Mrs. Dalloway: A Character-Driven Novel Exploring Love, Death, and Society, Sintesi del corso di Inglese

Scarica Mrs. Dalloway: A Character-Driven Novel Exploring Love, Death, and Society e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Mrs Dalloway – by Virginia Woolf Plot • the novel tells the story of a lady, Mrs Clarissa Dalloway • she’s throwing a party • she spends her morning setting up for a party she’s having in the evening – she’s purchasing flowers • Clarissa starts reflecting on her marriage with Richard • Peter Walsh used to be her lover when they got married • the story often switches pov à Septimus Smith is trying to regain a normal life • Septimus and his wife Lucrezia are walking outside together • Septimus struggles with war flashbacks • Clarissa returns home and reflects on her friendship with Sally Seton • Clarissa used to have a crush on her – they even kissed once • Peter suddenly arrives, interrupting her thoughts and preparations for the party • They start talking about their present and pasts • Clarissa’s daughter; Elizabeth; interrupts them à she probably won’t be home for the party • When Peter leaves, he stumbles upon Septimus and his wife in the park arguing • Lucrezia has arranged him a meeting to see a specialist • the doctor suggests asylum • Septimus jumps out of a window to commit suicide à not willing to go to asylum • Clarissa’s party begins and many of her old friends attend, including Sally and Peter • Septimus’ doctor arrives late explaining what happened (suicide) • Clarissa says that Septimus’ actions were understandable • the party was successful à Clarissa is glad that Septimus is now in peace Characters Clarissa Dalloway - protagonist. She’s is vivacious and cares about what people think of her, but she is also self-reflective. She often questions life’s true meaning, wondering whether happiness is truly possible. Throughout the day Clarissa reflects on the crucial summer when she chose to marry her husband, Richard, instead of her friend Peter Walsh. Even though she is happy with Richard, she is not entirely certain she made the right choice about Peter, and she also thinks frequently about her friend Sally Seton, whom she also once loved. Septimus Warren Smith - A World War I veteran suffering from shell shock, married to an Italian woman named Lucrezia. Before the war he was a young, idealistic, aspiring poet. After the war he thinks of human nature as an evil thing and believes that he is guilty of not being able to feel. Rather than succumb to the society he hates, he commits suicide. Richard Dalloway - Clarissa’s husband. A member of Parliament in the Conservative government. He is a sportsman and is also a loving father and husband. Peter Walsh - A close friend of Clarissa’s, once desperately in love with her. Clarissa rejected Peter's marriage proposal when she was eighteen, and he moved to India. He frequently has romantic problems with women and is currently in love with Daisy, a married woman in India. Themes SOCIETY AND CLASS à most of Clarissa’s friends are of the same social status or higher – the prime minister even goes to her party! Plus almost all of the characters are concerned with social status and class – either increasing it, holding onto it, or feeling inferior from it. FEAR OF DEATH à Middle-aged Clarissa has experienced the deaths of her father, mother, and sister and has lived through the calamity of war, and she has grown to believe that living even one day is dangerous. Septimus is the one that faces death most directly. Though he fears it, he finally chooses it over what seems to him a direr alternative—living another day. MADNESS à Even though we can certainly see that Septimus has been driven mad by the violence and death of the war, many characters deny the very possibility of madness (Dr Holmes thinks that Septimus should just gain some weight and distract himself to find perfect cure). Septimus’ visions are also a source of anxiety for his wife, who feels like she has to hide him from the eyes of the public, afraid of what others might think of her husband.