How to Be Book Club - "The Waves" by Virginia Woolf

Existential crises are like a persistent rash. There's no cure, but if you're suffering from the Big Questions, maybe the How To Be Book Club can be a salve. Come hang out in Book Club Bar's back garden one Saturday each month, and join us in discussing works of philosophical fiction from across different eras and parts of the globe. We'll read the book beforehand (and do us a solid, if you can—get your book from our store), and then gather for casual conversation over drinks. No preparation needed; just bring your book and your curious mind!

This October, we'll explore ideas of identity and selfhood through our reading of Virginia Woolf's The Waves. In what many consider to be her most experimental work, Woolf uses her trademark literary techniques (stream-of-consciousness and free indirect discourse), to blur the boundaries between the consciousnesses of her six protagonists, and offer a rich meditation on the elusive nature of the self.

To expand on these ideas, we'll pair The Waves with David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature, specifically the section titled "Of Personal Identity" (which begins on page 299 in the Penguin Classics version). In this essay, Hume challenges the notion of a permanent self, and argues that the "self" as we know it is nothing more than a bundle of perceptions that fluctuate according to outer stimuli.

Who are we??? Who is "I"?? Let's find out!

This month's picks: by Virginia Woolf

& by David Hume

What your ticket includes:

• $8 off any drink at the bar

Grab a brunch cocktail at the bar and tell us what you thought of the book! Our informal discussion will be led by BCB bookseller Keri Kelly.

Registration is capped, so please register early if you are planning on attending. Please note: gratuity for the bartenders is not included. Please use your tickets at the beginning of the event.

Host or Publisher Book Club Bar