สตรีในกระจก: ภาพสะท้อนห้วงคำนึง และเรื่องสั้นคัดสรรอื่นๆ

by Virginia Woolf, นราวัลลภ์ ปฐมวัฒน (Translator), อรจิรา โกลากุล (Editor)

รวมเรื่องสั้นของนักเขียนอังกฤษ เวอร์จิเนีย วูล์ฟ ในเล่มนี้ประกอบด้วยเรื่องสั้นทั้งหมด 5 เรื่อง

- สตรีในกระจก: ภาพสะท้อนห้วงคำนึง (The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection)
- สมาคม (A Society)
- รอยเปื้อนบนผนัง(The Mark on the Wall)
- ในสวนผลไม้ (In the Orchard)
- แลพพินและลาพินโนว่า (Lappin and Lapinova)

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Modern Classics, Feminism, Literature, 20th Century

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

(Adeline) Virginia Woolf was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.

During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could be more charming than a boy before he has begun to cultivate his intellect? He is beautiful to look at; he gives himself no airs; he understand the meaning of art and literature instinctively; he goes about enjoying his life and making other people enjoy theirs. Then they teach him to cultivate his intellect. He becomes a barrister, a civil servant, a general, an author, a professor. Every day he goes to an office. Every year he produces a book. He maintains a whole family by the products of his brain poor devil! Soon he cannot come into a room without making us all feel uncomfortable; he condescends to every woman he meets, and dares not tell the truth even to his own wife; instead of rejoicing our eyes we have to shut them if we are to take him in our arms. True, they console themselves with stars of all shapes, ribbons of all shades, and incomes of all sizes­ but what is to console us?

Excerpt from "A Society".

The book includes:
The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection: ★★★★★
A Society: ★★★★★ + ★
The Mark on the Wall: ★★★★ Review here
Solid Objects: ★★★★
Lappin and Lapinova: ★★★★

I started this book on Woolf's 136th birthday. In this collection, her language fluctuates between lyricism and harshness as she describes, in great detail, the different worlds of the people she created based on the sensations, desires and restraints around her. As one deconstructs her short stories, everything - a simple idea, an innocent detail, a silly plan; all of them told using her inexhaustible supply of wit and sensitivity - turns into a profound analysis of society, of the collective and individual psyches of its citizens.
As ever, Woolf's writing is an invitation to explore the depths of human emotion. In her case, I can't possibly refuse.


Jan 27, 18
* Actual rating: 4.6 stars.
** Also on my blog.

[AiK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Этот рассказ – короткое напоминание об эфемерности жизни. Оно очень похоже на немое кино. В нем нет слов, есть звуки, есть изображение, есть смысл, неясный, расплывчатый и распознать его сможет тот, кто наделен важным качеством – воображением. Изабелла Тайсон, одинокая женщина. Значит ли одинокая – несчастливая? Давайте посмотрим. В ее письмах нашли бы много сведений о свиданиях, встречах, и о свиданиях несостоявшихся. Она так и не вышла замуж. Но она знала, что такое страсть. Дальше мы видим, что в зеркало вошел кто-то большой и черный, разбросал таблички и исчез. Как в немом кино, силой воображения становится понятно, что это письма, они становятся «той частью неподвижности и бессмертия, которое дарило зеркало». Из пачки заурядных писем, они прекватились в скрижали. Листки густо исписаны сплошь важными вещами. Изабелла внимательно станет прочитывать и разорвет конверты, а письма запрет в шкафчике. Воображение – это поставить себя на ее место. Она в саду, в безупречных остроносых туфлях, с ножницами, чтобы срезать засохшую ветку. Возможно, что она думает, что надо послать цветы вдове Джонсона или какие-то подобные вещи. Это вещи, которые она говорит за обедом, но важнее то, что называют счастьем или несчастьем. Она богата, путешествует. Дороги наслаждения разбегаются в разные стороны с того места, где она стоит. Она срезает стебли ломоноса. Стало светлее. Срезать лишнюю ветку - так жалко, а жизнь – самое дорогое. Срезанная ветка – напоминание, что жизнь зыбка, эфемерна. Она чувствует, что ее душа полна мыслей. Надо просто вообразить. Да вот она сама в зеркале. Вот ее серо-зеленое платье. Она приближалась так постепенно, что она не разбивает картины, отраженной в зеркале. Наконец, вот она и здесь в холле, стоит у стола и зеркало стало заливать ее светом, все спало с нее, все, что подходило к определению вьюнка и ломоноса. Стоит обнаженная, она стоит старая, исхудавшая, морщинистая и даже не дает себе труда взять письма в руки. Не стоит оставлять без присмотра висящие на стенах зеркала – говорит Вирджиния Вулф.
И не подозревала она о том, что гораздо опаснее зеркал камеры, которые придут в будущем, а жизнь так и останется нечто эфемерным и зыбким. Хотя я предпочитаю смотреть на жизнь прямо, без посредства зеркала и зыбких отражений в полутемной прихожей.

