Discussion - Week One & Two - Mrs. Dalloway

[William]

I think I need to write my actual review of the book this weekend...so much to say...

[Joni]

Tia wrote: "I'm glad a few of you have brought up the theme of lesbianism. I understand Woolf had at least one long relationship with a woman (who later influenced the character Orlando). That being said, some..."

There were a couple of women with whom Virginia had intimate relationships (though they may not have been sexual – her husband Leonard described her as ‘frigid’) but I think the most important to her creative life, perhaps even for her self-esteem, was Vita Sackville-West who was also a writer. Vita was in love with Virginia and at first the relationship was sexual. There’s a charming description of the relationship in Significant Others.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Joni]

Alex wrote: "Yes, there's always that temptation to equate the character with the author, especially if there are obvious similarities (this novel would be a good test case). I agree, Joni,that it might be a st..."
Excellent Alex! Yes I agree about the solidity of nature and I’d forgotten that detail about how Clarissa’s sister dies (thanks for that). Both Richard and Elizabeth (she takes after her father more than her mother) identify with the country rather than the city and they’re good stolid types. Peter does make some interesting observations albeit judging Clarissa rather negatively - he also recalls a bus ride with Clarissa once (those bus rides! Elizabeth takes one and tries to figure out what she wants out of life), when she defines who she is for Peter’s understanding (but I won’t spoil it)…As for Sally and Clarissa – perhaps the attraction was mutual and the love/lust was real. Women can be together and people tend to take the friendship as asexual though that has changed now. Clarissa remembers Sally more tenderly than she remembers Peter. (Women could be married as were Virginia and Vita Sackville-West and engage in their lesbian affairs – I don’t find it odd that Sally and Clarissa could be carrying on something sexual but still keeping themselves ‘virginal’ for marriage??).

[Lily]

@50Alex wrote: "I'm only at page 30 but I've already slipped in and out of the point of views (consciousness) of maybe a dozen characters, though the first thirteen pages or so are pretty much from Clarissa's POV...."

! I wondered if I cared enough to try to count. I read somewhere there are twenty or so. Of the minor characters, I have probably enjoyed those of Lucy as much as any. She became a great foil to tell us the nature of Clarissa as mistress of her household. But the neighbor Scope Purvis set the tone of changing POV early. (@msg 16) I think it was at least the third read, and after our discussion here, that I noticed the affinity of "There she perched [on the edge of the sidewalk]" to Scope's description of Clarissa as a bird. I had only imaged her as anxious and impatient to cross, rather than as that vivacious blue-green bird about to take flight again. At least in terms of imagery, if not yet so much in terms of structure, we begin to see VW's using the poet's box of tools, for which she is probably better known re To the Lighthouse.

[Lily]

Tia wrote: "...I understand Woolf had at least one long relationship with a woman (who later influenced the character Orlando)...."

Orlando is such a fascinating study of the multiple perspectives, even seemingly lives, possible for a single character, (view spoiler)[shape-shifting from one gender to another and back again. (hide spoiler)] I have felt as if passages in Mrs. Dalloway foreshadow themes VW treats more boldly there.

[Jim]

Melissa (ladybug) wrote: "I think that Clarissa had at least an idea of what lesbianism would have done to her daughter at this time period. It wasn't as "acceptable" as it is today. What mother doesn't want to protect her..."

Yes, true, even if she expressed her disapproval of Miss Kilman ("Kill-man" - very funny Virginia) in terms of religious fanaticism and no fashion sense, the disapproval has its source in Clarissa's pragmatic nature. Back at Bourton, Clarissa had three suitors - Sally, who was wild and free and gave Clarissa a titillating kiss on the lips; Peter Walsh, whose personal philosophies and lofty expectations were aimed at Clarissa; and Richard Dalloway, who was stable, predictable and who was on a balanced path toward stability in Britain's class-based society. Clarissa knew herself and her true desires and so did not pursue Sally, who was a dead-end in that society, she rejected Peter, who would never give her a moment's peace, and instead, chose Richard, who gave her the home, income, and position that she wanted.

Sooo.... as you say, whether or not Clarissa truly detected Miss Kilman's desire for Elizabeth or not, I think her feathers were most ruffled at the idea that Elizabeth was wasting precious time pursuing religion when she might better spend her time pursuing a proper place in society. I believe this critique of Mrs. Dalloway is at the core of Woolf's own criticism of British class-ism.

