Orlando

Description

The entire story stretches over centuries, from the Elizabethan age to the 1920s, within different locales such as England, Turkey, and Russia.nov
Plot
The central character of the novel is Orlando, a young nobleman who lives in England during the Elizabethan age. Orlando is a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and famous for his extraordinary beauty, wit, and poetic talent.
In the course of the narrative, Orlando is suddenly transformed into a female, changing sex from male to female. Such transformation allows Orlando to experience life in a new way under the burdens of society as dictated for women.
The novel spans through many historical periods: Orlando meets such famous figures like Shakespeare, Pope, and Alexander Pope. The experiences of Orlando are infused with very evident course love affairs, literary pursuits, and philosophical introspections.
Themes
Through most of the book, Woolf explores and brings out themes concerning:
Identity and self-discovery
Sexuality and gender roles
Time and history
Art and creativity
Love and relationships
Characters
Orlando: The protagonist, a young nobleman who undergoes a transformation from male to female.
Queen Elizabeth I: The monarch who favors Orlando and plays a significant role in his early life.
Sasha: A Russian princess who becomes Orlando’s first love.
Shelmerdine: A sailor who becomes Orlando’s husband in the 19th century.
Style
Woolf’s style in Orlando: fluid, poetic, expressive prose; merging the historical fact with fiction; satire and social commentary pointing to flaws in society and on individual psychology; rendering a focus on the subjectivity and character emotions; experimenting with forms of non-linear narrative structures and multiple narrative voices.
Overall, Orlando is a pioneering and innovative novel that explores themes of identity, sexuality, and creativity while pushing the boundaries of the literary form and style.