Mrs Dalloway By Virginia Woolf Ø The

Mrs. Dalloway By Virginia Woolf

Ø …The job of the novelist, as Virginia Woolf viewed it, is to convey subjective rather than objective reality, in the tradition of Joyce, James, and Flaubert… Ø This technique is known as Stream of Consciousness Ø This novel in many respects is patterned after James Joyce’s Ulysses, which was published 3 years prior to Mrs. Dalloway

Biography Ø Ø Ø Virginia Stephen Woolf was raised in an upper middle class, socially active, literary family She had 3 full siblings, 2 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters, unfortunately, her and her sister Vanessa were subject to sexual abuse from 2 of her half-brothers She was educated at home and was an avid reader Tragedy 1 st struck the Woolf household when her mother died in 1895, and then again when caregiver/half sister Stella died 2 years later Woolf suffered her 1 st bout of mental illness when her mother died and was plagued with depression and mental illness throughout her life Virginia Woolf was a member of the Victorian, patriarchal, and repressive male dominated society, which did not encourage intellectualism among women, nevertheless Woolf began publishing essays in 1904 and became a noteworthy feminist and author of novels and essays

Biography cont’d When her father died, she and her siblings moved to the Bloomsbury area of London Ø Young students and artists came to meet regularly for intellectual discussions and became known as The Bloomsbury group of which Woolf was an integral part Ø She married Leonard Woolf, a member of the Bloomsbury group, and with him founded Hogarth Publishing Co. , which published notable authors such as T. S. Eliot, and Sigmund Freud Ø She also pursued her own writing career, dissatisfied with the realism of the Victorian novel, she searched for her own method of writing Ø

Biography cont’d • Mrs. Dalloway was published in 1925, and it incorporated her anti – war (WWI) sentiments as well as, provided a new mode and writer’s voice for Woolf: stream of consciousness (the way one thinks) • Woolf transformed the novel with stream of consciousness, which is the attempt to chronicle the inner thoughts of a myriad of characters without pause, and rather than chapters, there are parts of the novel, there also sudden ‘moments of being’ – aha moments – influenced by author James Joyce (Ulysses)

Overview Mrs. Dalloway takes place during 24 hours in the month of June, in London Ø A day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper middle-class housewife who is hosting a party that evening Ø The reader follows her throughout her day with preparations for the party with an extended interior monologue, stream of consciousness – though we briefly experience thoughts of many among a large group of characters – Clarissa’s mind is all-pervasive Ø Point of View shifts throughout the novel to provide the reader with other perspectives of protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway Ø

Characters Ø Clarissa Dalloway – a vivacious, perfect hostess, ambitious, worldly, fashionable; her parties are her way of ordering the world and arranging reality into pleasing patterns, she has internal resolve (frigidity) and emotional sterility; these serve to exclude her from love and genuine, honest openness with people – the novel becomes a justification of her character

Peter Walsh – Clarissa’s harshest critic, overromantic middle-aged man, intellectual, a hard working colonial (Indian) administrator, considered a failure in the world’s eyes. A suitor of Clarissa’s, though she rejected his marriage proposal Ø Richard Dalloway – the embodiment of an English gentleman, reasonably successful politician, not exceptionally bright or an intellectual like Peter Walsh, but also not smug, overbearing and insolent like Hugh Whitbread, he is sincere, in love with his wife and anxious to do good in the world Ø

Hugh Whitbread – the antithesis of Richard Dalloway; well-dressed, wealthy, social climber; insufferably rude, insolent and boorish to ‘inferiors’ or the clerks and servants who cannot benefit him socially Ø Septimus Warren Smith – intended by Virginia Woolf to serve as Clarissa’s ‘double’ symbolically, an insane version of the presumably sane ‘perfect hostess’ Mrs. Dalloway; Septimus is a lower middle class young man of literary proclivities; neurotic and fanatic; his problem parallels Clarissa’s – he is an emotionally cold person who cannot relate to others on an emotional level Ø

Ø Lucrezia Warren Smith – ebullient, warm-hearted, charming, Italian girl; she represents the spirit of love and laughter in Septimus’ life but is unable to save him from self-destruction Ø Dr. Holmes – a local general practitioner, he is unimaginative but a well-intentioned man who speaks foolish platitudes instead of offering real warmth

