Orlando

 

Image credit: Penguin Books Australia.

In a literary climate that ‘flourishes’ in the hands of the publisher and is seemingly defined by the tastes of the masses, it’s hard to come by truly provocative reads. Indeed some would say that that age of literature has faded away into something else. I would say not entirely. While new provocative reads are rarer than diamonds in a dung heap, we still have the classics that continue to be celebrated and studied. One such example I have just closed the cover on: Virginia Woolf’s Orlando.

A fictional biography chronicling a four hundred year long life, Orlando begins in the Elizabethan era with the protagonist as a handsome young nobleman, proceeds to retell a great love story that ends in heartache, traverses overseas where Orlando gains a career as Charles II’s ambassador to the Ottoman court, and then captivates readers further as Orlando undergoes a change in gender and continues to try and find meaning in such a long life; by being a gypsy, a wife, a mother, and a writer. 

A poetic and intellectual masterwork and probably the most celebrated of Woolf’s literary achievements Orlando is a deep exploration into history, the social roles of gender, and the nature of the biography. Whilst chronicling two love stories, as well as a tale of self-discovery, the novel also indulges in some tasty social and literary commentary, as well as metafiction. It’s beyond the realms of ‘smart’ or ‘clever’, somehow Woolf –through her vivid and poetic prose- manages to elevate those adjectives into some higher plane of grandeur in which firmly sits one of the most intellectual and provocative reads of the 1900s. 

Image credit: Wikipedia

Orlando presents a definite reading challenge in its sincerity and its metafiction. The author becomes a character themselves alongside the titled hero, injecting their own opinions into the thought streams of the protagonist, as well as chronicling unusual events (Orlando’s gender swap) with such nonchalance that one finds oneself wanting to go back and reread to make sure some crucial narrative point was not missed.

This is an entrancing and challenging read, a healthy combination of the two, and a definite must-read for anyone wanting to expand their literary horizons with iconic feminist literature. Orlando is truly outstanding. 

Author: Virginia Woolf, 1928

Published: Hogarth Press (London), 1928