Beautiful Phrases

"'How tired I am of stories, how tired I am of phrases that come down
beautifully with all their feet on the ground! . . . (238).

Points for Reflection

Moments of Being: 'Slater's Pins Have no Points'" (April 1939 - Nov 1940; 1972, 1976), pp. 215-20

  1. Why has Fanny Wilmot, through whose eyes we gaze at Miss Craye, so idealized her piano instructor?
  2. Which of Fanny’s thoughts about Craye ground themselves in fact, and which involve fancy alone?
  3. Does Fanny define the “something queer” which she once identified in the now-deceased Julius Craye and which she also finds in Miss Julia Craye?
  4. Is the reader to understand that Miss Craye’s headaches are a product solely of material conditions—of journeys in the Tube or taking a difficult trek up a steep hill?
  5. Which weighs more heavily in Fanny’s estimation of her piano instructor, pity or admiration?
  6. As opposed to stories like “The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection” (1929) and “An Unwritten Novel” (1920), this tale does not conclude by deconstructing all of the primary character’s fancies about another person.  What impact does this decision have on the tale’s tone?


The Waves, pp. 148-206

  1. What is the "great beast stamping" (150)?
  2. Do our characters grieve in the same way, or do they discover disparate mourning strategies?
  3. Why does Bernard--who so needs community--now need to be alone (153)? What is he trying to figure out, and what conclusions does he reach?
  4. What is the idea which, for Bernard, lies buried, and which breaks in his hand (157)? [Alec]
  5. Rhoda decides Percival's death has allowed her to see something which she represents as square and oblong. What might these two shapes signify?
  6. Is Louis more comfortable than his friends with Time?
  7. What does Louis want to accomplish (170), and what does his image concerning the oak and hatchet (171) signify?
  8. Is Susan attempting to sing her children to sleep, or herself (171-73)?
  9. Does Susan's maternity bind her even more closely to Nature, or separate her from it?
  10. Is the pursuit described by Jinny a vehicle for male sexual desire and conquest (177)?
  11. To whom is Neville speaking (177-81), and whom does he imagine coming to visit him (199)?
  12. Why does Bernard visit Rome?
  13. What does Bernard mean when he says he is seeking "'the true story'" (187)?
  14. What might the "'Fin in a waste of waters'" signify (189)?
  15. Is Susan's most recent description of maternity (190-91) more positive than that described earlier (171-73)?
  16. Do Jinny's reappraisal of her appearance and her new sense of isolation imply some kind of moral lesson (193)? Do we accept at face value her declaration that she is still an active, desirable piece of society (194-95)?
  17. How does Neville distinguish himself from his friends (197-199)?
  18. What is the " attempt" (199, 203) Louis has been making for years, the "task . . . burden" with which he is obsessed (201)?
  19. Why do you think Woolf does not reveal thoughts about Rhoda's and Louis's affair while it is happening?
  20. Does Rhoda recognize the benefits of relationship and community?
  21. Does Rhoda travel overseas for the same reasons Bernard did?
  22. Why does Rhoda so need the feel of hard objects, and does this desire complement or challenge her love of visions and dreams?


stylized, Japanese depiction of a cresting way rising above other ways, with a snow-capped mountain in the distance
The Great Wave (1830-32)
Katsuhika Hokusai


Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu