Night and Day

Book excerpt: Katharine Hilbery, torn between her duty to her family and her desire for intellectual independence, finds herself entangled in a hesitant courtship with Ralph Denham, a persistent suitor who challenges her ideals. Meanwhile, her friend Mary, dedicated to women's suffrage and social reform, grapples with her feelings for Cyril Alardyce, a promising young lawyer whose commitment to social justice mirrors her own. Published in 1919, Night and Day is Virginia Woolf's exploration of the societal constraints faced by women and the evolving dynamics of relationships amidst shifting cultural landscapes. Departing from the experimental techniques of her later works, this novel offers a more conventional narrative structure while still showcasing Woolf's keen insight into human emotions and societal norms. VIRGINIA WOOLF [1882–1941] was an English author. With novels like Jacob’s Room [1922], Mrs Dalloway [1925], To the Lighthouse [1927], and Orlando [1928], she became a leading figure of modernism and is considered one of the most important English-language authors of the 20th century. As a thinker, with essays like A Room of One’s Own [1929], Woolf has influenced the women’s movement in many countries.