Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

[Nicolle]

Our March read. One that I know some of you have been desperate to read for a while. :)

[Flor]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! :-)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Picked it up at the library yesterday. Will start tonight, unless that 4pm eye exam prevents it.

[Janice]

One of my all time favorites, if not the favorite :) Looking forward to reading all of your thoughts on this one :)

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Is this classic chic-lit?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Joseph (Millennium Man) wrote: "Is this classic chic-lit?"

hardly

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Virginia Woolf has a reputation for being a difficult read. Recently, I read her The Voyage Out, my first Woolf, and commented in another group that I didn't see what people were complaining about. "Just wait," I was told. "You are reading probably her only 'normal' book."

I haven't yet cracked the cover, but I expect to find much in the stream of consciousness style. As an aside, Clarissa Dalloway was introduced in The Voyage Out, but she got off the boat early and played a very minor role in that one.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

I find the reading difficult but I'm not afraid.

[Heather L]

Am about halfway through it, will have to get back to it after I've finished my current read.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I got a good 70 pages read last evening. I'll have to read more about her style, but I'm thinking less stream of consciousness and more that she uses words the way an impressionist uses paint. I'm enjoying it very much.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

To me is like hallucinogen influenced poetry.

I find it difficult to pick up her style. I have try hard to see where the sentences ends and the next begins.

On the other extreme I am reading Sherlock Holmes which to me reads like a comic book void of the illustrations.

[Rob]

I am starting the book tonight. My book contains a "Reading Group Guide". I found a copy on Barnes & Noble. Including here.

1. In Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf combines interior with omni-scient descriptions of character and scene. How does the author handle the transition between the interior and the exterior? Which characters' points of view are primary to the novel; which minor characters are given their own points of view? Why, and how does Woolf handle the transitions from one point of view to another? How do the shifting points of view, together with that of the author, combine to create a portrait of Clarissa and her milieu? Does this kind of novelistic portraiture resonate with other artistic movement's of Woolf s time?

2. Woolf saw Septimus Warren Smith as an essential counterpoint to Clarissa Dalloway. What specific comparisons and contrasts are drawn between the two? What primary images are associated, respectively, with Clarissa and with Septimus? What is the significance of Septimus making his first appearance as Clarissa, from her florist's window, watches the mysterious motor car in Bond Street?

3. What was Clarissa's relationship with Sally Seton? What is the significance of Sally's reentry into Clarissa's life after so much time? What role does Sally play in Clarissa's past and in her present?

4. What is Woolf s purpose in creating a range of female charac-ters of various ages and social classes-from Clarissa herself and Lady Millicent Burton to Sally Seton, Doris Kilman, Lucrezia Smith, and Maisie Johnson? Does she present a comparable range of male characters?

5. Clarissa's movements through London, along with the comings and goings of other characters, are given in some geographic detail. Do the patterns of movement and the characters' intersecting routes establish a pattern? If so, how do those physical patterns reflect important internal patterns of thought, memory, feelings, and attitudes? What is the view of London that we come away with?

6. As the day and the novel proceed, the hours and half hours are sounded by a variety of clocks (for instance, Big Ben strikes noon at the novel's exact midpoint). What is the effect of the time being constantly announced on the novel's structure and on our sense of the pace of the characters' lives? What hours in association with which events are explicitly sounded? Why? Is there significance in Big Ben being the chief announcer of time?

7. Woolf shifts scenes between past and present, primarily through Clarissa's, Septimus's, and others' memories. Does this device successfully establish the importance of the past as a shap-ing influence on and an informing component of the present? Which characters promote this idea? Does Woolf seem to believe this holds true for individuals as it does for society as a whole?

8. Threats of disorder and death recur throughout the novel, cul-minating in Septimus's suicide and repeating later in Sir William Bradshaw's report of that suicide at Clarissa's party. When do thoughts or images of disorder and death appear in the novel, and in connection with which characters? What are those characters' attitudes concerning death?

9. Clarissa and others have a heightened sense of the "splendid achievement" and continuity of English history, culture, and tradition. How do Clarissa and others respond to that history and culture? What specific elements of English history and culture are viewed as primary?
How does Clarissa's attitude, specifically, compare with Septimus's attitude on these points?

