77 pages • 2 hours read
Virginia WoolfOrlando
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1928A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
Teacher Introduction
Orlando
- Genre: Historical fiction; fantasy; biography
- Originally Published: 1928
- Reading Level/Interest: Adult
- Structure/Length: Novel divided into 6 chapters; approx. 198 pages; approx. 7 hours and 23 minutes on audiobook
- Protagonist/Central Conflict: Orlando by Virginia Woolf defies traditional genres. The central character, Orlando, begins as a young nobleman in Elizabethan England and mysteriously transforms into a woman, retaining his/her youthful appearance. The novel follows Orlando’s experiences across centuries and continents as he/she navigates the shifting sands of gender, identity, and society. Orlando is a rich tapestry of historical and fantastical elements, exploring themes of love, art, time, and the fluidity of identity.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Themes related to gender identity, historical periods, and societal norms; use of racially derogatory terminology
Virginia Woolf, Author
- Bio: Born 1882; died 1941; influential English writer and one of the key figures of modernist literature; known for her experimental narrative style and lyrical prose; wrote novels, essays, and short stories that often delve into the complexities of human consciousness and identity
- Other Works: The Voyage Out (1915); Night and Day (1919); Jacob’s Room (1922); Mrs. Dalloway (1925); To the Lighthouse (1927); The Waves (1931); Between the Acts (1941)
- Awards: Prix Femina Vie Heureuse (1920); Order of the Companions of Honour (1935)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:
Related Titles
By Virginia Woolf