[Inderjit Sanghera · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something ethereal, almost transcendent about Woolf’s writing when it is at its best, yet it is an ethereality which is shot through with a sense of tragedy and sadness. In many ways the opening story in this collection, ‘The Lady in the Looking Glass’ encapsulates this as Woolf follows the afternoon of Isabella, whose wonder at the world around her, from the drippings of sunlight falling from the sleek marble table top, to the flower petals falling gently in the garden, contrast with the sense of angst which Isabella is experiencing, a sense of loneliness and isolation in spite of her socialite status.

The other stories in this collection explore common themes in Woolf’s writing, from the disintegration of a humdrum marriage in ‘Lappin and Lapinova’, to the incipient awakening of feminist though in ‘A Society’, as the characters gradually realise and come to terms with the uselessness of men. I would recommend this collection of stories for anybody who is new to Woolf; if you enjoy them then they will act as a gateway to her great works such as ‘The Years’ as ‘Mrs Dalloway’, however if you don’t then it is unlikely that Woolf will ever be the novelist for you

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

My GR friend, Ilse’s review was my encouragement to read The Lady in the Looking-Glass. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Then, I tried to set that aside, and just experience it on its own. It’s one of Woolf’s shorter pieces. The author’s choice of adjectives and her descriptions made me feel as if I was at a gallery seeing a picture and imagining a story around that static image. Our subject is Isobel and what we know is conveyed by those material things in her ambit, and from those things we are informed: “…she had never married, and yet, judging from the mask-like indifference of her face, she had gone through twenty times more of passion and experience than those whose loves are trumpeted forth for all the world to hear.”

Woolf describes a woman compromised by her compulsion to be private: “…she was full of locked drawers, stuffed with letters, like her cabinets.”

Yet Woolf wants us to feel the tension between societal expectations and core feelings: “It was her profounder state of being that one wanted to catch and turn to words, the state that is to the mind what breathing is to the body, what one calls happiness or unhappiness. At the mention of those words it became obvious, surely, that she must be happy. She was rich; she was distinguished; she had many friends; she travelled—she bought rugs in Turkey and blue pots in Persia.”

Woolf had to deal with abuse suffered at an early age and which continued, with no protection provided, in the house where she grew up. No wonder that she had her “locked drawers” and suffered periods of mental distress. Perhaps she felt that there were many (particularly women) who had to “hold things in and hold things together” by keeping it all locked away.

3.5

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This group of short stories is another example of the extraordinary skill that Virginia Woolf possessed. She could take a simple idea and create a thought provoking story. You could set her anywhere; in a room, on a park bench, anywhere; give her pen and paper and ask her to create a story just from what she sees around her, and oh my, what a story you could get. That's what she did, that's who she was, and that's what she did in this group of stories, especially in the title story, The Lady in the Looking Glass, and again in The Mark on the Wall. Just brilliant. What a gift this woman had.

4.5 stars

[Dannii Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a review solely for the short story, 'The Lady in the Looking Glass'. Many of the editions listed under this title also have accompanying short stories that I have yet to read.