10. As he leaves Regent's Park, Peter sees and hears "a tall quiver-ing shape,... a battered woman" singing of love and death: "the voice of an ancient spring spouting from the earth. . ." singing "the ancient song." What is Peter's reaction and what significance does the battered woman and her ancient song have for the novel as a whole?

11. Clarissa reads lines from Shakespeare's Cymbeline (IV, ii) from an open book in a shop window: "Fear no more the heat o' the sun / Nor the furious winter's rages. / Thou thy worldly task hast done, / Home art gone and ta'en thy wages: / Golden lads and girls all must, / As chimney-sweepers, come to dust." These lines are alluded to many times. What importance do they have for Clarissa, Septimus, and the novel's principal themes? What fears do Clarissa and other characters experience?

12. Why does Woolf end the novel with Clarissa as seen through Peter's eyes? Why does he experience feelings of "terror," "ecstasy," and "extraordinary excitement" in her presence? What is the significance of those feelings, and do we as readers share them?

[Kiddrah]

I read Mrs. Dalloway last semester for my graduate course in british lit...I like Woolf and this was not the first time that I have had the pleasure of reading her work (A Room of One's Own, To the Lighthouse, and a bunch of essays). I must say that Mrs. Dalloway is my favorite work by Woolf and I was able to appreciate it after I truly grasped the idea of Modernist writing, which provides a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty.

I really liked the questions posed by Rob, since I already know that book and don't want to give anything away. I will answer question 7 in a very "non-spoiler" way lol.


7. Woolf shifts scenes between past and present, primarily through Clarissa's, Septimus's, and others' memories. Does this device successfully establish the importance of the past as a shap-ing influence on and an informing component of the present?

Which characters promote this idea?

Does Woolf seem to believe this holds true for individuals as it does for society as a whole?


Yes. All of them. Definitely.

I know my answers are extremely vague, but like I said I don't want to ruin the book for anyone. If anyone would like an explanation to my answers, then let me know.

[Sunny]

So excited, so excited, so excited. Starting this weekend. Can't wait! YAY!

[[deleted user]]

Congratulations, Sunny. You've been waiting so long!

[Sunny]

I knew it would be a group read SOMEDAY! :-)

[Riya]

Just started reading this an hour ago. Im at page 20 and can't tell whether I like it so far or not.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

19% into the book. Story is all third person narration. All the description seems to be what is happening around the main character. Very abstract I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Formerly, I only knew of Virgina Woolf from "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?" Which I learned is a play that has little to do with the author and is not a book written by her. The play won an award in 1962.

[Cass]

This is my first time joining in for a group read here. I started MRS DALLOWAY about a week ago (coincidentally I picked it up at a bargain sale just after Christmas '12) and I'm just about to read the last 'section' of the novel.

I'm not really joining in so that I can personally dissect the novel but I'll be watching this post to see what everyone else thought.

I actually really like it. I was worried that I just wouldn't ever get used to the writing style--and it definitely takes a lot of concentration to comprehend most everything--but I'm finally at the last hurdle and am so glad that this group bumped this book up on my reading list. Still processing the 'story'...

[Sunny]

Karen, I've found that books with those types of run-on sentences work best for me if I just plow right through them. And then, go back and read the book a second time. Infinite Jest is a book I recently finished, and if I'd tried to keep close tabs on what was going on, I might NEVER have finished it! Hahahaha! And, it is now one of my all time favorite books, maybe even my number one. :)

[Briana]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Karen, I've found that books with those types of run-on sentences work best for me if I just plow right through them. And then, go back and read the book a second time. Infinite Jest is a book I ..."

I think you're right. The book has to be read keeping in mind the stream of consciousness style. Woolf is writing every little thing that pops into her head, so as readers, we have to move with her. Luckily, I'm reading this for an undergraduate class this month so I'm hoping to get more direction. I'm going to start it sometime this week!

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

I find when reading my mind tends to drift off more with this story than other readings. The "where" and "when" events happen in the story is difficult to follow, they just blend into one another.

