Night and day

Author's name: Virginia Woolf Publisher: Al-Takween for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2022 Literary classification: Novel Brief about the book: It is the voice of female rebellion in the face of societal traditions, which Virginia Woolf reveals through the characters of Catherine and Mary, exposing the secrets of female inner self. It embodies in the diverging contexts of each of their lives the life of a woman, reflecting in their anxieties, ambitions, and conflicting desires the struggles of women with their society. The events of the novel revolve around the characters of Catherine Helbry and Mary Datchit, two characters who are completely different from each other. While Catherine belongs to the aristocratic class of society and descends from a renowned grandfather as a prominent poet in England, Mary comes from a modest father who works as a priest in a church. Mary lives alone and works in an office advocating for women's voting rights. However, what unites them is their disdain for societal traditions and rules. Catherine, who spends her life understanding her feelings and desires, challenges her society's traditions and breaks off her engagement with the bright young William Rodney, whom she married to please society, to follow the voice within her that tells her she loves Ralph Denham, the struggling young man. Mary, who loved Ralph Denham, abandons her love for him and refuses to marry him, as revenge for her pride when she felt that he was in love with Catherine. She chooses to challenge her society by dedicating her life to her work and serving women's causes and liberation. Thus, the novel narrates two different visions of love, marriage, happiness, and self-fulfillment.