Can You Write Light? Week 45: Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot

Week 45 of Ted Gioia’s Immersive Humanities List brought me fully into the early 20th century—and, to my surprise, it wasn’t an easy transition. I don’t dislike these works, but I find myself missing the older books and trying to name what feels absent. The shadow of World War I certainly looms, but there’s something more elusive at work.

This week’s readings were Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Woolf was entirely new to me, and her novel took my breath away. Influenced by modern painting, she creates a luminous, fluid narrative that feels like opening your eyes underwater—challenging at first, but deeply rewarding once it clicks. I won’t spoil it. This is a book to discover on your own.

Eliot’s poem, famously difficult, benefited enormously from Mary Karr’s advice: don’t dissect it—let it wash over you. I did. I didn’t fully understand it, but I’m glad I read it.

Make sure to check my Amazon list for that edition with Mary Karr's introduction. It's essential!

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