[Barbara]

Jim wrote: "Casceil wrote: " Clearly I will have to work harder at figuring out who is thinking any given thought..."

I wouldn't try too hard to decipher every thought on your first pass through the book. Aba..."

That was what I did the first (and only) time I read this book, which was around two or three years ago. I just read it straight through, without trying to "figure it out" and I enjoyed it tremendously.

I was planning on rereading it, so that I could join in with the group. This discussion looks great, and once I read the book again I will find out how much I missed the first time I read it.

It's great to see such an active discussion on Mrs. Dalloway!!

[Lily]

After Ashley's comments on topics so far more ponderous, this will be facetious, but in random musings on MD this morning while executing a task that didn’t require mental concentration: VW’s varied use of bird images for women in MD might have included her indulging in a bit of extravagant word play on British slang – “bird” for girl, or variants thereof, pretty woman, girlfriend, …. Of course, there are all the fluttering and flittering effects of SOC, but those seem gender independent.

[Jim]

Ashley wrote: "Suffering very much makes us what we are and yet so much effort is expanded on stigmatizing suffering, that unavoidable suffering of human experience. I can see what drives people to want to 'cure' suffering, but maybe they are misguided only in the respect that they really need to ease the path through suffering - if you know what I mean. Not cure suffering, but mentor the patient through it, in effect lower the learned/societal defenses against suffering, so that it can do its work quickly and unhindered...."

And the complicating factor in the story is that Doctor Holmes has said to Rezia repeatedly that there is nothing wrong with Septimus, which increases her anger and frustration towards him, and likewise Septimus is afraid of Rezia's hostility and so on and so on, until he would rather check out than be subjected to a visit by the doctor.

PS. Yes, the PTSD stuff ought to be over in the resources thread.

[tia]

There's a reference to the "Friends" in the section about Mrs. Kilman. Can someone please describe this organization and it's relevance to Mrs. Kilman's employment with the Dalloways? Thank you!

[Alex]

I haven't gotten to that section (or maybe I missed it), but if it's Friends with a capital it likely refers to the Quakers who call themselves "Friends," or the Religious Society of Friends. The Quakers refuse to participate in war.

[Melissa (ladybug)]

Reading about Septimus at this moment leads me to think he does not have PTSD, but has checked out of feeling anything "good". He has feelings, but they seem to be feelings of hatred, disgust, etc... with humanity.

[Joni]

Septimus is suffering from shell shock which may or may not be PTSD (psychs don't use the term shell shock these days) - i.e. symptoms related to combat which makes the sufferer sensitive to noise sounding like weapons firing or aircraft flying overhead - there is mention of an engine backfire sounding like an explosion while Mrs Dalloway is in the florist's shop, whereas PTSD is more of an anxiety disorder, which can have various root causes. It's fairly obvious that Septimus' illness stems from his experiences in the Great War and his comrade's death.

[Jonathan]

Someone else here mentioned that there was a lot of repetition in the book. I noticed that as well, i.e. Elizabeth's slightly Oriental appearance, Rezia mentioning that Holmes thinks there's nothing wrong with Septimus etc. I guess that this is portraying how we mull things over several times even in a single day, very often our thought processes do not go forward, but instead, go in circles....well, mine do anyway!

I think my favourite character was Miss Kilman. I wish she'd appeared more in the book. In fact, I felt that I wanted to know more about all of the characters. Maybe VW should have expanded it to a 900 page epic?

(view spoiler)[My favourite scene is near the end where the party is winding down and Clarissa is in a separate room but can hear noises from the party - she watches the old woman in the house opposite go to bed and she muses on Septimus's death, even though she's only just heard about him. His death 'made her feel the beauty; made her feel the fun.' (hide spoiler)]

[Dee]

Several people have already mentioned the allusions to sewing. I wonder whether Woolf uses it as a metaphor for patching up torn lives. There is a sense in which Richard Dalloway came into Clarissa's life when it was starting to come apart at the seams, with the confusion her blossoming love affair with Sally caused, coupled with the realisation that Peter wasn't as stable as she might have liked.
Another interesting image is the hat made as a joint effort between Septimus and Lucrezia. What does this symbolise?