Sir William Bradshaw – ‘the villain’ per say, ambitious, self-centered psychiatrist, totally lacking in warmth, love or interest in humanity, he cares solely for power that his profession gives him such as manipulative behavior over the lives of others and the power to intrude, meddle and interfere Ø Elizabeth Dalloway – Clarissa’s teenage daughter is a shy inarticulate girl who has just come out in society, but unlike her mother, has little interest in the social whirl; like her father she wants to help people Ø

Ø Doris Kilman – an enigma of a character, she is the only character who arouses real passion in Clarissa, the passion however, is hatred; if anything Doris Kilman should be an object of pity – she is unattractive, poor, lumpy, intense; yet seemingly exercises power over Elizabeth, her only 2 interests are Elizabeth and religious fervor; Clarissa hates her because of her relationship with Elizabeth

Sally Seton – Clarissa’s girlhood friend, a beautiful and daring young woman, that has grown into a rather ordinary middle-aged woman; she’s married to a rich man, and lives a bourgeois though expensive life; mid-life has robbed her of her fiery youthfulness and intellectualism Ø Lady Bruton – A politically inclined peeress, Lady Bruton has a rather masculine mind, and has known Clarissa for many years, though the 2 do not get along Ø

Themes and Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Stream of Consciousness Although considered experimental as a writing technique in the 1920 s and 1930 s, it no longer is now as many authors have used this such as Faulkner, J. D. Salinger, Toni Morrison, Dalton Trumbo, Ken Kesey, etc. Ø The technique utilizes an interior monologue that is characterized by creative syntax, in the representation of a character’s thoughts and psychic life, emotional reactions, mental associations, and images, on an approximated pre-verbal level – there are 4 components: direct and indirect interior monologue, omniscient description and soliloquy Ø

Simultaneity Ø The interaction of events in time and space Ø The opening section of Mrs. Dalloway as well as most of the structure of the novel relies on simultaneity as the apparently disconnected, yet, profoundly related journeys of Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith are followed through a crucial day – their relationship is more on a tenuous and metaphysical level; for example when Clarissa hears of Septimus’ suicide she recognizes it as her insane self

Concept of Doppelganger Ø A doppelganger is defined as the ghost or wraith of a living person, in literature it is the negative image or dark double of a person Ø Some literary examples are: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson; Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Ø Septimus Warren Smith represents Clarrisa Dalloway’s dark, insane side

The Sane and The Insane While the characters in the aforementioned works represent the evil side of the protagonist, Septimus Warren Smith bears the burden of representing the insane nature of Clarissa Dalloway and the world at large – a preternaturally heightened consciousness of the world’s ills Ø Some critics feel that this concept was an outgrowth of Virginia Woolf’s own recurrent bouts with mental illness Ø The doppelganger solved a technical and psychological problem for Woolf since initially Clarissa was going to commit suicide b/c of her shallow, meaningless life, having Septimus commit suicide was a subtler way Ø

Imagery and Symbolism

Big Ben A Powerful Image of Passage of Time In Mrs. Dalloway

Big Ben Ø Ø Ø Big Ben is a sound image of structural and symbolic importance It counts the hours and marks the progress of all the characters toward evening and the climax of their interwoven journeys Passage of time is emphasized through remembrances Cyclical and circular rather than linear quality of time is stressed through the ancient woman singing her song in the tube station Time is so important in this novel that Woolf almost named the novel The Hours (Michael Cunningham did write a novel called The Hours paralleled to Mrs. Dalloway

The Motorcar symbolizes the end of an era

The Motorcar The motorcar unites a variety of social classes as they respond to it with curiosity, patriotism or terror. Ø It is meant to convey the complexity of the city and the multiplicity of its life Ø The passage that suggests the dual identity of the passenger in the car establishes the idea that England’s majesty and death are linked Ø The motorcar also suggest a changing era, the death of the society in Mrs. Dalloway Ø

World War I The real villain of the novel

World War I Ø Ø Like most British intellectuals, Woolf was preoccupied with the disastrous effects of the War on European society – this sentiment is obvious in Mrs. Dalloway The war is the true villain of this novel, since the war both man and society have been sick - it is the turning point of the fall from grace, Septimus’ thoughts contrast with the June day Septimus Warren Smith, WWI vet, seems mad, (insane), yet, paradoxically, in a sense he is the most aware, most sane and most truthful character in the novel Peter Walsh’s attitude toward war contrasts Septimus’ in that he respects the training and ideals of patriotic fidelity and duty of young recruits

