Classics

Mrs Dalloway

Mrs Dalloway

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-11 10:54:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Virginia Woolf
  • ISBN：0241371945
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Summary

Elegantly interweaving her characters' complex inner lives in an unbroken stream of consciousness， Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway continues to enthral readers with its exploration of the human experience; of time， space， madness and regret。

Past， present and future are brought together one momentous June day in 1923。
Clarissa Dalloway， elegant and vivacious， is preparing for a party while reminiscing about her childhood romance with Peter Walsh， and dwelling on her daughter Elizabeth's rapidly-approaching adulthood。 In another part of London， war veteran Septimus Smith is shell-shocked and on the brink of madness， slowly spiralling towards self-annihilation。 Their experiences mingling， yet never quite meeting， Virginia Woolf masterfully portrays a serendipitous unity of inner lives， converging as the party reaches its glittering climax。

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Reviews

Mia Davis ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Una de las obras más destacables de Virginia Woolf。Solo con el transcurrir de un día en la vida de Clarissa Dalloway podemos adentrarnos en un profundo pensamiento ya sea suyo como de otro personaje importante， Septimus， un ex soldado que sufre a lo largo del libro una lucha psicológica

ilene ，

I tried to get through this but the paragraph length sentences were hard to follow and convoluted。 It had lots of description and I can see historically why it is valued。

verena ，

2。5/5posso não gostar do estilo mas temos que admitir que há um talento em estender um único dia mequetrefe por tantas páginas sem fazer você querer jogar o livro pela janela

Miranda ，

Me ha gustado mucho （su sencillez） pero también tengo que admitir que me ha costado mucho conectar con esta historia。 La siento muy desordenada y hasta la página 100 no he disfrutado de la lectura （y nunca me he acostumbrado del todo a la estructura del libro）。Creo que en realidad sería 3'5 estrellas， pues 3 parecen pocas y 4 muchas。 Me ha gustado mucho （su sencillez） pero también tengo que admitir que me ha costado mucho conectar con esta historia。 La siento muy desordenada y hasta la página 100 no he disfrutado de la lectura （y nunca me he acostumbrado del todo a la estructura del libro）。Creo que en realidad sería 3'5 estrellas， pues 3 parecen pocas y 4 muchas。 。。。more

Silvia RoMa ，

*3。5 stars

Frida Östman ，

For me it was too long sentences and no good pauses when switching between characters。 For most of the book I really had no idea what the point of the book was。

Nicoleta Coman ，

“What does the brain matter， compared with the heart？”

NettyUre ，

Surprising how the characters are revealed and their relationships to each other。 An interesting read。

Fiona O'Reilly ，

Rather incisive observations & a lot of internal monologues which must have made it very cutting edge in its time。 Very well written-deservedly a classic。 It was apparently composed of 2 related short stories & has the incisiveness of that format which I really love。

Lipika ，

Have you ever done a mindfulness session？ You are told to close your eyes and imagine the room where you are sitting， then the house， the city， the world。 There is almost a floating free sensation。 Now imagine this sensation from perspective of different characters。 Complex？ Yes。 Worth it？ Absolutely yes。 It’s one of a kind of an experience。 I felt something similar while reading this novel。While reading Joyce’s Ulysses， Woolf began writing ‘Mrs Dalloway’。 Like Ulysses， it takes place over the c Have you ever done a mindfulness session？ You are told to close your eyes and imagine the room where you are sitting， then the house， the city， the world。 There is almost a floating free sensation。 Now imagine this sensation from perspective of different characters。 Complex？ Yes。 Worth it？ Absolutely yes。 It’s one of a kind of an experience。 I felt something similar while reading this novel。While reading Joyce’s Ulysses， Woolf began writing ‘Mrs Dalloway’。 Like Ulysses， it takes place over the course of a single day and opens under mundane circumstances。 The novel dwells into the characters past weaving the inner world of Clarissa Dalloway with veteran Septimus Smith。 Woolf uses interior monologue to contrast the rich world of the mind against her characters external existences。The two main characters - Clarissa and Septimus are like two sides of the same coin。 Septimus mental anguish seems to mirror the suffering of Clarissa。 They both have given up on their love， they both struggle with their personal lives against the need for social inclusion and both end up making a difficult choice about their future。Overall a brilliant fascinating read。 Woolf’s writing style is unique。 The way she uses stream of consciousness， interior monologue， multiple perspective to bring out the characters inner lives that are at odds with their external existence， will leave you speechless。 At times you will get so lost in it that it might distract you from the main plot。 My only request， if anyone decides to read this， is to give it time。 It cannot be rushed。 Yes， I will be reading Mrs Dalloway again。 。。。more