The short story in question features Woolf's sensuous writing, philosophical thinking, and societal insight that I have grown to adore, over the course of this year. However, I have also found all these facets to work best for me personally when captured inside of her longer works. The short story medium feels too truncated a length for me to properly unpack all she stores in her writing and I found I also longed for the inclusion of an actual event inside of this one.

[Flybyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People should not leave looking glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime.”
I accidentally stumbled upon this hidden gem of Woolf and I feel like I have discovered a pirate’s treasure on a deserted island. Unbeknown to even Woolf fans, this collection of articles written by Woolf, I believe, is one of the best creations of the famous author and deserve more credit. This is not a full-fledged novel, it comprises of short articles of Woolf and each one is so precious that proves the genius of Woolf once again.

I especially loved the first story: “The Lady in the Looking Glass”, which gives the book its title. Here Woolf observes a friend of hers through the looking glass in her usual style and her observations create a unique reflection of how we observe the world: Everything seems to be moving incessantly “while in the looking-glass things had ceased to breathe and lay still in the trance of immortality.”
In the second story “The Society”, Woolf’s feminist ideas resurfaces as she creates a society of women who are looking for answers to the eternal question of gender positions in society. Women giving birth to men, who are expected to create art, beauty, literature and so on. But do they do justice to their roles by creating wonders while women keep to their positions, be at home, die giving birth to men? When women start reading, the world turns upside down and roles begin to shift.

The Mark on The Wall somehow reminded me of the famous horror story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, in which Woolf is obsessed with a mark on the wall and her stream of consciousness flows around that mark.

Solid Objects is a tale of another obsession of a man, he falls in the traps of idolatry, becomes obsessed with objects and slowly recedes from his societal duties.

The final story Lappin and Lapinova talks about a marriage of a happy couple, whose bliss fades away day by day. Woolf asks the question “How long does marital happiness last?” and answer this question via her usual complex prose.

So happy to have uncovered this secret treasure: A must-read for Woolf lovers.

[Rosemarie Björnsdottir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virginia Woolf will never cease to amaze me with her writing. Her stories are always so incredibly beautiful. I wish I could just stay in her stories forever

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The golden table became a moor with the gorse in full bloom; the din of voices turned to one peal of lark’s laughter ringing down from the sky.” – ‘Lappin and Lapinova’

What else can I say, other than I miss her? Loving Woolf is hardly ever a one-time thing; sometimes it just hits you hard in the stillness of the night – call it Mercury retrograde or whatever – but when it comes for you, it comes for you like a familiar beast trailing your hunger pangs.

“Wood is a pleasant thing to think about. It comes from a tree; and trees grow, and we don’t know how they grow. For years and years they grow, without paying any attention to us, in meadows, in forests, and by the side of rivers – all things one likes to think about.” – ‘Mark on the Wall’

Woolf’s relationship with Nature is an intense, intimate, and beautiful one; and it shows in her writing – so gloriously – she propagates the essence of plants and whatnots, to let them live eternally in a beautiful loop through her words. I don’t know if I can compare her to Georgia O’Keeffe. They’re very different legends, but they share a similar commitment to Nature, and a similar attitude towards their work. I have read all but one of the stories in this collection before in her other book, A Haunted House and Other Short Stories. I think I enjoyed them even more this time around. After reading this short collection of her work, I revisited the one I read last to compare; and it made me wonder why Leonard Woolf (husband) had decided to exclude ‘A Society’ in that one. It reminded me of Sylvia Plath (love, love, love) – and her work; and of how her husband too had edited her work to be published (posthumously). But of course, I do prefer Leonard more than Ted (a clever poet, but a rotten, lousy lover).

