1、Virginia Woolf,An Approach to Mrs. Dalloway,Virginia Woolf,I. Brief Introduction II. Analysis of Mrs. Dalloway III. Comment IV. Q&A,Virginia Woolf,Mater of Stream of Consciousness” 1882-1941,I. Brief Introduction.,Mrs Dalloway (published on 14 May 1925) is a novel by Virginia Woolf that details a da
2、y in the life of Clarissa Dalloway in post-World War I England. It is one of Woolfs best-known novels.Created from two short stories, “Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street“ and the unfinished “The Prime Minister“, the novels story is of Clarissas preparations for a party of which she is to be hostess. With t
3、he interior perspective of the novel, the story travels forwards and back in time and in and out of the characters minds to construct an image of Clarissas life and of the inter-war social structure.,Plot Summary,Clarissa Dalloway goes around London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that
4、 evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth at Bourton and makes her wonder about her choice of husband; she married the reliable Richard Dalloway instead of the enigmatic and demanding Peter Walsh and she “had not the option“ to be with Sally Seton. Peter reintroduces these conflicts by paying
5、a visit that morning. Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran of World War I suffering from deferred traumatic stress, spends his day in the park with his Italian-born wife Lucrezia, where they are observed by Peter Walsh. Septimus is visited by frequent and indecipherable hallucinations, mostly concerning
6、 his dear friend Evans who died in the war. Later that day, after he is prescribed involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital, he commits suicide by jumping out of a window. Clarissas party in the evening is a slow success. It is attended by most of the characters she has met in the book, incl
7、uding people from her past. She hears about Septimus suicide at the party and gradually comes to admire the act of this stranger, which she considers an effort to preserve the purity of his happiness.,Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again: I feel we cant go through another of those terri
8、ble times. And I shant recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and cant concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I dont think two people could have been happier till this ter
9、rible disease came. I cant fight it any longer, I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I cant even write this properly. I cant read. What I want to say is that I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me
10、 and incredibly good. I want to say that - everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I cant go on spoiling your life any longer. I dont think two people could have been happier than we have been.,Themes,
11、The novel has two main narrative lines involving two separate characters (Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Smith); within each narrative there is a particular time and place in the past that the main characters keep returning to in their minds. For Clarissa, the “continuous present“ (Gertrude Steins p
12、hrase) of her charmed youth at Bourton keeps intruding into her thoughts on this day in London. For Septimus, the “continuous present“ of his time as a soldier during the Great War keeps intruding, especially in the form of Evans, his comrade.,Mental illness,Septimus, as the shell-shocked war hero,
13、operates as a pointed criticism of the treatment of mental illness and depression. Woolf lashes out at the medical discourse through Septimus decline and suicide; his doctors make snap judgments about his condition, talk to him mainly through his wife and dismiss his urgent confessions before he can
14、 make them. Rezia remarks that Septimus “was not ill. Dr Holmes said there was nothing the matter with him“. Woolf goes beyond criticizing the treatment of mental illness. Using the characters of Clarissa and Rezia, she makes the argument that people can only interpret Septimus shell-shock according
15、 to their cultural norms. Throughout the course of the novel Clarissa does not meet Septimus. Clarissas reality is vastly different from that of Septimus; his presence in London is unknown to Clarissa until his death becomes idle chat at her party. By never having these characters meet, Woolf is sug
16、gesting that mental illness can be contained to the individuals who suffer from it without others who remain unaffected ever having to witness it.,Mental illness,This allows Woolf to weave her criticism of the treatment of the mentally ill with her larger argument, which is the criticism of societys
17、 class structure. Her use of Septimus as the stereotypically traumatized man from the war is her way of showing that there were still reminders of the First World War in 1923 London. These ripples affect Mrs. Dalloway and readers spanning generations. Shell shock or post traumatic stress disorder is
