The Waves

novel by Woolf

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Article History

The Waves, experimental novel by Virginia Woolf, published in 1931. The Waves was one of her most inventive and complex books. It reflects Woolf’s greater concern with capturing the poetic rhythm of life than with maintaining a traditional focus on character and plot. Composed of dramatic (and sometimes narrative) monologues, the novel traces six friends through seven stages of their lives, from childhood to old age, by making parallels to the changing position of the sun and the tides.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.