[Ryan]

I thought this book was a great read. I could feel that it was a genuine expression through writing that Virginia Woolf was doing here. It definitely breaks from the norm of her day. I love the way she gave literary references to some of the "great authors" of her day. I imagined that she was feeling pressure from her peers to achieve great works similar in style and form to these authors. It felt like this was her way of wrestling, shrugging her shoulders and moving on to a more genuine expression of writing. I didn't catch the Ulysses references because I haven't read that book yet. Also, I found the Septimus transitions to be confusing and difficult many times. I didn't feel like I really cared for his character until he committed suicide, which was interesting to say the least; it felt hauntingly similar to Woolf's own suicide for some reason as well. That realization haunted me and definitely amplified the timelessness effect/feel that I think stream-of-consciousness can and hopefully does create.

[Jim]

Ryan wrote: "I thought this book was a great read. I could feel that it was a genuine expression through writing that Virginia Woolf was doing here. It definitely breaks from the norm of her day. I love the way..."

Interesting that you had no sympathy for Septimus until he went out the window. Before that, he does seem to be a high-maintenance complainer who frustrates his wife, even though the doctor insists there is nothing wrong with him. Of course, the inconsistency there is that the doctor tells Rezia there's nothing wrong, but then tells her to keep him occupied so he doesn't contemplate suicide - obviously the doctor has some suspicions in spite of what he tells Rezia.

[Casceil]

I finished the book this morning. This discussion has added immeasurably to my enjoyment of the book. In the last scene (at the party) Clarissa's reaction to the news of the suicide was fascinating.

Jim, did you ever figure out why Elizabeth had a bit of an oriental look?

[Jim]

Casceil wrote: "Jim, did you ever figure out why Elizabeth had a bit of an oriental look?..."

Genetics?

I suppose the simplest answer is that by mentioning Elizabeth as looking different, and specifically having an "oriental" look, Woolf is able to underscore how parents sometimes think of their children as being so different from themselves "at that age". Using the word "oriental" makes her seem more foreign, and so even harder for Clarissa to relate to - but then, the estrangement between mothers and daughters is nothing new, I suppose.

[Alex]

I take it as "exotic" or at least un-English, perhaps mysterious, whether in structure or composure. I've finished he book and I enjoyed it very much. The last scene, Clarissa's party," reminds me of Joyce's "The Dead," and both authors seem to be going after the same thing: the sad, ineffable fall of the individual personality and the society in which it functions. Most impressive to me are the transitions, which provide multiple perspectives on all the characters, Clarissa from the inside, Clarissa from the outside. Someone mentioned wanting more of Miss Kilman and I agree, what a combination of dignity and self-loathing. The relationship between Miss Kilman and Elizabeth is fascinating (wanting an unobtainable beauty, youth and status) but I think pinning it on sex is trivializing. So Sir William shows up at Clarissa's party to bring the news of Septimus's death ("Oh," thought Clarissa, "in the middle of my party is death.)and attributes it to "deferred shell shock," how close to PTSD is that. Septimus's depression, his spiraling thought, is devastating, and Woolf sharply satirizes the English GP's commonsense response. I think she views Sir William as coming closer to understanding, but is there any cure/treatment for what has been so broken? I also like Peter Walsh's meandering tour of unrequited love and a life unlived. All one, aren't we?

[Casceil]

I don't think Elizabeth is "un-English." She loves the English countryside, and she misses her dog. "She could hear her poor dog howling, Elizabeth was certain." (p. 188 of Harcourt edition.) Her mother is more a city and and party-type person. So they are very different, but Elizabeth seems, if anything, the opposite of exotic.

[Lily]

Alex wrote: "..I also like Peter Walsh's meandering tour of unrequited love and a life unlived. All one, aren't we? ..."

I found it interesting to consider (feel?) it a novel about middle age, where youthful dreams are not quite abandoned or at least forgotten, but fulfillment seems circumscribed by realities, and the old woman in the lighted window across the street is furtively observing. It indeed has left me thinking about how and what helps us hold lives together. (Buying flowers for a party on a pretty day? Skywriting that can be comprehended before the wind shreds its meaning? When is making a hat with a loved one not enough?...)

[Alex]

I meant only her "looks," not actions.

Casceil wrote: "I don't think Elizabeth is "un-English." She loves the English countryside, and she misses her dog. "She could hear her poor dog howling, Elizabeth was certain." (p. 188 of Harcourt edition.) He..."

[Alex]

Yes, Lily, you're right. The little things that hold us together is a big part of this novel.


Lily wrote: "Alex wrote: "..I also like Peter Walsh's meandering tour of unrequited love and a life unlived. All one, aren't we? ..."

I found it interesting to consider (feel?) it a novel about middle age, whe..."

