First published in 1915, &quot;The Voyage Out&quot; was Woolf&rsquo;s first novel, a haunting book full of light and shadow. &nbsp;<br /><br />Rachel Vinrace embarks for South America on her father&#39;s ship and is launched on a course of self-discovery in a kind of modern mythical voyage. The mismatched jumble of passengers provide Woolf with an opportunity to satirize Edwardian life. The novel introduces Clarissa Dalloway, the central character of Woolf&#39;s later novel, Mrs. Dalloway. Two of the other characters were modeled after important figures in Woolf&#39;s life. St John Hirst is a fictional portrayal of Lytton Strachey and Helen Ambrose is to some extent inspired by Woolf&#39;s sister, Vanessa Bell. And Rachel&#39;s journey from a cloistered life in a London suburb to freedom, challenging intellectual discourse and discovery very likely reflects Woolf&#39;s own journey from a repressive household to the intellectual stimulation of the Bloomsbury Group.<br />The story employs&nbsp;Woolf&#39;s&nbsp;famous stream-of-consciousness narration, which allows her to connect small details in unexpected ways.