"Between the Acts"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how "Between the Acts" is Virginia Woolf's last published novel and certainly the most lyrical text of all her works. It looks at how the loose structure, the absence of a definite plot and the interspersion of verses throughout the text, enhance the lyrical quality of the book. It examines how the main achievements of the novel are the narrative form, the linguistic games and the symbolic imagery. The action spans only twenty-four hours during summer in 1939, and takes place at Pointz Hall, the home of the Olivers, where the whole village gathers to watch an annual pageant.

From the Paper:

"The image the "barking monsters" as well as that of the cows that interrupt the play with their noise at one point, suggests the presence of the primitive world of the past in the modern, civilized world. The theme of the pageant staged in the book, which is in fact a comprehensive outline of the entire history of England, also underlines this idea. The sea is another important imagistic element in this novel as well as in the previous books by Woolf. Talking about the fish that is to be brought and served at the party, Isa wonders how far the see might be from their village. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Woolf, Virginia. Between the Acts. http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/w/woolf/virginia/w91b/complete.html

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