[Cleo]

Did anyone notice the differences between the thoughts and observations of Septimus compared to Mrs. Dalloway and her friends? I made a quick list of what each was thinking about and here is what I came up with.

Mrs. D & friends:
~ parties
~ flower shops
~ scholarships
~ the family business
~ Bartlett Pears
~ gossip
~ cricket

Septimus:
~ human nature
~ the truth
~ Evans
~ aloneness
~ meaning
~ the beauty of words

Septimus appeared to me perhaps the "sanest" one of the bunch. He meditated on the things that should be fundamentally important while the thoughts of the others often bordered on being rather shallow.

Is this related to the war? Has what Septimus faced made him more introspective and more focussed on what should be meaningful in life, whereas Mrs. Dalloway's group is a post-war London, wanting to party it up?

I hope this observation isn't too obvious but I was rather struck by it!

[Alex]

I think it's a sharp observation. Sanity may well mean staying away from that stuff.

[tia]

PBS is airing the American Experience documentary on "War Letters" tonight - it may help shed light on PTSD and be relevant to our discussion of Septimus. :)

[tia]

Cleo wrote: "Did anyone notice the differences between the thoughts and observations of Septimus compared to Mrs. Dalloway and her friends? I made a quick list of what each was thinking about and here is what ..."

Cleo, I agree re: Mrs. Dalloway/the "society set" and Septimus... in the beginning of the novel, we're told that "ordinary" Londoners are playing cricket and going to the dances... whereas men like Septimus, who fought in the war, seem to be stuck in the past, searching for the answers that will not come (the Truth, Evans' death, &etc.). Mrs. Dalloway and her friends, her husband, are trying to "get on," and I think that that is why the doctors want to brush over Septimus's depression... (they say there's nothing wrong with him); his depression is a sharp reminder of the war and it hinders/makes an obstacle to "moving on." Maybe this can be another reading of Septimus's fear of "human nature" catching up to him - society, the doctors, his wife, are in plot against him and he will either forget the horrors of the war or society/human nature will step in to "correct" his behavior/thoughts. This, I think, is why the doctor said that cricket was the best remedy for his depression. Even poor Rezia, even though she loves and supports her husband, seems to mirror this societal impulse: to forget, to move on... her husband embarrasses her, he isn't interested in the future (having children, e.g.)

[Lily]

For the sake of her story, Woolf has given us Clarissa to embody the sane, Septimus, the insane. But her biography suggests both can really be embodied in the same person. It seems to me there are hints of such here, too, in both C and S, if we look closely at their actions and their thoughts. Still, your observation is bold, and insightful, Cleo. Perhaps exactly as Woolf intended.

[Sam]

Cleo wrote: "Did anyone notice the differences between the thoughts and observations of Septimus compared to Mrs. Dalloway and her friends? I made a quick list of what each was thinking about and here is what ..."

I felt the same about Septimus! I expected him to end his life, but when he did, I was shocked nonetheless. It was a dramatic, but also highly emphatetic moment.
At least Mrs. Dalloway realized that in a way, Septimus was more independant than her and all the guests at her party. The tristesse of their lives that arises from their living according to social rules and etiquette has enslaved them so to say.

[Jen]

Such great observations! This thread has truly enhanced my reading of the book. I like the positioning of C & S as the 'sane' and 'insane' - and the suggestion that the sane 'protect' themselves by focusing on everyday (trivial?) matters.

[Edward]

I read the book last year and I came away somewhat disappointed. I had hoped the character of Mrs. Dalloway would be more fleshed out, but there's not enough info. I liked the Waves better, correct me if I'm wrong.

[Cleo]

@ Tia --- Your post reminded me of the words of Socrates (I think it was), who said that an unexamined life is not worth living …..

@ Lily --- Thanks for the encouragement! Your thoughts are helpful in that both Mrs D & Septimus appear to be different extremes. I was hoping for a connection between the two to make a balance but I don't feel that I found one, or at least if there is one, it's rather tenuous.

Hi, Iselin! I thought Woolf portrayed his suicide in an almost heroic manner. "…… Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate, people feeling the impossibility of reaching the centre which, mystically, evaded them; closeness drew apart; rapture faded; one was alone. There was an embrace in death." From your comments I can see that Woolf shows Septimus as freer and Mrs. D more a slave of convention although, yet again, the outward appearance is opposite!

