Importance of Virginia Woolf’s "To the Lighthouse" Lies in its Feminine Sensibility

Victorian Feminine Sensibility

Virginia Woolf comes after a long line of eminent Victorians of her own sex, who have joined the immortals of English literature- George Eliot, Jane Austen and the two Bronte’s. She was not of their stature but only against their background can her peculiar feminine contribution to English novel be fully assessed or appreciated. 

George Eliot was no elemental genius like Dickens but her first novels were full of healthy fun and bitter pathos. A cool sparkling humour ran through her best novels with a strong sense of substantial character that did not lose itself in the blind alley of pseudo-psychology. And there is a great deal of wisdom in her book, particularly about woman. Her defect was that although she could see people clearly, she failed to see them through an atmosphere. Her peculiar isolation generated for her some mysterious conceptions, one of them being her deep-rooted idea that “there are really demons and angles behind men.” This peculiar notion betrayed her predecessor, Jane Austen born much before the particular bonds that protected woman from truth and “were burst by the Bronte’s or elaborately united by George  Eliot” (G.K. Chesterton). And yet as Chesterton in his Victorian Age in English Literature aptly says, “the fact remains that Jane Austen knew much more about men than either of them.” And then Chesterton in the course of discussion adds these pregnant words, “Jane Austen, of course, covered an infinitely smaller field than any of her later rivals; but I have always believed in the victory of small nationalities.” As against Jane Austen’s sensible balance and roundedness in a narrow field and George Eliot’s bright and intellectually exciting air of a cloudiness day, the Bronte’s brought in to the arena of English fiction the blast of the mysticism of the North. Emily Bronte was a very original person with a very strong imagination that was superhuman and perhaps sometimes inhuman as in some places of her great Wuthering Heights. She very often made the other sex a monster by invoking her almost magical imaginary powers and as a result, “Heathcliff fails as a man catastrophically as he succeeds as a demon.” Charlotte Bronte on the other hand achieved the effect of the highest romance through the lowest realism and to her goes the credit of finding out the secret of hiding the sensational in the commonplace. Jane Eyre, her best book, is a human document written in blood, which at the same time is world’s one of the best blunder-and-thunder detective tales.

Feminine Sensibility in Virginia Woolf 

The importance of Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" lies in its feminine sensibility, which is a significant development in English fiction. This sensibility is exemplified by Woolf's use of the stream of consciousness technique in her novels, which was championed by her and Dorothy Richardson after World War I. Woolf's attitude towards the male sex, her own sex, and her particular feminine accent in expression are also important aspects to consider. Now that nobody is afraid of Virginia Woolf and some are rather uncharitable to this minor master of English fiction, it is necessary to consider how far reaction was a peculiarly female one. And in doing so those related questions need to be studied:

 (a) her attitude towards the male sex, 

(b) her attitude towards her own sex and 

(c) her particular feminine accent in expression.

In "To the Lighthouse," the male characters represent sterility, destructiveness, narrowness, cruelty, isolation, and cutting intellect. Mr. Ramsay, in particular, symbolizes these qualities as he is "lean as knife, narrow as the blade." James, his son, wishes for patricide due to his father's obstructing presence, while Charles Tansley, the atheist philosopher, shows cruelty and revenge towards Mr. Ramsay. Carmichael, the only soft male character, is a poet, but he is only peripheral to the story.

These themes highlight Woolf's feminine sensibility and the unique perspective she brings to English fiction. As G.K. Chesterton once said, "Emily Bronte was as unsociable as a storm at midnight, and while Charlotte Bronte was at best like that warmer and more domestic thing, a house on fire-they do connect themselves with the calm of George Eliot, as the forerunners of many later developments of the feminine advance." Dorothy Richardson and Virginia Woolf were among these later developments, and their contributions to English fiction continue to be recognized today.

Virginia Woolf

Sympathetic Treatment of the Eternal Feminine

In Virginia Woolf's novel "To the Lighthouse," the feminine sensibility is given great importance, almost to the point of partiality. Woolf successfully portrays the essential qualities of female experience in the early twentieth century, particularly in a close circle of sophisticated women. She notes the wavering and uncertain nature of the dividing line between the sexes and recognizes the common qualities among them.

Woolf discerns the peculiar nature of typically feminine modes of thought and apprehension and their unique value as the complement of masculine modes. Her female characters, such as Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe, share an essential femininity while maintaining distinct attitudes. One aspect of this femininity is the female failure to retain or distinguish between facts. However, women possess a special honesty that proceeds from self-knowledge and intuition, allowing them to distinguish between essential and nonessential things.

Although women are often depicted as vague and muddleheaded, they are superior in their ability to complement male existence and harmonize the whole. The power of harmony, creation, and fertility lies within women, and they bring and keep happiness at home like Mrs. Ramsay and create works of art like Lily Briscoe. Woolf's view is almost a form of female partisanship, which contradicts her earlier description of Mrs. Ramsay's inability to distinguish between facts, a common feminine weakness. Nonetheless, Woolf's greatest triumphs in characterization lie in her sympathetic treatment of the eternal feminine.

Feminine Sensibility in Writing

Virginia Woolf's novel "To the Lighthouse" is considered a prime example of her feminine sensibility in writing, showcasing a unique blend of prose and poetry. However, some critics have pointed out that this sensibility can sometimes result in a sense of portentousness, leading to moments of illumination that fail to fully convince. As Walter Allen notes, Woolf's writing often evokes "short, sharp female gasps of ecstasy," further emphasized by her use of the semi-colon instead of a comma.

Male critics have sometimes struggled to appreciate Woolf's feminine approach, as evidenced by Arnold Kettle's dismissal of "To the Lighthouse" as having little substance. However, others, such as Allen, recognize Woolf as a major figure in literature who captures the beauty and terror of life with a lyrical intensity that is uniquely feminine. Ultimately, Woolf's work stands as a testament to the power of the feminine voice in literature.

Critical Conclusion

Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" is a modernist masterpiece that delves into the complexities of human relationships, particularly those between women and men, as well as the struggles women face in reconciling their own desires with societal expectations. The novel's feminine sensibility is evident throughout and is exemplified in the theme of lies, which highlights the oppressive nature of gender roles and societal norms. The novel's stream of consciousness technique allows for a deep dive into the inner lives of the characters, particularly the women, revealing their innermost thoughts and emotions.

Despite Woolf's limited field, as compared to her literary predecessors like Jane Austen and George Eliot, her "particular poetic power of expression" and her "affinity with the intensity of Emile Bronte" demonstrate her place as a shining milestone in the feminine tradition of the English novel. In conclusion, Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" is a fruitful study in feminine sensibility, providing a powerful portrayal of the human experience and a significant contribution to the canon of feminist literature. 

As Woolf herself once said in "A Room of One’s Own", "Women have sat indoors all these millions of years, so that by this time the very walls are permeated by their creative force, which has, indeed, so overcharged the capacity of bricks and mortar that it must needs harness itself to pens and brushes and business and politics." With "To the Lighthouse," Woolf sought to unleash that creative force and give voice to the women who had been silenced for too long.

Ardhendu De

Ref: 

1. The Cambridge Companion to Virginia Woolf. (2001, January 1). Reference Reviews, 15(1), 33–34. https://doi.org/10.1108/rr.2001.15.1.33.30

2. Reference, M. (2008, January 1). A Room of One’s Own: By Virginia Woolf.

3. Allen, W. (1970, February 1). English Novel.