Abstract
This paper seeks to establish Virginia Woolf as a materialist and her subsequent reliance on objects to create lasting relationships between her characters in her novel The Waves. In an in depth analysis of each of the six principle characters, as well as three distinct instances where all of these protagonists meet together, this paper argues objects are central to fostering human connection, and although each individual may relate differently to materialism, all are brought closer to one another because of it. This paper also responds to several critics’ claims about Woolf and her work with objects, especially Douglas Mao, and his 1998 publication, Solid Objects.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Thatcher, Madeline
(2016)
"“Life is a Solid Substance”: Materialism and the Use of Objects in Virginia Woolf’s The Waves,"
Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 9.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/criterion/vol9/iss1/9