The Voyage Out

Introduction

The Voyage Out is Virginia Woolf’s first published novel. Published in 1915, it introduces the topics of feminism, love, meaning, and autonomy that Woolf would continue to explore in her later, more famous works. The novel explores the joys and pitfalls of youth and the generational differences between English people in the Edwardian era and those in the Victorian era. It is also a satirical look at how superiority complexes of the British during the height of the British Empire prevented particularly privileged people from appreciating and understanding the world around them.

The Voyage Out is about love, exploration, adventure, homesickness, life goals, and the formation of personhood. Told in the third-person limited point of view, the novel highlights the experiences and thoughts of a host of characters who come together in unique circumstances.

Plot Summary

The Euphrosyne is a ship headed from England to South America. Owned by a man named Willoughby, the Euphrosyne is boarded by a host of characters for the voyage out to South America. Willoughby is joined by his 24-year-old daughter, Rachel; a shy pianist, Ridley Ambrose; his brother; and Helen Ambrose, Ridley’s wife. Also aboard are Mr. Pepper, a classicist, and the ship’s steward, Mr.