[☯Emily , moderator]

I was debating whether to read this book or not. I looked at it when I was at the library and couldn't get past the first page, so I didn't check it out. I was hoping that reading the comments would help me decide whether to give it another try. It did!

These comments certainly helped: "a lot of concentration to comprehend most everything," "run-on sentences," "stream of consciousness style" (which I hate!), "when reading my mind tends to drift off more", "I'm reading as one would read poetry" (I hate poetry!), and the last great comment, "hallucinogen influenced poetry." Great critiques! Will skip this month's selection.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Some of the books that had the most profound effect on me were books that were work to get through.

I was a science fiction fan and found plain fiction boring.

I read my older siblings books that were all "boring" fiction and realized they were worth reading.

There must be a reason for this author being so known.

[Cass]

I love that!--"hallucinogen influence poetry" just sounds so right. I wish I'd read the whole novel with that kind of thing in mind, as it really is poetry. Some of the images are just fantastic in every sense of the word.

I've heard on more than one occasion that MRS DALLOWAY is Woolf's more "accessible" of her works. What exactly is that relating to?

[dean]

I'm not very familiar (or comfortable!) with stream of consciousness style, so I thought Mrs Dalloway was a complete *mess* at first and was about to give up on it entirely. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Somewhere about 20 pages or so in, I just got into the flow of her writing and the story and it all clicked. Woolf's prose is quite fine. The line about "a match burning in a crocus" was especially vivid. It sounds nuts, but I started weeping at the part when Sally says that she's "done things, too" and then repeats that she has five sons. There were all kinds of random passages that moved me, and I can't even articulate just why.

If you're having difficulty, it helped a lot for me to just slow down. I think this style just needs to be absorbed and collected differently. Worth it, though.

[Veljko]

I have found some portions of the book very difficult. Some pages I had to re-read multiple times - and there were multiple sections on which I just gave up. I read them, but I did not understand them.

Said so, I am really glad I read this book. I have never really appreciated 'stream of consciousness' books (I could never really get some of Joyce's most famous works...) - but there were some truly brilliant sections here. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book that related to the story of Septimus. I thought those were truly brilliant - and the 'streaming' style of the books really seemed to convey well the thought pattern of Septimus himself. Or, well, what I imagine that thought pattern to be like...

[Jessica]

I too am finding this quite difficult to get in to. I just don't really know what's going on. I'm only about 25 pages in though, so I shall persevere!

[Briana]

Karen wrote: "To Sunny and Briana, I thank you for your helpful comments which offered a different reading perspective by not keeping close tabs on what was written and by keeping the stream of consciousness sty..."

I thought this quote was really important--that Woolf is working to write poetry. She's working to create rhythms and pulsations of little moments in life, so when reading this novel, it may help to focus on the images being created. Also, one element that may help is Woolf uses images to connect events and characters. For example, in the beginning, we hear the squeak of the hinges, which plunges us into a memory where another squeaking of the hinges occurs. If we pay attention to the reoccurring images, I think it may be easier to transition between thoughts. Just another idea.

[Veljko]

Jessica wrote: "I too am finding this quite difficult to get in to. I just don't really know what's going on. I'm only about 25 pages in though, so I shall persevere!"

I heard many people saying that they 'get into the book' after a while - that the writing style starts making sense after you have been reading it for a while.

In reality, I think the book just gets easier. Some of the early sections are really convoluted - and some of the information you need to fully understand is only revealed later on.

In other words, the book does get easier. Whether it gets better, that's subjective...

[Sunny]

My nook version's introduction was enlightening. It compared Woolf's personal life and diary entries to various things that apparently happen throughout this story. Several other little trivia bits too. I'm glad I didn't skip it like I usually do! LOL!

[Jessica]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "My nook version's introduction was enlightening. It compared Woolf's personal life and diary entries to various things that apparently happen throughout this story. Several other little trivia bits..."

I usually skip these as they often contain mega spoilers! My version of Notre-Dame de Paris was kind enough to warn me that the introduction contained spoilers, which I had never seen before.

Now that I'm 'into' the book a little more, I'm liking it quite a lot. I find the writing relaxing to read and quite beautiful. I find Septimus to be a very interesting character too.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Finished! For me the book delivered. An excellent choice. I never would have chosen this book or made it through on my own.

