Scarica Virginia Woolf's Literary Techniques and Themes in 'Mrs. Dalloway' and 'To the Lighthouse' e più Schemi e mappe concettuali in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! VIRGINIA WOOLF Born in London in 1882. 1995 died her mother, 1997 died her sister – provoked a nervous breakdown. Beginning of mental instability (phantom voices in her head). 1904 her father died, she moved to Bloomsbury in central London where she founded a circle of intellectuals (Bloomsbury Group). She published Mrs Dalloway in 1925 and To the Lighthouse in 1927. She committed suicide in 1941. Novel as a faithful analysis of human nature (only way is to turn inward and explore man’s mental experiences and his complex consciousness). New technique: “no scaffolding, but heart, passion, humour as bright as fire in the mist”. Feeling of entering her characters’ inner world. Time dilated (a moment can last for a very long time) – achieved through the technique known as indirect interior monologue (represents the gap between chronological and interior time) = no narrator who tells us characters’ thoughts, instead takes the point of view of characters themselves (speaking from within their minds – shoving thoughts, feelings and sensations directly, as they occur). Sometimes narrator to give order to characters’ thoughts, by arranging them in logical and grammatical sequence. Importance of moments of being = moments of utmost intensity, of perception, of vision in the “incessant shower of innumerable atoms” that strike our mind every day. No interest in the linear sequence of events, she is interested in the impressions of the characters who experience these events (= their subjectivity) - importance of inner life (no reality, only its influences on the mind). Concerned with female subjectivity. Right balance between inner speculations and reality. MRS DALLOWAY (pg.343) Single day in central London. On a June morning Clarissa Dalloway (51-years-old wife of a politician) leaves home to buy flowers for a party. During the day Clarissa is captured in her changing moods and memories. We see her from other characters’ point of view: the man she once loved, her daughter, her friends. Her day in comparison with Septimus Smith’s day (disturbed war veteran). He has been treated for his nervous disorders by two doctors: a rational one, who understands nothing of his pain, and an insensitive nerve specialist. At the end of the day he commits suicide. News of his death at Clarissa’s party: she realizes that as Septimus embraces death, she can embrace life. At the end she meets at the party with the man she once loved. New technique: the writer follows the continuous flux of the life of the mind. Beginning is an example of contrast between interior (dilated and interrupted only by the chimes of Big Bang) and chronological time. Her physical journey to buy flowers constantly interrupted by her thoughts (past and future) – physical impressions interwoven with her mental associations. Woolf’s aim was to “dig caves behind her characters” (quotation). Portrait of characters like a shattered mirror (fragmented thoughts, memories and sense expressions) – constantly changing. Clarissa and Septimus become mutually dependent (even if never directly connected): as Septimus walks through London, unable to put order to experiences and sensations that invade his mind. His choosing to die connected to Clarissa’s acceptance of life (his death illuminates her life). TO THE LIGHTHOUSE (pg.350) Divided in three sections. “The Window” (the longest) = a summer day of the Ramsays, who are on holiday with their eight children and some guests at their holiday house (in Scotland).Day is dominated by the desire of James (the youngest) to visit the lighthouse – trip postponed due to bad weather. “Time Passes”= it covers several years, briefly recording the death of Mrs Ramsay, a son and a daughter and capturing the sense of desolation that descends on the family home during the
