Orlando (Annotated): A Biography (The Virginia Woolf Library)

If you have an interest in witnessing the perfect use of the English language in narrative, anything written by Woolf will do and Orlando is not exception although it is an atypical Woolf work. It is an interesting mix of humor and serious comments on maleness and femaleness, English class history, and insider jokes some of which require a knowledge of Woolf's personal relationships. It helped me to have finished a recent biography of Virginia Woolf to better understand her work generally and especially this one.

I had intended to read Virginia Woolf’s Orlando as part of a buddy read. I am the loser for not having done so. The result is that I am faced with the common problem of having read what is generally considered a great book not ‘gettinit”. I do not get it. The use of language is wonderful. The storyline is somewhat experimental, likely was more so at the time of publication. There are some clever jokes at the expense of book publishers and reviews but two elements of what was supposed to be at the heart of the book did not strike me as all that important.The back story to Orlando is that it was intended to be a joke and to be a thinly disguised portrait of her lover. All of this may be true, but in the case of a great book, the telling or the storyline should transcend its time. In other words, a reader should be able to feel the experience of greatness without knowing the back story. A novel may carry a lot of baggage, but it must stand on its merits. I chose to read the Annotated (Annotations by Maria DiBattistra), Harvest Book, Harcourt , Inc Edition. The annotations were helpful but were mostly about making clear historic references, not about how ‘obvious’ the references to Woolf’s SO. I can believe that this is a better book than my level of enjoyment, but a book that leaves you wondering about what you missed without making urgent the need to find out is hardly the words for a great reading experience. You results may vary; I can only just recommend Orlando.To complete that thought. Orlando was not my first Virgina Woolf book, it will not be my last. On Orlando, I cannot be more enthusiastic.Without giving away the only important reveal in the novel- Almost every reviewer does this in their first paragraph, it seems to me that the results of the big revel were not much.Orlando begins the book as a much favored and petted rich kid, to the manor born in Elizabethan England and ends the book in mostly the same situation, in the same manor house in the 20th Century. Clearly Orlando benefits from a lot of magical happenstance, but no one seems to care. I think that is part of the joke.As an argument for female rights, there is some discussion about the relative restrictive nature of long skirts versus pantaloons, a little more about the relative difficulties of becoming a published female writer and the need to develop different social skills and tools, but going from petted child to petted adult is more like what we now call “First World Problem”. For not so favored women the same centuries presented needless challenges to basic animal survival for females never mind the sometimes idiotic rules that held down women In England across the centuries through which our protagonist will mostly sleep.For me the deepest and most recurrent theme that ran across the novel was the problem of becoming a writer What media, poetry or the novel is most likely to get the writer in front of their audience? Should the writer give free reign to their emotions, or struggle over every word” Orlando will want to hob nob with the great thinkers of each period. Will such an association cost the writer their independence or enrich the depths of their creations? These and related questions will be at Orlando’s heart (and not just figuratively) from beginning to almost the end. This subplot will generate more humor and more heat than any other, if more universal topic.About the Annotation. In general, I like annotation. They should not be necessary for the enjoyment of a book, but they can add depth. In the Harcourt Edition, the annotations appear as unnumbered end notes. Nothing on the page tells you there is an annotation. Read a few pages, flip to the back and try to remember what was under discussion when a person or place was mentioned. Awkward.

A lot has been said about Orlando and Woolf, but I think it is worthwhile to repeat it is a very serious book in which she talks about a lot of important things disguised as a not so serious work in the words of some. It is the fact this has fantastic elements that she is free of common boundaries to describe the ideas about identity and so much more.

An absolutely magnificent book about a young nobleman in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, who, by mid-book somehow transforms into a woman. This florid and eloquently-written novel closely examines the nature of sexuality, gender and changing social values over several centuries. Not a transgender book, per se, but a glorious evisceration of the social norms that comprise our gender. Those who have an interest in the transgender arena will particularly appreciate and revel in the author's cutting insights. The irony and humor in this book is absolutely brilliant. Stick with it through the first half as it all comes together to make incredible sense.

The product description does not state the notes in this edition are END NOTES, not foot notes. The text does not indicate at all which terms/etc. are annotated. The notes are listed by page number at the end of the novel. Basically, you need to flip to the back of the book to see if there are any notes for each page. I found the notes themselves helpful but inconvenient to use.The playwright Sarah Ruhl (two-time Pulitzer finalist, 2006 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship) recently released a stage adaptation of this novel. In her introductory notes, she recommends the Penguin Classics version annotated by Sandra M. Gilbert.

As expected. Great shape and super fast shipping!

Lots of unique moments missing from the beloved film.

While Orlando is probably not the best example of what would become Virginia Woolf's "music for the soul" style of writing, it does show her extraordinary wit better than anything else I can think of. As a commentary on the inequality of the sexes in society, it is unequaled. A wonderful book; plant your tongue firmly in your cheek and enjoy Orlando.

Super!!