A Study of Musical and Pictorial Elements in To the Lighthouse from an Aesthetic Perspective

To the Lighthouse is one of the stream-of-consciousness works written by the British modernist novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) in 1927. Woolf used many artistic elements in the novel, which is in accordance with Woolf’s concept of the novel. Some researchers have noticed Woolf’s writing and artistic ideas. To the Lighthouse embodies many of Woolf’s artistic thoughts and is of high research value. This thesis analyzes the artistic elements especially musical and pictorial elements in To the Lighthouse from an aesthetic perspective, by using the interdisciplinary research method and close reading method. The study indicates that the adoption of musical and pictorial techniques in the novel allows for a close combination of stream-of-consciousness text and artistry, which greatly enhances the readers’ aesthetic experience.