For her achievement with the thirteen novels that make up Pilgrimage, Dorothy Richardson deserves recognition among the notable modernist novelists. Having read only the first four in the sequence, I find them singularly compelling; their effect remains with me still.
By the conclusion of Pointed Roofs, Richardson’s intention began to crystallise; finishing Honeycomb, the originality and subtle depth of these works evoked a quiet transformation, a clarity of perception previously unrealised. Richardson accomplishes something remarkable: a sustained immersion into the consciousness of her protagonist Miriam Henderson. In May Sinclair’s review of Pilgrimage, she applied, for the first time, the term stream-of-consciousness to a novel; Richardson herself rejected the classification.
Joyce, Woolf, Lispector employ similar techniques with varying efficacy, yet with Pilgrimage one discovers a particularly convincing rendering of consciousness, precisely channelled through Richardson’s pen. This represents one of literature’s essential purposes: an opportunity to encounter another’s perceptions, offering perspective beyond our individual limitations.
Pilgrimage will likely occupy my reading for some time; these novels resist haste. Richardson manipulates time with remarkable freedom. One must remain vigilant to capture the essence of Miriam Henderson’s encounters with the world. Perceiving reality through another’s perception proves challenging yet rewarding. Her writing illuminates: her portrayal of light playing across a room, the minutiae of daily existence, the fragmentary nature of human interaction creates a perspective both distinctive and thought-provoking.
Those with interest might seek John Cowper Powys’s Dorothy M. Richardson, a forty-eight page appreciation that explores the novels with considerable insight. To adapt from Constance Garnett’s Karamazov, experiencing Pilgrimage engages more than intellect or logic, though these novels possess both: it concerns an intimate connection with the written word and its reflection of lived experience.
Once upon a time I found two volumes of her Pilgrimage at the British Council in Bucharest but have never been able to find the rest. So I read them out of order and without the complete immersive experience. You make me want to give it another go…
Dorothy Richardson considered it a book of thirteen chapters. Reading out of sequence is to lose a lot of the thrill of being immersed in Miriam Henderson’s intellectual and emotional development.
Good luck! I have stalled near the end of my read, but I will get to the rest eventually.
Thanks. I may yet do so but it seems unimaginable as I make my way towards the end of the second volume.
I found the Virago vol. 1 in a charity shop earlier this year, & am now screwing up energy to start. I’ve heard it can be daunting as well as rewarding
I didn’t find it difficult, at least not in the way that Woolf can be. Dorothy Richardson does the hard work by teaching you to read her work as you are reading. With each book you get more and more into what she is trying to do (and for the most part proceeding). Pointed Roofs takes a little initial perseverance because it starts a little like. Victorian family saga, but doesn’t take long to turn into something else.
OK, thanks for the advice. Am currently dealing with a challenging novel, so will go for something less demanding first!
Congratulations. I hope you will find reading Pilgrimage as immersive and mind-changing an experience as I did. You can find my own posts on the experience here: http://neglectedbooks.com/?tag=pilgrimage, and those of Kate MacDonald, who was reading it at about the same time here: https://katemacdonald.net/category/authors/dorothy-richardson/. We capped it off with a dialogue you can find here: http://neglectedbooks.com/?p=4158. Frankly, after Pilgrimage, much of what I’ve read seems a little like moving from 3D to 2D. Richardson demands much of her reader, but it’s well worth the investment.
Congratulations. I hope you will find reading Pilgrimage as immersive and mind-changing an experience as I did. You can find my own posts on the experience here: http://neglectedbooks.com/?tag=pilgrimage, and those of Kate MacDonald, who was reading it at about the same time here: https://katemacdonald.net/category/authors/dorothy-richardson/. We capped it off with a dialogue you can find here: http://neglectedbooks.com/?p=4158. Frankly, after Pilgrimage, much of what I’ve read seems a little like moving from 3D to 2D. Richardson demands much of her reader, but it’s well worth the investment.
Thanks for your comment. I couldn’t agree more about Pilgrimage. I’m already wondering what on earth will come close to this immersion. I enjoyed your dialogue with Kate MacDonald, and I’ll look forward to reading all the posts for when I’m finished. Your blog is an old favourite.
I’m very interested in the Powys, because he was a favourite author of Iris Murdoch, who is my favourite author. I have yet to read one of his novels but think I should look out for his work on Richardson while she is still relatively fresh in my mind.
His very short essay on Richardson is excellent, quite beautiful in its way.