Night and Day is Virginia Woolf's first novel published on October 20, 1919. Set in Edwardian London, Night and Day distinguishes daily life- day and romantic attachment of two acquaintances, Katharine Hilbery and Mary Datchet. This novel examines the relationship between love, marriage, happiness, and success.
Dialogues and descriptions of thoughts and actions are used in equal numbers, unlike in the later book Woolf, To the Lighthouse . There are four main characters, Katharine Hilbery, Mary Datchet, Ralph Denham, and William Rodney. Night and Day deals with issues of women's suffrage, if love and marriage coexist, and if marriage is necessary for happiness. Motifs throughout the book include the stars and sky, the River Thames, and walks. Also, Woolf makes many references to William Shakespeare's works, especially As You Like It .
Video Night and Day (Woolf novel)
Character
Katharine Hilbery
Katharine Hilbery is the grandson of a famous poet and includes a special class. Although his family was literary, Katharine secretly preferred mathematics and astronomy. At the beginning of the novel, Katharine is engaged to William Rodney. After a while they end their engagement so Rodney can explore the relationship with Katharine's cousin, Cassandra Otway. Finally, Katharine agrees to marry Ralph Denham.
Mrs. Katharine, Mrs. Margaret Hilbery, played an important role in Katharine's life, while Katharine's father, Mr. Trevor Hilbery, only seen on several occasions. Mr. Hilbery lists her disapproval of Katharine's actions and her friends when she finds out that she and William have broken their engagement so that William can become engaged to Cassandra. Although Mary and Katharine are the main female characters, Katharine does not often interact with Mary. Katharine is a very aloof person, and she struggles to reconcile her need for personal freedom with her understanding of love.
Ralph Denham
Ralph Denham, a lawyer who sometimes writes articles for journals edited by Trevor Hilbery, Katharine's father. Unlike some other characters in the novel, he has to work to earn a living and take care of his family: his mother, a widow, and several siblings. She made her first appearance in a novel at Hilberys tea party. He left the party saying, "He'll do it... Yes, Katharine Hilbery will do it... I'll take Katharine Hilbery" (p 24), and from this point Ralph is constantly chasing Katharine. He repeatedly follows Katharine through the streets of London and often passes his house, hoping to see it inside.
Ralph's relationship with William Rodney is relatively formal, while Ralph's relationship with Mary is more friendly. At one point in the story Ralph realized Mary's love for him and he proposed to her. Mary has realized that she loves Katharine and rejects her proposal.
Mary Datchet
Mary Datchet, the daughter of a country vicar, works in the office of an organization campaigning for the enforcement of women's suffrage. Although he could live comfortably without work, Mary chose to work. Mary can be regarded as an example of the ideal Virginia Woolf specified in One Person's Space , the Profession for Women (one essay in Moth Death < and Other Essays , Harcourt, 1942, pp.Ã, 236-8), and other feminist essays.
Mary's romantic life was short and unsuccessful. He falls in love with Ralph Denham, and wants to move into the country with him. However, when he finally proposed to her, he refused, dismissing her as insincere. Mary also serves as an emotional outlet for characters, especially Ralph and Katharine. Whenever Ralph, Katharine, or any other character needs to tell someone about their love or sadness, they always go for tea at Mary's. She remained unmarried at the end of the novel.
William Rodney
William is a frustrated poet and playwright, who often subjects others to his mediocre works. She is Katharine's first romantic interest, but she is very interested in her grandfather's status as one of the greatest British poets. William often tried to impress Katharine without realizing his limitations. After Katharine decides not to marry him, William becomes intrigued by Katharine's cousin, Cassandra Otway. While Katharine represents the ideas of a new generation of marriages, Cassandra - in William's mind, at least - represents conventional Victorian ideas about marriage in which the wife serves her husband. At the end of the novel, William and Cassandra are involved.
Other characters
The story, though centered on Katharine, Ralph, Mary, and William, is adorned with minor characters that appear for the most part only at various tea parties. They include:
- Cassandra Otway, Katharine's cousin is engaged to William
- Henry, Katharine's cousin and Cassandra's sister
- Trevor and Margaret Hilbery, Katharine's parents
- Sir. Datchet
- Madam. Cosham
- Aunt Celia
- Cyril, Katharine's cousin who has two children with the woman she lives with, but not married; it represents a new era of modern ideas about marriage and relationships
- Sir. Clacton and Mrs. Seal, Mary's co-worker at the office of the pro-talent organization
- Sir. Basnett
- Joan, Ralph's sister
- Harry Sandys, old college friend Ralph
- Madam. Denham, Ralph's mother
Maps Night and Day (Woolf novel)
External links
- Night and Day in Project Gutenberg
- Night and Day public domain audiobooks on LibriVox
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments