighthouse. What is certain is that the traditional modes of reference for describing the novel - in terms of storyline and plot analysis - are rendered impossible by the fluidity of Woolf's stream-of-consciousness style.