| > Do post a note if you do follow up with some reading by Woolf
Almost two years later, and I finally checked Orlando out of the
library. The first half is intriguing, though the narration is almost
all internal. There is almost no dialogue. Still, the style is keeping
me engaged. It is akin to the style of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, in which
extraordinary circumstances verging on the magical are presented alongside
the commonplace with little comment. (The Great Frost and Orlando's
longevity are two of these).
Woolf's entire way of dealing with time is very unfocused, too. For
instance, one is unsure for several pages whether she was describing a
single night of the poet's visit to Orlando, or (as it was eventually
revealed) several weeks.
I've only read a few other stories by Woolf, and they are similarly
unfocused and devoid of dialogue. Is this the style of all her works?
Kaye Jameson wrote a book on the role of mental illnesses and
creativity; she theorizes that Woolf was either depressive, or (more
likely) manic-depressive. She believes such states can actually be
conducive to increased creativity, though it is an awful price to pay.
I'll write more when I've finished the book.
Cheers,
Jim B.
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