Pilgrimage (novel sequence)
Pilgrimage is a thirteen-volume semi-autobiographical novel sequence by Dorothy Richardson, published between 1915 and 1967. It is considered a landmark work of modernist literature, notable for its innovative use of stream of consciousness narration.
The sequence chronicles the life and experiences of Miriam Henderson, Richardson's fictional alter ego, from her late adolescence to middle age. The novels trace Miriam's intellectual, spiritual, and professional development against the backdrop of significant social and political changes in early 20th-century England and Europe.
Each volume explores different phases of Miriam's life, including her time as a governess, a dental assistant, a teacher, and a translator. Throughout her journey, Miriam grapples with questions of identity, faith, gender roles, and the nature of reality.
The thirteen volumes, in chronological order of publication, are:
- Pointed Roofs (1915)
- Backwater (1916)
- Honeycomb (1917)
- The Tunnel (1919)
- Interim (1919)
- Deadlock (1921)
- Revolving Lights (1923)
- The Trap (1925)
- Oberland (1927)
- Dawn's Left Hand (1931)
- Clear Horizon (1935)
- Dimple Hill (1938)
- March Moonlight (1967; unfinished and published posthumously)
Richardson's experimental narrative style, focusing on the inner world of Miriam Henderson, places Pilgrimage as a key text in the development of feminist modernism. The novels are valued for their exploration of female consciousness and their contribution to the evolution of novelistic form.