"One world, one life" : the politics of personal connection in Virginia Woolf's The waves
Name
71248827-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
3.88 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7e4a326ed797b72e0125eedbf114f95a
Author(s)
Rodal, Jocelyn (Jocelyn Aurora Frampton)
Advisor(s)
Diana Henderson, Ruth Perry and Shankar Raman.
Alternative Title
Politics of personal connection in Virginia Woolf's The waves
Date Issued
2006
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Introduction: "I hear a sound," said Rhoda, "cheep, chirp; cheep, chirp; going up and down" (9). Thus Virginia Woolf introduces Rhoda in her opening to The Waves. But almost immediately, this sound is transformed: " 'The birds sang in chorus first,' said Rhoda. 'Now the scullery door is unbarred. Off they fly. Off they fly like a fling of seed. But one sings by the bedroom window alone' " (10-11). While the birds were originally a unified, collective sound, "going up and down" as one, now they fly away as many, spreading like seeds that will eventually grow individually to create separate new lives. Rhoda implies that they sang as one only because they had no other choice - the door was barred, and they were jailed together. However, the single bird remaining by the window deep in song is a noteworthy figure. Like Rhoda, and human consciousness itself, it might be lonely or free, proudly individual or vulnerable in its solitude.
Description
Thesis (S.B. in Literature)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, 2006.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-70).
Subjects
Humanities.
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Literature Section.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Literature Section
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Humanities
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
