Woolf's Orlando:
A Biography Chapter Five
I. Write for 10-15 minutes on
the use of Time in the narrative.
When does it speed up? When does
it allow for reflection? Be sure to be specific about your discussion of
the century at hand.
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Woolf uses time strategically--sometimes
she demands that the reader fill in the blanks; other times, she offers
a lengthy discourse on an idea (such as Nature)
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Time associated with the living of
life and the giving of life (pregnancy)
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Time speeds up and slows down according
to Woolf's use of plot devices; for example, many ages pass, but Orlando
does not age. Meanwhile, only a few minutes are needed for the engagement
between Orlando and Marmaduke
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Orlando is of an age that does not
feel comfortable in the 19th century (244)
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Woolf emphasizes the spirit of the
age
II. Presentations: Curtis and Shane
III. Discussion of text
Allusion:
Marmaduke is a Rochester character
(from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre). In Bronte's text, Jane is walking
in the misty moors and hears a horse come upon her. It is Rochester,
whose steed nearly tramples Jane. This near miss marks the beginning
of an awkward yet enduring relationship. Ultimately, Rochester employs
Jane as his governess and then decides to marry her; he has, in literary
terms, rescued her from obscurity.
IV. Definitions
Ubiquitous-ever present
Pianoforte-a piano (or playing
one loudly)
Antimacassar-A protective covering
for the backs of chairs and sofas.
Sedulously-.Persevering and constant
in effort
Hecatomb- A large-scale sacrifice
or slaughter.
Excrescence-An outgrowth or enlargement,
especially an abnormal one, such as a wart.
Fob-A small pocket at the front
waistline of a man's trousers or in the front of a vest, used especially
to hold a watch
Damask- A rich patterned fabric
of cotton, linen, silk, or wool.
Crinoline-1. A coarse stiff
fabric of cotton or horsehair used especially to line and stiffen hats
and garments. 2. A petticoat made of this fabric.
Bombazine-A fine twilled fabric
of silk and worsted or cotton, often dyed black and used for mourning clothes.
Hiatus- A gap or interruption in
space, time, or continuity; a break
Plover- Any of various widely distributed
wading birds of the family Charadriidae, having rounded bodies, short tails,
and short bills.
Study Questions:
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Why is Orlando attracted to public,
common life?
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How do Time and historical eras (Elizabethan,
Jacobean, etc) operate in the narrative and how is Orlando a lens?
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How do clothes affect Orlando's engagement
with other people?
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Describe how Woolf deconstructs or
destabilizes familiar concepts. Pick one (Gender, marriage, biography).
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Why do figures like Addison and Pope
resurface throughout the text?
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How does the Victorian era challenge
Orlando?
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What elements of modernism are present
in this text besides the reference to 1928?
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Explain the importance of writing and
literature in the text.