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To the Lighthouse Study Guide

by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse study guide contains a biography of Virginia Woolf, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Mrs. Ramsay, Mr. Ramsay (a philosopher), their eight children, and several guests are staying at the family's summer home in the Hebrides, on the Isle of Skye, just before the start of World War I. Just across the bay is a lighthouse, which becomes a prominent presence in the family's life. James Ramsay, the youngest child, wants to go to the Lighthouse the next day, but Mr. Ramsay crushes his hopes, saying that the weather will not be pleasant enough for the trip. James resents his father for his insensitivity as well as for his emotional demands on Mrs. Ramsay, and this resentment persists throughout the novel.

The houseguests include Lily Briscoe, an unmarried painter who begins a portrait of Mrs. Ramsay; Charles Tansley, who is not very…

Read the full To the Lighthouse Summary

• To the Lighthouse Summary
• About To the Lighthouse
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of The Window: Chapters I-IV
• Summary and Analysis of The Window: Chapters V-VII
• Summary and Analysis of The Window: Chapters VIII-X
• Summary and Analysis of The Window: Chapters XI-XIV
• Summary and Analysis of The Window: Chapters XV-XVII
• Summary and Analysis of The Window: Chapters XVIII-XIX
• Summary and Analysis of Time Passes: Chapters I-X
• Summary and Analysis of The Lighthouse: Chapters I-III
• Summary and Analysis of The Lighthouse: Chapters IV-VII
• Summary and Analysis of The Lighthouse: Chapters VIII-XIII
• Related Links on To the Lighthouse
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• To the Lighthouse: Major Themes
• To the Lighthouse: Essays
• To the Lighthouse: Questions
• To the Lighthouse: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Virginia Woolf: Biography