Virginia Woolf explores her own personal struggles in Night and Day, following two women on the cusp of a new era as they balance the weight of the past and the pull of their own aspirations.
Set in Edwardian England, Katherine Hilbery, the grandchild of a revered poet, is torn between societal expectations and her own intellectual dreams. Meanwhile, Mary Datchet, a passionate suffragist, grapples with her ambitions and the complexities of modern womanhood. As their lives intertwine with those of the introspective Ralph Denham and the enigmatic William Rodney, the characters navigate the tensions between the demands of those around them and their own desires for individuality.
Despite only being her second novel, Virginia Woolf experiments with the boundaries of literary convention and style, mirroring Katherine and Mary as they too elude societal tradition. First published in 1919, Night and Day already displays Woolf’s distinctive voice and characteristic writing style. This collectible Read & Co. Classics edition is not to be missed by fans of Woolf’s seminal work.
About the author
Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) was an English writer, born in South Kensington, London. Known for her feminist writings and pioneering work with the narrative style of stream of consciousness, Woolf is widely considered to be one of the most influential modernist writers of the 20th century. Some of her most famous works include Mrs. Dalloway, 1925, To the Lighthouse, 1927, and A Room of One’s Own, 1929.