The Voyage Out

An important motif throughout The Voyage Out is the centrality of literature. The characters in this novel are well-versed in literature but have very specific opinions about how the books one reads reveals something about the reader. The contemporary novels Rachel loves to read are considered low brow by many of the other characters; therefore, Rachel is characterized as young and undereducated due to the types of books she appreciates. Hirst’s favorite book is the epic historical account The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a six-volume history of Western society. For Hirst, this book represents a narrowly defined concept of “great literature”—a very limited canon of “serious” books that are the only ones worth reading and knowing. His interest in this book emphasizes how intellectually elitist and myopic Hirst is. Hewet wants Rachel to read more poetry because he believes that poetry is more reflective of the human emotional experience. This suggests that Hewet is more interested in feelings and beliefs than in story, even though he is a novelist. Conversations about books abound in this novel. There is no other form of entertainment besides reading because this novel is set in the years before radio and television. Additionally, literature helps the characters feel more connected to their home lives in England. The books are familiar works to them, and many are in the English canon of classic literature. Therefore, literature is both a reflection of a character and a way of connecting to one’s culture in a time of homesickness.