“Pausing at the edge of the pavement; and all the exalted statues, Nelson, Gordon, Havelock, the black, the spectacular images of great soldiers stood looking ahead of them, as if they too had made the same renunciation” (p51). Nelson was an admiral who commanded the British fleet in the last 1700’s. His statue is in the middle of Trafalgar Square in London, facing the Palace of Westminster. When this novel was published Trafalgar Square was a significant social and political location; statues of these famous men surrounding it. By including this allusion in her novel, Virginia Woolf sets the scene of the entire day, based in London in the 1920’s. These statues are well known landmarks in London and give a sense of location to the reader.
"NELSON'S COLUMN AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE LONDON ENGLAND MONUMENT TO LORD HORATIO NELSON 1758 TO 1805 ADMIRAL OF THE BRITISH FLEET BATTLE OF CAPE TRAFALGAR." SOLAR NAVIGATOR HOMEPAGE INFORMATION PORTAL MARINE WORLD ELECTRIC NAVIGATION CHALLENGE. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/nelsons_column_trafalgar_square_london_england.htm.
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the number one comment throughout the concordance is the question "Why?" followed up by "How so?" -- you do a good job identifying important references and ideas -- how do they matter to Woolf's point? What is the specific value in creating heightened realism in this novel? What is she getting at? How do these references enhance Woolf's meaning -- right now I see a lot of "it makes things more realistic for the reader" to which I immediately think, "why does that matter if we don't know what Woolf's point is?" What are the key ideas she builds?
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