Hover the mouse pointer over a document title to show the abstract or click Virginia Woolf, Henri Bergson, existentialism, modernism, To the Lighthouse, The Waves, dualisms, time, duration, multiplicity, consciousness, unity, continuity, epiphany, and intuition. By combining apparently irreconcilable dualisms, she reveals the Bergsonian idea of the multiplicity of conscious states and surpasses the absurdity of life in other words, this philosophy provides Woolf with a key to answering the existential question of the meaning of life. Thus, she creates a viewpoint that discloses continuity and unfolds in unity. These concepts are used to explore the unified experience of time and hold the key to temporal illumination, for in illuminating transience, Woolf also illuminates the manner of transcending it. In this context, we unravel the importance of unity, continuity, epiphany and intuition.

Using Woolf's novels To the Lighthouse and The Waves as primary texts to elucidate the human experience of time, provides sufficient evidence to prove that Woolf’s system of ideas relies on Bergsonian time philosophy in particular, the research aims to prove that Woolf fully adhered to his conceptualization of dualist temporality and built her fiction upon Bergsonian dualisms. Though not conclusive, the analysis may contribute to our understanding of Woolf’s fiction and illuminate certain aspects of Woolf's work. Woolf’s treatment of philosophical concepts of time, memory and intuition indicates that she is predominately influenced by Bergson. The common ground between these two authors is analysed through their interest in human consciousness, their epistemological interest in the interaction between memory and perception, their adoption of a specific world-view and the importance of imagery in strengthening thematic content. My thesis is that Virginia Woolf subverts the conventional notion of time and in refusing to accept the chronological sequence of time, adopts Henri Bergson's time philosophy.

Valovi by Virginia Woolf