@ Jen Ah, using materiality as a protection against actual reality. I like it! It sounds very modern! ;-)

[Cleo]

Edward wrote: "I read the book last year and I came away somewhat disappointed. I had hoped the character of Mrs. Dalloway would be more fleshed out, but there's not enough info. I liked the Waves better, correct…"

I liked To the Lighthouse much better but as Mrs. Dalloway sits with me for a little while, it's improving upon contemplation.

[Jim]

Edward wrote: "I read the book last year and I came away somewhat disappointed. I had hoped the character of Mrs. Dalloway would be more fleshed out, but there's not enough info. I liked the Waves better, correct..."

I've read many of Woolf's books over the years and so far, this one has been least satisfying, which is strange since this is the one most often read and praised. I didn't have any particular issues with character development, so much as how the book wrapped up, or perhaps, didn't wrap up. I had the sense that maybe the book got away from Woolf a little bit, and she couldn't find resolution to the scenarios she set up. What sticks out the most for me is that she pulled out the Chekhovian gun of Sally Seton showing up at the party, but she never fired the gun. The ending is one of the reasons I gave the book only 3 stars.

[Jonathan]

Edward wrote: "I read the book last year and I came away somewhat disappointed. I had hoped the character of Mrs. Dalloway would be more fleshed out, but there's not enough info. I liked the Waves better, correct..."

I thought all the characters could have been developed more....but then the novel covered just one day. I wondered if the fragmentary character development was intentional; after all, if we followed someone around for a day and could read their minds we still wouldn't know them that well...

[Edward]

Jonathan wrote: "Edward wrote: "I read the book last year and I came away somewhat disappointed. I had hoped the character of Mrs. Dalloway would be more fleshed out, but there's not enough info. I liked the Waves ..."

I hear ya. It does get hard to understand a person after one day, kinda like getting the complete story from just a tiny sliver of literature. Thanx, guys, for understanding.

[Lily]

Edward wrote: "I read the book last year and I came away somewhat disappointed...."

Edward -- personal reaction -- much better on a second read after several years intervening. Felt as if a lot existed in the interstices, as Jonathan wrote, like the guesses we make when getting to know someone, until we can confirm or refute. Here, we are a bit encouraged to recognize and acknowledge them as guesses?

It felt like a middle-age novel about middle age people -- day-to-day concerns (and delights), casualties of a bigger world than is controllable, a past, a present, a future modulated by experience.

[Edward]

Sounds like my life. I turned 45 last October and I've often felt the world is beyond me. I have to live and let God, as they say. Thanks for the kind words.

[Jim]

Lily wrote: "It felt like a middle-age novel about middle age people -- day-to-day concerns (and delights), casualties of a bigger world than is controllable, a past, a present, a future modulated by experience..."

I agree with this very much, and would add that there is a fair amount of regret for choices and actions taken and not taken when they were young adults at Bourton, but they are the kind of sighing, wistful regrets of middle age.

[Lily]

Some random overnight thoughts about MD:

What does VW say about the dynamics and political forces that send men like Septimus to war and Evans to death? Clearly, no Hillary Clinton's or Condoleezza Rice's yet in this milieu (although Lady Bexborough was "interested in politics like a man" p7) -- Clarissa is even excluded from the lunch where Hugh Whitbread blue penciled the messages Millicent Bruton wanted included in the Times. Richard's career sounds stymied at levels perhaps short of his capabilities, but he has worked with the Friends, known for their efforts towards peace. Doris Kilman recognizes Clarissa's fundamental ignorance about Armenians and Albanians (maybe even the location of the Equator), and we as readers are left to wonder about Richard as well. (The satire gets tough.) Yet, even from her perspective, Clarissa can orchestrate a party where colleagues meet and the Prime Minister can tête-à-tête with Lady Millicent Bruton (and her wealth?). But what are Peter Walsh, back from the far reaches of Empire, and Ellie Henderson - comfortable guest to Richard, but not Clarissa, and Sally Seton Rosseter, once rebellious youth, now proud conventional mother of sons and wife of prosperous industrialist, to the mix? Or all the other vignettes VW gives us of the guests?

(I thought of the Anna Pavlovna Scherer soirée opening War and Peace. But with more authorial focus than I found with VW. Or Mrs. Graham before she succeeded her husband in management of The Washington Post.)