18、 an important addition to the early 20th century canon of post-war British Literature. There are similarities in Septimus condition to Woolfs struggles with bipolar disorder (they both hallucinate that birds sing in Greek and Woolf once attempted to throw herself out of a window as Septimus does). W
19、oolf eventually committed suicide by drowning. Woolfs original plan for her novel called for Clarissa to kill herself during her party. In this original version, Septimus (whom Woolf called Mrs. Dalloways “double“) did not appear at all.,Existential issues,When Peter Walsh sees a girl in the street
20、and stalks her for half an hour, he notes that his relationship to the girl was “made up, as one makes up the better part of life.“ By focusing on characters thoughts and perceptions, Woolf emphasizes the significance of private thoughts rather than concrete events in a persons life. Most of the plo
21、t in Mrs Dalloway is realizations that the characters subjectively make. Fueled by her bout of ill health, Clarissa Dalloway is emphasized as a woman who appreciates life. Her love of party-throwing comes from a desire to bring people together and create happy moments. Her charm, according to Peter
22、Walsh who loves her, is a sense of joie de vivre, always summarized by the sentence “There she was.“ She interprets Septimus Smiths death as an act of embracing life and her mood remains light even though she hears about it in the midst of the party.,Feminism,As a commentary on inter-war society, Cl
23、arissas character highlights the role of women as the proverbial “Angel in the House“ and embodies sexual and economic repression and the narcissism of bourgeois women who have never known the hunger and insecurity of working women. She keeps up with and even embraces the social expectations of the
24、wife of a patrician politician but she is still able to express herself and find distinction in the parties she throws. Her old friend Sally Seton, whom Clarissa admires dearly, is remembered as a great independent woman: She smoked cigars, once ran down a corridor naked to fetch her sponge-bag and
25、made bold, unladylike statements to get a reaction from people. When Clarissa meets her in the present day, she turns out to be a perfect housewife, having married a self-made rich man and given birth to five sons.,Homosexuality,Clarissa Dalloway is strongly attracted to Sally at Bourton 34 years la
26、ter, she still considers the kiss they shared to be the happiest moment of her life. She feels about women “as men feel“, but she does not recognize these feelings as signs of homosexuality. Similarly, Septimus is haunted by the image of his dear friend Evans. Evans, his commanding officer, is descr
27、ibed as being “undemonstrative in the company of women“. The narrator describes Septimus and Evans behaving together like “two dogs playing on a hearth-rug“ who, inseparable, “had to be together, share with each other, fight with each other, quarrel with each other.“ Jean E. Kennard notes that the w
28、ord “share“ could easily be read in a Forsteran manner, perhaps as in Forsters Maurice which shows the words use in this period to describe homosexual relations. Kennard is one to note Septimus “increasing revulsion at the idea of heterosexual sex“, abstaining from sex with Rezia and feeling that “t
29、he business of copulation was filth to him before the end.“,PART 1,Background,Modern literature,Time:1910-1945,Characteristics of Modernism Modern literature often features a marked pessimism, a clear rejection of the optimism apparent in Victorian literature.Modern literature often moves beyond the
30、 limitations of the Realist novel with a concern for larger factors such as social or historical change ，this is prominent in “stream of consciousness“ writing.,The Modernism emphasis on a radical individualism which can be seen in the many literary manifestos ，such as Richard Hollenbecks “First Ger
31、man Dada Manifesto” of 1918 .,Modern literature attempted to move from the bonds of Realist literature and introduce concepts such as disjointed timelines. Modernist literature developed a style that can be characterized by a preoccupation with stylistic novelty, formal fragmentation, multiple persp
32、ectives, and alternatives to traditional narrative forms.,criticism,Her work was criticised for epitomizing the narrow world of the upper-middle class English intelligentsia. be lacking in universality and depth, without the power to communicate anything of emotional or ethical relevance to the read
33、er, as an anti-Semite,Peter Walsh,Richard Dalloway,Sally Seton,Clarissa Dalloway,Elizabeth Dalloway,Septimus Smith,Lucrezia,Dr. Holmes,William Bradshaw,Clarissa Dalloway,Clarissa Dalloway,Clarissa Dalloway,The heroine of the novel, Clarissa is analyzed in terms of her life, personality, and thought
34、process throughout the book by the author and other characters. Clarissa enjoys the moment-to-moment aspect of life and believes that a piece of her remains in every place she has visited. She lacks a certain warmth, but is a caring woman who is touched by the people around her and their connection
