Most of the web information about each novel is contained in a section called Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The FAQ compiles information from many sources to give readers a cross-section of information about the novel. Hussey’s Virginia Woolf: A-Z is a key resource for the FAQ, but you should consult additional sources and be very careful to avoid plagiarism! Briefly, cover the following topics:

• composition: dates, places, any special circumstances, such as other books she was writing at the same time as the novel under discussion.
• publication history: first edition date, reprints, any peculiarities, such as earlier versions published as short fiction, etc.
• reception: how was the novel received at the time? This might briefly synthesize contemporary reviews, with selected quotations. Consult The Critical Heritage and the various Woolf biographies on reserve (particularly Lee, King, and Reed).
• biographical references: list any people or events in Woolf’s life that critics think important to interpreting the novel (e.g., Woolf based Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay in To the Lighthouse on her own parents).
• setting: provide relevant details about the time and location(s) in which the novel takes place, including any relevance to her own life (e.g., Woolf sets To the Lighthouse in the Hebrides, although it draws on her memories of childhood summers in Cornwall).
• current critical status: how does the novel rank today among Woolf’s works? You may assess this by what her biographers say, by the MLA listings on the novel, and by your own estimation from reading the recent criticism.
• key critical issues: what are the chief questions critics ask about the novel? Include bibliographic references to critics.