I am looking forward to comparing reading experiences when appropriate.

[Heather L]

Jessica wrote: "I usually skip [introductions] as they often contain mega spoilers! My version of Notre-Dame de Paris was kind enough to warn me that the introduction contained spoilers, which I had never seen before."

I usually don't read introductions until after I've finished the novel for this very reason.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

I am happy my book did not come with an introduction.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

My experience with the story;

(view spoiler)[ Mrs. Dalloway; When I reached the part where someone jumped out the window and killed himself. It hit me like a sledgehammer it Broke me up teary eyes. It still gets to me when I think of it.

I suddenly was aware that her writing style was that of a person that was in complete traumatic shock. The suicide was given the same value as her sewing her green dress or looking at a carriage across the street.

The end of the story. There is a reference to the ecstasy and it being so terrifying. I think of a person being in love with a someone and the more attracted to the other the more afraid of making an advance. Terror for fear of rejection. Not having confidence. Fear of doing something forbidden. (Maybe he had attended Catholic school) Or not having the social maturity to realize their own attraction to the person may be a reflection of the other person being attracted to them. Hence it is OK and a good thing to let the other person know...

I had a difficult time keeping track of what was going on, when it was going on if it was in the past or present, who was who or what was the relationship between the characters.

I had been waiting for the story to gel and make sense. When I reached the part of the suicide It made sense in an unexpected way.

(hide spoiler)]

[Veljko]

Joseph (Millennium Man) wrote: "My experience with the story;

[spoilers removed]"

I a not sure it all 'made sense' after that scene - but I sure know that the parts of the book I enjoyed the most were about Septimus.

And, while I really could not care less about any of the other characters, that part of the story left a lot of unanswered questions.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Isn't a Septimus the part of the skull where the nasal passages connect with the sinus cavity?

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Interesting, The seventh son or seventh daughter must have had some significance. Brings to mind ancient religions and mythology. Seven like September in the Roman calendar.
Ruled by the seventh planet perhaps. Seventh day of the week would be Saturn.

I wonder if the selection of the "seven" name for this character was intentional by the author to have some passive or hidden meaning.

[Veljko]

Karen wrote: "It's not uncommon for a writer to go to great lengths to name his/her characters. Only VW would know! To come up with a name like Septimus Warren Smith is intriguing, at least to us.

Going back t..."

I remembered a passage about the name, so I went to dig it out:

"London has swallowed up many millions of young men called Smith; thought nothing of fantastic Christian names like Septimus with which their parents have thought to distinguish them."

Which is the closest thing to an explanation of the name I got from the book. But I am not sure why it is described as "Christian", as it is clearly an old Roman name - and it does, indeed, mean 'seventh' in Latin.

[Joseph “Millennium Man”]

Sounds like the name Septimus was after Augustus and before Octavius?

[Flor]

I've been waiting to read this book for so long (since I've read Michael Cunningham's The Hours)and now I just can't get into it. It's been very difficult to read :(

[Veljko]

Karen wrote: "@Veljko - Thanks for supplying the explanation about Septimus. I recall that passage, now that I see it again."

Glad to be of use
;-)

[Pink]

I'm 30 pages in and finding it really slow, struggling with this right now, but want to persevere :(

[Pink]

Just finished this and glad I did. I really enjoyed parts of the book and how it explored different people's thoughts. It wasn't my favourite read, as I did struggle to get into the story at the beginning, but I am now interested in reading more Virginia Woolf.

[Sunny]

I have been looking forward to this book for months and months. And now, I'm just looking forward to finishing it. I can't get into it, and I'm really bummed about this.

[Sunny]

Painful, but finished.

Did anyone else hear Yoda talking to them?
"...a perfect goose she was..."
"...a thing there was that mattered..."
"...a tragedy it was..."

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Flor]

I gave up :-S

[Michael]

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Painful, but finished.

Did anyone else hear Yoda talking to them?
"...a perfect goose she was..."
"...a thing there was that mattered..."
"...a tragedy it was..."

http://www.goodre..." Thank you, I need a good laugh in this morning.