35、to life in general. Clarissa feels that her parties are her gift to the world and is proud to share herself with others.,Clarissa And Sally,Sally Seton/Lady Rosseter,As a young woman, she was Clarissas best friend, staying with Clarissa at Bourton because she was considerably poorer than Clarissa. S
36、ally enjoyed causing a raucous by making outrageous claims and acting on a rebellious instinct that led her to smoke cigars, run naked down the halls, and do other crazy stunts that were not condoned by Clarissas relatives. She represents Clarissas true but unfulfilled love. As an older woman, she h
37、as surprisingly married a wealthy man and had a family, though she retains many of her spirited qualities.,Richard Dalloway,Clarissas husband, Richard is in love with his wife but feels uncomfortable showing his affection. A member of the government, he continually must attend councils, committees,
38、and important meetings. He is called on by Lady Bruton for counsel, but is viewed by Sally Seton as not reaching his potential. She and Peter feel that he would have rather been in the country on a farm. Clarissa was attracted to him for his direct ideas, command of situations, and facility with ani
39、mals.,Peter Walsh,Clarissas beau before Richard, Peter does not see Clarissa often after their break up. He had moved to India, married, separated, and then fallen in love again. The day of the novel, he returns to London and visits Clarissa. There is still an intensity between them and Peter reveal
40、s later to Sally Seton that Clarissa ruined his life by refusing to marry him. He rethinks much of their time at Bourton and decides to attend Clarissas party even though he hates her parties. He waits the entire party just to speak with her or be near her.,Elizabeth Dalloway,Clarissa and Richards d
41、aughter, she is described as strangely dark and exotic looking. She garners much attention from suitors but would rather spend her time in the country with her father and dog than at her mothers party. She is close to Miss Kilman but finds Miss Kilman odd and awkward at times. She sometimes imagines
42、 that she may be a veterinarian so that she can care for animals.,Septimus Smith,Often considered Clarissas doppelganger, Septimus was a successful, intelligent, literary young man before World War I. During the war, he wins many honors and friends. After a good friend, Evans, is killed, he realizes
43、 that he can no longer feel. Marrying Rezia in an attempt to move on, Septimus never regains an emotional attachment to the world. The couple moves back to London and Septimus returns to his good job, but he slowly slips into further depths of despair and horror. He hears voices, namely of Evans, an
44、d becomes extremely sensitive to color and natural beauty. The doctors compound his problems by ignoring them, and they become the embodiment of evil and humanity, in his mind. When Dr. Holmes pushes into his home to see him, Septimus throws himself out the window to his death.,Lucrezia Warren Smith
45、,Septimus wife, Lucrezia lived in Italy before marrying and made hats with her sister. She is young and fun loving, but becomes seriously humiliated and sad when Septimus starts slipping into insanity. She wanted a normal marriage with children, not a man who talks to himself. When they first met, h
46、e had introduced her to Shakespeare and listened to her. Rezia tries to protect her husband from the doctors, but, in the end, she cannot.,Sir William Bradshaw,The esteemed psychologist who treats Septimus after Dr. Holmes, Bradshaw recommends rest in the country for Septimus so he can be reoriented
47、 to Bradshaws strict ideal of proportion. He recognizes that Septimus is seriously suffering from post-war anguish. He is hated by Septimus because he represents humanity along with Holmes, by Rezia because he tries to separate the couple, and by Clarissa because he makes the lives of his patients i
48、ntolerable.,the story,PART 4,Sussex，England,1941,Virginia Woolf begins her last novel, Mrs. Dalloway.,Leonard has nursed her through her illnesses, “does not demand what she cant provide“ and so is always gentle with her.,She determines to move back to London, better to die there “raving mad than ev
49、aporate in Richmond.“,She drowns herself in the river.,Los Angeles1951,Laura reads the beginning of Mrs. Dalloway, “trying to lose herself.“,Laura and Richie begin to make the birthday cake for her husband Dan.,She thinks about committing suicide, but rejects the idea .,Laura eventually abandons her
50、 family .,New York City 2001,Clarissa buys flowers for the party she is giving for her best friend and former lover Richard.,Richard has given her the nickname Mrs. Dalloway,Richard is dying of AIDS. He is not sure he has the will or the strength to accept his award, which he insists, he is getting because he has AIDS and not because of his literary talents.,