“ ‘… Home is the hunter, home from the hill. He gave his bridle reins a shake. Love is sweet, love is brief. Spring, the fair spring, is the year’s pleasant King. O! to be in England now that April’s there. Men must work and women must weep. The path of duty is the way to glory –’ We could listen to no more of this gibberish.” – ‘A Society’

I couldn’t rate the stories in this collection (or her other collection(s)) individually because I think that they have a tendency to overlap (thematically and otherwise) – like waves – they come from the same waters – and are beautiful on their own but also together – depending on when and how or where you read them. The plot is rarely of much importance in Woolf’s short stories (in my opinion); the focus is usually on how it makes one feels as one takes in all that immensely and everlastingly beautiful, bittersweet compositions.

“She was half hidden by the great chrysanthemums that curled their red and gold petals into large tight balls. Everything was gold. A gold-edged card with gold initials intertwined recited the list of all the dishes that would be set one after another before them. She dipped her spoon in a plate of clear golden soup. The raw white fog outside had been turned by the lamps into a golden mesh that blurred the edges of the plates and gave the pineapples a rough golden skin.” – ‘Lappin and Lapinova’

And at this very moment of time, ‘Lapin and Lappinova’ affected me the most/most deeply. I enjoyed every well-composed description, the rhythm/tone, and the ever so brilliant, poetic dialogues. The intensity of the protagonists’ thoughts, and the tension between the characters. It had a pastoral, gothic vibe to it. And I’m sure that it’d make such a solid foundation to an incredible film if someone like Sofia Coppola or Robert Eggers spent enough time with it.

“As the dinner wore on, however, the room grew steamy with heat. Beads of perspiration stood out on the men’s foreheads. She felt that her icicle was being turned to water. She was being melted; dispersed; dissolved into nothingness; and would soon faint. Then through the surge in her head and the din in her ears she heard a woman’s voice exclaim, ‘But of course they breed so!” – ‘Lappin and Lapinova’

Every time (esp. after a certain amount of time has gone by) I go back to Woolf, I still get weak and wobbly in the knees with nervous admiration. I don’t know how she does it; I’ll probably never know, but I’m okay with that – because as long as my tired heart still bops, I’ll always have space for a Woolf on the bedside table (usually The Waves).

“As for saying which are trees, and which are men and women, or whether there are such things, that one won’t be in a condition to do for fifty years or so. There will be nothing but spaces of light and dark, intersected by thick stalks, and rather higher up perhaps, rose-shaped blots of an indistinct colour – dim pinks and blues – which will, as time goes on, become more definite, become – I don’t know what …” – ‘The Mark on the Wall’

[top. · Rating 3 out of 5]

สนุก! เมื่อเทียบกับโฟล์คเนอร์กุหลาบแด่เอมิลี่ เล่มนี้เพลิดเพลินด้วยการพินิจการเลือกใช้คำแปลที่พิถีพิถัน ส่วนตัวชอบสามเรื่องสุดท้าย โดยเฉพาะรูปแบบการดำเนินเรื่องของ "รอยเปื้อนบนพนัง" และการพรรณนาของ "ในสวนผลไม้" และ "แลพพินและลาพิโนวา"

[Marisé · Rating 4 out of 5]

La Mujer en el espejo. Un reflejo 5
La Sociedad 3,5
La marca en la pared 3
Objetos sólidos 4
Lappin y Lapinova 5

[Sarah Far · Rating 3 out of 5]

انسانها همانطور که دفاتر حساب و نامه هایی که جنایات پنهانی را آشکار می سازند،باز نمی گذارند، به هیچ وجه نباید آینه ها را هم در اتاق هایشان آویزان رها کنند.

"زنی در قاب آیننه" اولین کتابی بود که از وولف خووندم.
داستانهای کوتاه وولف نماینده ی بارز جریان سیال هوشیاری و خودآگاه و زندگی درونی هستی اند.

