Virginia Woolf Part 1
She was born in London 1882 she dies in 1941 attemptin suicide
doesn't go to University but is surrounded by intelectuals and artists
After her mother's death she has a mental breakdown
1904 she moves to Bloomsbury: whwrw she founded The Bloomsbury Group: of Artists
1912 she married Leonard Woolf and founded Harrington Press
Style
No traditional plot or style
use of Interior Monologue to render workings of the minds of the characters
preference for a poetic lyrical style
frequent use of symbols
Themes
Moments of being
Moment in which a certain spiritual truth is reveald
Womanhood
The Passing of Time
difference between Subjective and Objective Time
Main Works
Woolf's Novels are like Mental Voyages focusing on the contrast between Internal and External Reality
Mrs Dallaway (1925)
Plot
Story takes place on one day in one single place in London
Mrs Dallaway is a middle aged woman who is organising a dinner party the narration follows her as she wanders through London
* She has a male counterpart Mr Septemirus who wanders through London too eventually he comits suicide
The news of his death reach Mrs Dallaway at her party
Themes:
Contrast between Life and Death
The complexity of every ordinary character on the most ordinary day
The fragmentation of the Self and of outer realty
Crash of Ideals and Hopes caused by War
Style:
Woolf uses The Stream of Consiousness technique in every poetic way
She never abandons the Stability of syntax and uses 3° Person Omniscent Narrator
Novel is named after its female protagonist Clarissa Dalloway
Female Protagonist: Clarissa Dalloway
She has rather Conservative Political views and not vey opend-minded
she is also a complex and frustrated woman
she lives her being wife and mother as a limitation to her fredoom
Clarissa's mind pervaded by her past memoris reader can follow thanks to (The Stream of Consciousness)
by entering Clarissa's mind the reader can understand her inner thoughts and realise that Clarissa's Self is split between
desire to Celebrate Life:
Morbid attraction towards death:
shown by her love for parties and social life
which caracterises her as an ageing woman
Her Counterpart is: Septimus Warren Smith
a Vetran from War who has been shellshocked to be cured for his panick attacks a nd terrible visions
Woolf follows Clarissa and Septimus while they wander through London on the same day and share the same fears, preoccupations and morbid attractions
*At the end of the day only Clarissa survive: when the news of Septimus suicide reaches her she understands that death is part of life and decides to live on
An Experimental Novel:
Woolf deliberatly choses to focus on one single character: Mrs Clarissa Dallawoy
In one single day: a Wednesday in June in one single place: London
Radical shift from tradition of Victorian Literature and underlines the idea that even the most ordinary character on the most ordinary day can be the subject of a writer's scrutiny
Woolf's interest is in the Workings of the Mind
Mrs Dalloway abandonds the traditionally-structured plot of Victorian novels in favour of a more Experimental Approach to writing
All actions are logically rationally connected with one another
In Mrs Dalloway on the contrary actions are fragmented and disconected
What gives unity to the novel is the Coherence of the Mind
Also Woolf uses The Stream of Consciousness
Woolf prefers to show her characters thoughts in a more controlled and organised way
Uses 3° person impersonal Omniscent Narrator
The Contrast between Subjective and Objective Time
Importance of Subjective Time in contrast with Objective Time
The Latter corresponds on the Actual duration of Chronological time on the contary refers to the Time of Mind
Obsession with time is an important feature of Mrs Dallawoy numerouses references to the Ciming of Clocks and passing of Time
Time symbolically represented by Big Ben constant chiming is heard by all characters and represents unyfing element between them
Septimus: War is choosing death rather than Life
War is a disrupted force that can have tremendous impact on people
Very evident in Septimus case
Through him Woolf can deliver a strong mesage of social criticism against English Society
Septimus enthusiasim and ideals were crushed the blows inflicted on him and his comrades by the war
When he returns home: Septimus is a broken man
His final act of suicide freees him from what he considers a burden of an absurd life and ultimate effort of the effect of the war: which makes people choose death intead of life