Monday, July 30, 2012

Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf

'Every summer, for seven summers now, Isa had heard the same words: about the hammer and the nails; the pageant and the weather.  Every year they said, would it be wet or fine; and every year it was - one or the other.'

It is June 1939, and Pointz Hall is a handsome house in the English countryside surrounded by trees and a lily-pond.  Family and friends of Bartholomew Oliver, retired from the Indian Civil Service, have gathered in anticipation of the annual pageant.  Soon the grounds will be swarming with eager villagers looking forward to the entertainment.  The patriarch's sister (and one of my favourite characters), Mrs Swithin, is forever meaning to move to Kensington or Kew but each morning during the summer finds her pulling back the old chintz curtains in her room at Pointz Hall.  A grand staircase winds its way throughout the house while the servants have a ladder.  The maid, Grace, wears a print frock with an apron and keeps the tea trays busily employed while Mrs Sands clatters about making sandwiches in the kitchen.

Well isn't this a lovely picture of English country house domesticity?  The arrival of even more characters ramps up the tension as Isa gazes dreamily at a gentleman farmer, Rupert Haines.  She refers to her husband quite often as 'the father of her children' rather than any term of endearment.  Giles is a stockbroker working in the City and has a roving eye of his own so we don't feel too sorry for him.  Just as the reader settles into the storyline the sense of plot begins to waver a bit, details become more abstract and I had to work quite hard to keep up.

'Empty, empty, empty, silent, silent, silent.  The room was a shell, singing of what was before time was, a vase stood in the heart of the home, alabaster, cold, holding the still, distilled essence of emptiness, silence.

Mrs Manresa and William Dodge appear as uninvited guests with a picnic in hand after seeing a sign advertising the play.  Miss La Trobe, with her dark tights and thick ankles, is the producer of the event.  She is a fascinating bohemian character who barks orders and direction from behind a tree and in the final act she stuns the audience but I won't tell you how.  The play, about Britain through the ages, was charmingly well-timed with Danny Boyle's presentation during the opening ceremony of the Olympics but I digress.

Goodness knows there is a significant amount of analysis to be mulled over in Woolf's work.  While writing Between the Acts England was in the very early stages of World War II, planes flying overhead Pointz Hall bring a sense of foreboding.  Even the darting swallows of summer lack their usual cheery representation.  Knowing that this novel was Woolf's last before she committed suicide I was intrigued by whether or not there would be any hints as to her state of mind in the months preceding.  An eerie passage about a scullery maid cooling her cheeks by the lily-pond and a ghostly tale attached to it gave me the shivers...

'It was that deep centre, in that black heart, that the lady had drowned herself.'

When I finished the book I walked over to the table an plunked it down saying to my husband "I think I am a little bit afraid of Virginia Woolf".  But over the past couple of days I keep going back to it, reading passages over again.  Where do I go from here?

10 comments:

  1. What a lovely review, Darlene! It really conveys your experience with Virginia - I think you may have cracked her, or nearly! Next I'd recommend Jacob's Room (although it doesn't have the same beautiful English-country-house-ness of Between the Acts) or maybe even dipping into her essays.

    You're definitely making me want to re-read some Woolf. I was lucky enough to start reading her before I realised what a Big Deal she was, so I never really had that fear. Must be tricky to break - I need to break mine of Elizabeth Bowen!

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  2. Thanks so much for the vote of confidence, Simon! In my quest to develop more meaningful reading skills I have to resist the urge to shelve certain books and tell myself that no one cares whether I finish or not. That sort of behaviour won't get me anywhere, now will it?

    Hahaha! Then you will have something to thank ME for. Take your time...I'll wait!

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  3. Brilliant review, Darlene! You have no need to be afraid - you have already conquered!! Why don't you give To the Lighthouse a bash next - just immerse yourself in it. The language is so beautiful - I'm sure you will love it!

    I think reading Virginia Woolf is easy as long as you approach her with the right state of mind. I was scared for so long but now I go in just looking to enjoy the language and don't get too worried about understanding it all and I am getting on just fine!

    So excited to read your thoughts on the Bowen!!

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    1. Good advice. Actually, come to think of it, I was wondering why teachers would assign Woolf to early high school grades but perhaps that's a great time. Get them before any preconceived notions can come into play. Thanks for writing that post that lead to me finally taking the leap! I haven't tried Tolstoy on for size yet...hmmm.

      LOVING The Heat of the Day...still early days yet with the Olympics to squeeze in but I refuse to believe that Bowen could possibly put a step wrong!

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  4. I've never got on with Woolf's novels but I would like to read her diaries and essays. At the moment I can only squeeze in a few short stories around the Olympics - and I'm not even sporty!

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    1. Hahaha! My only medal would be for Olympic dog walking so I can relate, Nicola. Funny how we can become such banner-waving sports fans for a brief moment in time. One afternoon last week I lost track of time and was almost late for work...not good at all!

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  5. I've only read a few of VWs books--she definitely intimidates me, too, but I pretty much just dive in and take from the books what I can. Her essays are very good. I've checked out Orlando from the library as my next classic read, but I am in the middle of the very long (though very excellent) East of Eden at the moment. Hope you're having a great summer! :)

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    1. Her work has quite an intimidating aura surrounding it. I have stood gawking at her front door in Gordon Square without having read anything by her...things had to change! Diving in is good advice, Danielle, and as usual things are never as tough a slog as you anticipate.

      Summer has been great but waaay tooo hot! Bring on the pumpkin pie, jeans and cosy sweaters.

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  6. I've read most of VW's novels but I just can't love them. I admire them but I never have any urge to reread. Now, her essays, letters & diaries are another matter altogether! Just wonderful.

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    1. I am in awe of your reading history and book collection, Lyn! If we lived around the corner from each other I would be popping by all the time for bookish chats.

      Thanks so much for your input. I must resist the urge to grab Mrs Dalloway just because it's the one that comes to mind most often. Have a wonderful day, lovely to hear from you!

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