ویرجینیا در خاطراتش می نویسد: "اگر بارقه ی تخیل و دلبستگی به کتاب نبود، من زنی کاملا عادی بودم"

زنی که شاید بتوان گفت نوشتن دلیل ماندنش بود: " اکنون میتوانم بنویسم و بنویسم. شادی ناب در جهان همین است"

[Bethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see V. Woolf as the most domestic novelist I know of, along with ethereal and cerebral. Prone to flights of fancy and delicately intensely lyrical prose, being immersed in the beats of her wings and the great love and compassion she seems to have for everyday life and people as it is for her social milieu can be captivating. If it is not very solid or deep, or sometimes off-putting, it compensates with a connection she seems to have with the rivulets of life and occasional glimpses of an other world that is beyond comprehension, especially showcased in 'The Mark on the Wall', perhaps, taut with glassy and orgasmic intensity as it is, and she is able to place both pleasure and fear into this unique literary effect.

Some of these short stories are good for above reasons. For example, 'Lappin and Lapinova' is all kinds of awesome and very clever with characteristic Woolfian whimsy, as it shows the ending of a marriage using the device of their private and pet names, and is a touch solider and blacker than I usually associate Woolf with, or there is the lyrical poetry of 'The Lady in the Looking-Glass', as the life of a lady is meditated upon as if being observed by the reflections of a mirror: a mirror as a window into which desires are placed as well as a teller of how things are, for a person. Also, I should not forget 'A Society', which is a little strange but interesting social satire and commentary, for that - feminism - is also one of Woolf's great interests

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely! The Penguin people compared books from this series to a bag of chips in their vlog/making of video because you can't stop yourself from reading them in one go, but Virginia Woolf's book is a lot more like some kind of rich tea biscuit. Elegant and so soft and creamy it just melts in your mouth (or your mug), but at the same time very homely. At the same time I love the way this tiny book showcases the whole extent of Virginia Woolf's talent - there are both poetic, stream of consciousness pieces and very political-feminist ones as well a touch of playful fantasy. It's really ideal as an introduction to her writing.

[Nattapan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarcastic, but hilarious. A very good example of creative writing.

[Pawarut Jongsirirag · Rating 4 out of 5]

ขอต้อนรับสู่กระเเสสำนึก

รวมเรื่องสั้นของเวอร์จีเนีย วูลฟ์ เล่มนี้เหมือนหน้าต่างที่เปิดออก พาเราไปรู้จักงานเขียนของวูลฟ์ได้ดีเลยครับ
เรื่องสั้นทั้งหมดในเล่มสามารถเเบ่งออกได้ 2 ประเภท คือเน้นที่รูปเเบบการเขียน กับ เน้นที่เนื้อสารที่จะส่งออกไป

รูปเเบบเเรกที่เน้นรูปเเบบการเขียน เเสดงให้เห็นการเขียนสไตล์กระเเสสำนึก เหมือนการนำความคิดในหัวของตัวเอกมาตีเเผ่ออกเป็นตัวอักษร ไม่มีเริ่มต้น ไม่มีกลางบท เเละ ไม่มีท้ายเรื่อง เป็นเพียงการไหลของความคิด กระโดดไปมา ตัดสลับโลกความคิดเเละความจริงภายนอก
เรื่องสั้นที่เด่นชัดที่สุดในเเนวทางนี้คือ รอยเปื้อน ที่ทั้งเรื่องคือการบรรยายความคิดของตัวเอก ที่สงสัยว่ารอยเปื้อนในกำเเพงมาจากไหน เเละเรื่อง สตรีในกระจก ที่อาจจะไม่ได้ชัดในเเนวทางกระเเสสำนึก เเต่ได้เพิ่มวิธีการบรรยายที่เหมือนก้นหอย ไล่เรียงจากภายนอกเเล้วค่อยๆหมุนวนสู่ภายใน เเปลกเเหวกเเนวดี
อ่านค่อนข้างยากนะครับ เนื้อเรื่องในรูปเเบบนี้ สมาธิหลุดคือบินหายจากเนื้อเรื่องเลย ก็เเน่ละ
นี่เรากำลังนั่งอยู่ในหัวของมนุษย์คนนึง ไม่มีอะไรง่ายอยู่เเล้ว

