The Voyage Out

Virginia Woolf

The Voyage Out is an inward journey as much as it is an outward one. On a trip to South America on her father’s ship, Rachel Vinrace is tossed onto a route of self-exploration. Through the social satire, Woolf points out that it was difficult for a woman of that era to truly convey herself. She wrote of Rachel in a letter, saying, “I wanted her to be a modern individual, not a Victorian heroine!” Published in 1915, this is Woolf’s first book, and it is one that is witty and lyrical.