Shakespeare The idea of finding comfort in art is prevalent, Septimus loves Shakespeare and is a poet before the war Ø Clarissa identifies with the title character in Othello who loves his wife but kills her out of jealousy, then kills himself when he realizes it is unwarranted Ø

Shakespeare Ø Lines from Shakespeare's plays are quoted throughout the novel Ø Clarissa reads the lines from the play Cymbeline which suggest that death should be embraced as a release from the constraints of life Ø Clarissa also identifies with the idea in Othello of a lost love, particularly when she thinks of Sally Seton

Trees and Flowers imagery pervasive throughout

Trees and Flowers In the opening scene of Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa is going to the florist to buy flowers, the imagery of flowers and trees pervade throughout the novel Ø Trees with their extensive root systems suggest the vast reach of the human soul, Clarissa believes that human souls survive in trees after death Ø Septimus equates cutting down a tree with murder Ø Characters who are comfortable with flowers have a distinctively different personality than those who are not (Clarissa/Septimus are – Richard/Lady Bruton are not as was the case with a love of poetry) Ø

Waves and Water Continuous imagery both positive and negative

Waves and Water There is a suggestion of fluidity in the novel itself, and imagery of waves and water are prevalent Ø Time takes on a water like quality, Big Ben’s sounds ‘flood the room; ’ Clarissa mends her dress while thinking of the peaceful cycle of waves; water drips contentedly from a tap Ø Water also consumes, drowns, drags people down, the English establishment and society is like a relentless tide pulling people under who are not strong Ø

The Establishment Ø Ø Ø Clarissa’s thoughts sketch a perfectly idealized, established upper-class, early 2 oth Century London – one which Virginia Woolf implies has no right to exist The motorcar underscores the demise of this dying era The Prime Minister is a symbol of this decaying society as well The pompous Hugh Whitbread embodies the selfrighteous, social climbing bourgeoisie with its mindless respect for anything aristocratic and all that is wrong with the Establishment Whereas Richard represents what is right with the Establishment, Virginia Woolf believes that the English government means well, despite its corruption, prostitution, poverty and madness induced by war

Snobbery Ø Clarissa is a snob, her relationship to Doris Kilman and the passage which describes it, exemplifies her hatred for her Ø Doris Kilman represents the world of servants and slums which supports and makes possible the grace of Mrs. Dalloway’s parties Ø Doris Kilman’s main character function is to highlight where Clarissa failed with her own daughter, Elizabeth

Middle Age and Death Woolf’s ideas and thoughts are semiautobiographically conveyed through Clarissa in the author’s interest in writing a book about middle age – the past begins to play an important role in the present – there is no more marrying, no more having children, etc. Ø The entire novel is drenched in thoughts of death of Clarissa, Septimus and Peter Ø The dark double, lines from Cymbeline beckoning, Peter’s affair with Daisy, Peter’s encounter with the nurse, Clarissa’s rationalizations of why she didn’t marry Peter, etc. , are all examples Ø

Emotional Sterility Numerous references are made that Clarissa is a prude with an unusually cold, arrogant , unimaginative personality Ø Memories of Peter Walsh and contemplation of her own coldness is why she is lacking as a mother and in her sexual relationship with her husband Ø Clarissa’s warmth is reserved for Sally Seton, although no sexual relationship occurred, Sally represented an intellectual flowering for Clarissa, without her she experienced a death of her soul even though Sally herself has changed with the onset of middle age Ø Emotional sterility is seen in Doris Kilman who is a hostile, bitter, self-pitying, possessive, jealous and outraged feminist Ø

Superficial Values Clarissa’s main interest is in being a social success ‘the perfect hostess’ – she has achieved this through her parties Ø Clarissa loves parties because deep down despite all her faults, she loves life, its variety and vitality – her mind is preoccupied with the London social season Ø Her emotional sterility is tied to her superficial values – She is ambitious for success in the world’s eyes, exemplified by her marriage to Richard rather than Peter Ø Her soul is sterile, her mindless respect for authority is a symptom of the death of individual judgment and love Ø

Mrs. Dalloway Ø This novel was ahead of its time in many respects Ø It is rich in imagery, symbolism, and themes Ø Stream of consciousness was a technique that was innovative for this time Ø Virginia Woolf helped to change the novel

Works Cited Ø Levenson, Martin, D. Monarch Notes – Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway A Critical Commentary. Monarch Press, New York, 1966. www. sparknotes. com/lit/dalloway/