Another track entirely -- the plot includes at least two immigrant stories -- Doris Kilman, Rezia (Lucrezia Warren Smith, wife of Septimus), perhaps also the unflappable Mrs. Walker in the kitchen (Irish? although English probable here) and Daisy, Peter Walsh's intended fiancee. Another reminder VW's setting is in the homeland of an Empire.

Still another, and I'll quit -- the mash ups on relative power, authority, responsibility. Lucy's fantasies and identification with her employers as she prepares the living rooms for guests -- and Clarissa's imposition of her prerogatives by micromanaging the placement of the crystal dolphin (p32), even with her self-satisfaction at repairing her own gown, getting the flowers (couldn't Lucy have been entrusted with and enjoyed equally that little jaunt), and regarding servant curfews. Mrs. Walker may be comfortable about adequate preparation for serving that extra guest, but she knows that come morning will be discussion with MD of the salmon being underdone -- again; MW had concentrated on the pudding and left the salmon to her helper Jenny. (p149)

[tia]

Somewhat off topic... watching The Hours and getting closer to Clarissa, Mrs. Dalloway and VW.

[tia]

Is the Bill mentioned in the last pages of the novel related to returning soldiers and shell shock related to an actual piece of legislation?

[Larry]

Nothing really to add to the discussion, just thrilled I hopped on board the Brain Pain reading list this year. Read "To The Lighthouse" last year after finally finishing Proust and it was a great change of pace. I really dug it, but Dalloway connected with me even more. Poor Septimus.

[tia]

Watching The Hours brought me to a terrifically painful appreciation of MD. At first I thought Clarissa was shallow, vain...a snob. And maybe she is all of these things, but most likely as a defense against the "silence" of old age, regret, love lost, depression. So why does Septimus die instead of Clarissa? In the film, VW says that her heroine will not be killed off, but rather, the Poet, the visionary will kill themselves and that their death will enrich the lives of those left to appreciate them. Just as Clarissa needs her enemies, she needs Septimus to take his life so that she may save hers.

[Lily]

Tia wrote: "...Just as Clarissa needs her enemies, she needs Septimus to take his life so that she may save hers...."

Troubling concept. I didn't get that from MD. Been awhile since I read The Hours.

And I'll acknowledge that each of us probably owes the life we are able to live because someone, known or unknown to us, has given his or hers.

[tia]

Clarissa is not without her air of tragedy, loneliness, isolation, sadness... she ponders her own suicidal ideations early on in the novel when she is alone (physically and when she is in dialogue with her "inner Self"): buying flowers or when she's lost in her own thoughts in the midst of an excited crowd, for example. But once the party becomes the focal point of the novel, Clarissa is less consumed by her sadness because the people around her sort of protect her from herself - the "silence" that overcomes her when she's alone. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but Clarissa is just as tragic as Septimus because at least he has played his part in the greater sacrifice known as Life; He, the Poet, has given himself, the *something* to the long narrative of human history, in the name of humanity. Clarissa on the other hand can only live a life of trivial moments greeting and charming people she really doesn't know/like very much.... hell, she even confuses the Armenians with their exterminators and in general, doesn't care a lick about the world and the people around her; she only cares insomuch that they *help* her fill the void. Does this make sense?? Or am I misreading MD, VW, CD, myself??

[Jim]

Tia wrote: " Does this make sense?? Or am I misreading MD, VW, CD, myself??..."

Everyone reads their own meanings into fiction, so there aren't any wrong interpretations.

I hadn't seen Septimus as a poet, but as a shell-shocked veteran trapped in his philosophical reveries, scared, paranoid, hearing voices, and seeing dead people. It's true that Clarissa does have a moment of emotional reverie when she hears of this stranger's suicide, but the moment passes and she continues her duties as gracious hostess. Maybe this is central to Woolf's "Life goes on" commentary about the post-war era.

[Lily]

Tia wrote: "...she even confuses the Armenians with their exterminators..."

Reading MD with the hindsight of WWII, I did find myself conscious of the seeming futility that prevention would have been possible, at least by society such as depicted. I also felt quite aware that VW's London home would be hit in the Blitz some fifteen years later and that the next year (1941) VW would put stones into her pockets and walk into a frigid river. And amidst that, I also had to remind myself to be very wary of somehow confusing VW with Clarissa -- of whom VW had apparently been quite satirical in earlier writings (I haven't read them myself).

(Even with all the knowledge available at our fingertips and pounding our eardrums, I must admit to often not keeping untwisted national politics, let alone international. So, pathetic as Clarissa's lack of knowledge is, I sympathize to some extent.)