Author: jb

The Novels of Virginia Woolf #6: Orlando

Orlando feels like a detour when taken in the context of Woolf’s other novels.  Obviously the parody biography style, and the fact that Woolf began the book as a joke colored my  reading of it.  It’s also hard to ignore the transsexual nature of its protagonist.  But the biggest thing I noticed in Orlando, something relatively … Continue reading The Novels of Virginia Woolf #6: Orlando →

The Novels of Virginia Woolf #4: Mrs. Dalloway

Along with my recent experiences of Woolf’s three earlier novels (it was striking how much more introspective it felt than Jacob’s Room, and obviously the time-compression of the main line of the narrative was different), three ideas other informed my reading.  Idea #1: this quotation from the introduction to Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, his late, … Continue reading The Novels of Virginia Woolf #4: Mrs. Dalloway →

The Novels of Virginia Woolf #3: Jacob’s Room

There is a lot more going on in Jacob’s Room, especially compared with both The Voyage Out and also Night and Day.  To begin with, let’s consider its genre.  In some ways, Jacob’s Room is a Bildungsroman, one that shows us the coming-of-age of an artistic, reserved young man.  Analogies suggest themselves - to both … Continue reading The Novels of Virginia Woolf #3: Jacob’s Room →

The Novels of Virginia Woolf #2: Night and Day

Night and Day is not generally counted as one of Woolf’s “experimental” novels, but it experiments in its own subtle way with the style and conventions of the late Victorian social novel.  One way of understanding its experimentation can be seen by exploring the use to which references to Fyodor Dostoevsky, whose novels (especially The … Continue reading The Novels of Virginia Woolf #2: Night and Day →

Broadway Avenue, Chicago – Part 2 – Uptown/Buena Park

Gentrification is an ongoing fact of life in Chicago that's too complicated for me to tackle here.  But I will say that on this walk, that fact presented itself in an obvious way.  This sign above, for me, says a lot: the area between Irving Park (4000 North) and Lawrence (4800 North) is generally referred … Continue reading Broadway Avenue, Chicago – Part 2 – Uptown/Buena Park →

Broadway Avenue, Chicago – Part 1 – Introduction and Lakeview

I thought I'd breathe some life into the blog with some personal-experience writing.  Not like a "birth of my child"-type thing, and not a fire-breathing post about racism or libertarianism.  Just a 5-mile walk on a rainy day - or the first mile or so at least. Just what might seem like a very boring … Continue reading Broadway Avenue, Chicago – Part 1 – Introduction and Lakeview →