รูปเเบบที่สองที่เน้นเนื้อสาร จะบรรยายอย่างตรงไปตรงมา เเละตรงไปตรงในเนื้อสารด้วย ทั้งความเป็นเฟมินิสม์ สังคมชายเป็นใหญ่ ความเปราะบางของชีวิตครอบครัว ซึ่งเนื้อสารเหล่านี้ต่างเป็นจุดเด่นในงานของวูลฟ์

เป็นรวมเรื่องสั้นเล่มบาง ที่เนื้อหาไม่บางเลย ค่อนไปทางอ่านยากด้วยซ้ำ เเต่ก็สนุกในเเบบเเปลกๆดีครับ เหมือนนั่งในรถไฟเหาะที่เเล่นเร็วจนเเทบไม่เห็นวิวข้างนอกเลย รู้เเค่ว่ามันมีลมตีหน้า รู้สึกตัวอีกที อ้าว เขาชวนเราลงจากรถเเล้ว ...

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here was the woman herself. She stood naked in that pitiless light. And there was nothing. Isabella was perfectly empty. She had no thoughts. She had no friends. She cared for nobody. As for her letters, they were all bills. Look, as she stood there, old and angular, veined and lined, with her high nose and her wrinkled neck, she did not even trouble to open them.

People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms.

[Ammara Shaheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is first Virginia Woolf read and I really enjoyed her style of writing. It was whimsical but serious all in one

[Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posebno bih izdvojila kao omiljene priče Ukletu kuću, Društvo, Damu u zrcalu, Čvrste predmete te Lappina i Lapinovu.

[Ankita Chauhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review : https://soundingwords.blogspot.com/20...
I am a naïve when it comes to classic reads, I hardly devour this genre. It is due to lack of my interest or else, don’t know but this time I couldn’t resist myself from reading it. The Lady in the
Looking Glass, I am telling you frankly, It is not easy to get into the writings of Virginia Wolf, at least my experience is like that only, but you can’t stop yourself after reading few lines of her stories, now that’s the magic of Virginia Wolf. It is kind of experimental reading.

People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime.

The Lady in the Looking Glass is a collection of five stories, exploring the perspective of women, the way she weave her stories, you get distracted from the main theme and at the same time you try to come back to it from a different tangent. It captivates you because she used the moments from everyday life.

I have never read anything like this before, It was like she was playing with her characters and their consciousness. My mind started wandering into her depths of seeing things. Narration of her stories what I liked the most.

I particularly liked “Lady in the looking glass” “Lapin and Lapinova” and “Solid objects”. Poignant human emotions make it read worthy. It seemed to me that I am reading some interesting essays, sort of parallel universe. Give it a try!

[Dhanaraj Rajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a short collection of five of Virginia Woolf's short stories.

The themes of the short stories are linked to her perspective on women. And as I have read her A Room of One's Own the ideas were not new to me. But the stories, at times, have the capability of bringing out the element or the phenomenon in a more expressive and poignant way. This I hoped for in this short story collection. The first three stories almost passed me like other three essays. The last two and specially the last story (Lappin and Lapinova) had the special element of expressing the thought in the story form and they made an impact.

[skhwiarnly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read something by Virginia Woolf before and I'm now wondering why I haven't.
This little collection of short stories left me transfixed. It's unbelievable how Virginia Woolf had been able to transform something that could have been not so interesting into a story, with a message about human nature, relationships, mental illness and so on, combined with the stream of consciousness, letting the reader know about thoughts and emotions of the characters.
Highly recommended.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have, over the years read a lot of books by Virginia Woolf. My favorite is still 'Orlando' her love letter to Vita.

This small book is a very different work to that, as it is set mainly within the realms of her reality at the time.

The first story is of someone looking at a friend or is it their own reflection (as my mother suggested) through the window of a looking glass, the description of this view is so perfect, all appears so still like some sort of parallel universe really, the genius of Virginia Woolf is seeing the depth within the minutia of life. within this short story we get to glimpse a whole lifetime of the woman described.

I wasn't too sure what the story 'A Society' was deriving at but it seemed to be questioning the notion; more so at the time but still prevalent today, that man is the superior intellect. This took an almost sarcastic stance at pointing out the error of this notion.

