”ORLANDO” BY VIRGINIA WOOLF: PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
”ORLANDO” BY VIRGINIA WOOLF: PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL QUESTIONS

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the novel Orlando by Virginia Woolf from the point of view of exploring old-age and universal questions such as the following: What is the meaning of life? If we change throughout the course of our lives, can we still say we are the same person? These are both philosophical questions, as well as questions related to the psychological crises we go through in our lives, due to transitioning from one age to another, or due to some changes in our lives, sometimes caused by difficult moments. The way these questions have been ongoing and dealt with across time is literally illustrated in the novel, which shows the main character, Orlando, moving on from one historical age to the next. The way these questions are dealt with by both men and women is also illustrated literally in the novel, by making Orlando change from man to woman, this aspect as well contributing to the creation of a fantasy world. Wondering about the way we change and if we are still the same person is also illustrated literally, in an extreme way, as Orlando tells readers that he or she is still the same person, only now he or she has a different sex. The conceptual metaphor life is a journey also finds its literal correspondent in Orlando’s journey both through space and time. Illustrating abstract ideas through literal meaning is a means of blurring the borders between reality and fantasy.

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