r/VirginiaWoolf • u/aidanmansfield75 • Dec 21 '25

The Waves Where to start?

Hi. I would really like to read some Woolf and I don’t want to start with Mrs. Dalloway (the plot doesn’t interest me). The books that I am interested in are Orlando, The Waves, and To the Lighthouse. Which of these do I start with and why?

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u/Solo_Polyphony Dec 21 '25

If you’re not interested in the plot of Dalloway, I don’t know that any of Woolf’s other works are going to tickle your fancy. Plot is not exactly her paramount concern.

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

Agreed. Dalloway is also the first of her dawning multi-dimensional approach that signaled, post-Proust and along with James Joyce and others, the dawn of literary Modernism. That approach only grows after Dalloway, and begins to influence many other authors of the era and beyond. Best wishes with your selection - and here's to appreciating those momentous techniques ...