Scarica Virginia Woolf: Modernist Novelist & Her Career, Focusing on 'Mrs Dalloway' e più Appunti in PDF di Storia Inglese solo su Docsity! 03.06.2021 VIRGINIA WOOLF (1882-1941) « The Hours » -> film which starts with the suicide of Virginia Woolf (the words at the beginning are taken from the letters she wrote to her husband) -> video Life and literary career she grew up in a really rich intellectual atmosphere, meeting a lot of important intellectuals of the Victorian time she studied in the library of her father, Leslie Stephen (> an eminent Victorian man of letters), where she could find anything she liked to read she spent a lot of time next to the sea for her, WATER represented: > armony and feminine >» the possibility of resolution of intollerable conflicts through death (in fact, she committed suicide drowning herself) her mother died when she was only 13 -> at that time, she had her first nervous breakdown once she remained alone, she began to revolt against her father's education which was based on the Victorian idealisation of the woman as the « angel of the house » her father remarried so Virginia lived in a large family where she had brothers, sisters, stepbrothers and stepsisters she experienced sexual abuse from her stepbrothers + her mother death -> all these things lead her to depression 1904 -> her father died -> together with her sister (she was particularly linked to her sister Vanessa) and brothers -> they moved to Bloomsbury where many intellectuals lived -> they found the « Bloomsbury Group » -> a group of avant-garde artists of the time (in general, they were modernist artists) -> Virginia was one of them she met her husband in the group -> Leonard Woolf 1915 -> publication of her first novel -> « The Voyage Out » (a traditional narrative) at that time, she committed her first attempt of suicide 1917 -> « Night and Day » (a traditional narrative) 1922 -> « Jacob's Room » (the first attempt of experimentation( 1925 -> « Mrs Dalloway » she was a novelist and a feminist as a feminist writer she explored the themes of androginy (especially in « Orlando ») and the relationship between women and writing she delivered 2 letters at Cambridge University which later became famous, during the period of feminist movement, with the title « A Room of One's Own » -> she deals with the questions of women's subjugation and the relationship between women and writing the Second World War deeply affected her mood (anxiety and fears increased) 1941 -> she put rocks into her pockets and drown herself into the River Ouse A modernist novelist her main aim was to give voice to the inner feeling and to the inner memories of a character and, according to her, the human personality was revealed by a continuous shift of impression and emotion the structure of the novels completely changed uneventful plots what happens in the mind of the character is the most important aspect (-> the association of ideas) the point of view shifts inside the characters’ mind through flashbacks, associations of ideas, momentary impressions presented as a continuous flux we follow the thoughts of the characters which go on through the association of ideas and impressions narrative technique -> interior monologue 04.06.2021 « Mrs Dalloway » (1925) Clarissa Dalloway -> the main character; she's a wealthy woman belonging to the upper middle class of London; she's married with Richard Dalloway (a member of the Parliament) the novel starts with Clarissa who goes out to buy some flowers for the party she is giving that evening -> while she's walking through the streets of London -> she enjoys the city and what happens around her -> we can perceive the changes of the new century Clarissa leaves home at 10 a.m. in early june -> the best season to enjoy London while she's in the flower shop > she looks out towards the street -> a car drives noisily past and shifts the attention to the street, where Septimus Smith is walking together with his wife Lucrezia -> Clarissa doesn't know him he is a shell-shocked veteran of the First World War Septimus’'s mental disorder has necessitated the calling in of doctors -> first Dr Holmes, now Sîr William Bradshaw -> a famous nerve specialist (he's the other main character of the novel) Clarissa goes back home and she's visited by her first love Peter Walsh -> they spend some time together -> then, he leaves Clarissa’s house and goes to Regent’s Park -> he sees Septimus and Lucrezia, on their way to Dr Bradshaw for an interview at 6 p.m. Septimus commits suicide -> the ambulance, carrying his body, passes by Peter Walsh, who is going back to his hotel