The story I enjoyed most was 'The Mark on the wall' this is a perfect example of how a little whimsy took Ms Woolf to the fundamentals of life... the way she let her mind flow, from merely gazing at a blob on the wall...

The last story 'Lappin and Lapinova' looks at marriage and the illusions we use to keep them intact.
Here are a couple of the memorable lines from the book:

‘People should not leave looking glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime.’

‘If she concealed so much and knew so much one must prize her open with the first tool that came to hand - the imagination.’

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember loving "A Society" when I read this the first time. A short story about a group of women figuring out that men may rule the world but they are sure not superior in every way as they believe them to be in the beginning. It's sarcastic, clever and funny, too.

While I enjoyed "The Lady in the Looking Glass" mostly for her great way with words, I really don't get 'The Mark on the wall'. For me there's just not much there. No story, but also not poetic enough to hold my interest.

I can't even remember what "Solid Objects" is about... Even though I've read it twice now.

I absolutely adored "Lappin and Lapinova". It's a heart breaking short story about a loving marriage falling apart. Very imaginative and beautiful.

[Sarah Loncon · Rating 4 out of 5]

i see this story as what could be a statement about how female characters are/were written: dynamic and just about looks, what is seen in the mirror, what is in the reflection. no feelings just facts. the looking glass symbolizes what you want the world to see the picture that you create to be seen and reflected. i loved imagination being described as a tool we. i also like the statement made that you can feel pleasure and still be unhappy that unhappiness and pleasure are two separate things that are often grouped together and seen as the same thing. Isabella throughout the story seems to almost lose herself in the reflection of the looking glass. especially when she rips the letters, destroying any evidence of what could be more than her reflection.

[Jack Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection - 5 stars
A Society - 4 stars
The Mark on the Wall - 4 stars
Solid Objects - 4.5 stars
Lappin and Lapinova - 4.5 stars

[Pardis · Rating 2 out of 5]

آدم‌ها نبايد در اتاق‌هايشان آينه آويزان كنند همان طور كه نبايد دفترچه‌هاي حساب پس‌انداز يا نامه‌ها را پيش چشم ديگران بگذارند كه جنايتي را افشا مي‌كنند

[Sema · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sevgili Woolf, aramıza yıllar girmiş olsa da sanki hiç ara vermemiş gibiyiz, sanki beynimin bir noktasında oturuyor ve esprilerime katkıda bulunuyormuşsun gibi hissediyorum.
Nüktedan anlatımıyla, ataerkil bir toplumun balta girmemiş ormanlarının güçlü amazonu olmayı başarıyor yine Woolf. 'Bilinç akışı' tekniği her ne kadar dikkat dağınıklığının bir eseriymiş gibi görünse de öykülerin akıcılığından bir şey kaybettirmiyor. Beş öyküden oluşan kitaptaki öyküler; toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri, yaşlılık, kadın, evlilik konuları etrafında toplanıyor. Keyif veren, düşündüren ve güldüren bir kitap.

Zihin başka şeylerle meşgulken görmeden bakılan bütün nesneler düşünce dünyasına öyle derinden siner ki kendi biçimini yitirir, kendini biraz değiştirip ideal bir şekle sokar ve bu şekil en beklenmedik anlarda insanın aklına düşüverir.

Hayat insanı gerçekten de soyup soğana çeviriyor! Esas şaşırtıcı olan şu an sırtımda giysi olması, somut mobilyalarla çevrili oturuyor olmam.

[Beas Chattaraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first story that I have read which has been written by Virginia Woolf. Its the strange perspective how mirrors and other inanimate objects bear witness to our daily lives and know more about us than we do ourselves. Its about how things are not what they seem. How mistaken are we about our fellow humans? Do we really know them? Its easy to imagine things about them and judge them as we like. But are we right about them? A short story, about a woman told through the eyes of the looking glass, which started as a sketch of a person, incomplete and then gradually bits and pieces get added to it, one by one until we see the full picture.