Kimi Tallant ，

Somewhere between three & four stars A bit dull （but to be expected from a 100 year old fancy British society book I guess） and I feel like it stopped right when it was getting interesting。 Another Goodreads review summed it up well - the dreamy stream of consciousness style felt like being on a conveyer belt dipping in and out of the minds of the people Clarissa Dalloway met over the course of her day， but it was really easy to fall off the conveyer belt and feel lost。 My next white whale chall Somewhere between three & four stars A bit dull （but to be expected from a 100 year old fancy British society book I guess） and I feel like it stopped right when it was getting interesting。 Another Goodreads review summed it up well - the dreamy stream of consciousness style felt like being on a conveyer belt dipping in and out of the minds of the people Clarissa Dalloway met over the course of her day， but it was really easy to fall off the conveyer belt and feel lost。 My next white whale challenging book I’m hoping to read this year is Ulysses by Joyce which is also set in one single day （Woolf was inspired to write this after reading Ulysses） so this seemed like a good pit stop along the way of working up the nerve to pick that one up haha 。。。more

Nathalia Vargas ，

Mrs。 Dalloway is one of the most beautiful novels I have read， not because of the story itself， but because of the depth and beauty of the characters' thoughts。 A novel in which the time， the hours， set the rhythm of the day and the ideas that suddenly come to the mind; it describes life as suffering， but with the importance of finding the beauty in the little things， the peculiarities， what commonly goes unnoticed， or what it’s believed to not matter。 It tells how life is a short and temporar Mrs。 Dalloway is one of the most beautiful novels I have read， not because of the story itself， but because of the depth and beauty of the characters' thoughts。 A novel in which the time， the hours， set the rhythm of the day and the ideas that suddenly come to the mind; it describes life as suffering， but with the importance of finding the beauty in the little things， the peculiarities， what commonly goes unnoticed， or what it’s believed to not matter。 It tells how life is a short and temporary path where the transcendental are the small details: a smile， the sun， a park， people loving each other， a sob， a hug， a feeling， a memory， that is what remains alive even when we are not longer in this world。 。。。more

Terry Ulick ，

My wife was an inspiration in so many things。 Her inspiration was Virginia Woolf。 It helped me understand my wife better。 Woolf changed writing forever。 I admire the works， but they are tedious for me。 I admire the ignoring of convention and being true to her way of telling a story。

Anika L。 ，

Love the interconnectedness of these people and the shared Alienation in the city recovering from wwi and anticipating wwii。

Maria Luisa Broglia ，

Un viaggio dell'anima negli animi umani Un viaggio dell'anima negli animi umani 。。。more

Klaire ，

In Virginia Woolf’s novel， Mrs。 Dalloway， the reader is thrown into a day in the life of upper-class characters who are going to be present at Clarissa’s evening party。 Set in post-WWI London in 1923， the story follows each character， seemingly linked through common experiences， through a third person perspective， gaining the insights to their personal thoughts。 As one reader comments， “Experiencing Mrs。 Dalloway is like being a piece of luggage on an airport conveyor belt， traversing lazily thr In Virginia Woolf’s novel， Mrs。 Dalloway， the reader is thrown into a day in the life of upper-class characters who are going to be present at Clarissa’s evening party。 Set in post-WWI London in 1923， the story follows each character， seemingly linked through common experiences， through a third person perspective， gaining the insights to their personal thoughts。 As one reader comments， “Experiencing Mrs。 Dalloway is like being a piece of luggage on an airport conveyor belt， traversing lazily through a crowd of passengers， over and around and back again， but with the added bonus of being able to read people’s thoughts as they pass。。。” Mrs。 Dalloway can be considered the beginning to Woolf’s fight against outdated ideals society holds towards women。 Woolf called this invisible force the Angel in the House in her speech ‘Professions for Women。’ The Angel in the House is the mindset a woman is forced to uphold， the mindset of a housewife， cook， and mother， dependent on a man。 Clarissa struggles with the mindset she cannot be herself as she realizes: “She had the oddest sense of being herself invisible; unseen; unknown; … this being Mrs。 Dalloway; not even Clarissa anymore; this being Mrs。 Richard Dalloway” （5）。 Although it is stated outwardly， one can read between the lines of Clarissa’s thoughts to reveal the pressure she feels to fulfill her social obligations of throwing parties for her husband。 This voice is heard when Clarissa is told she is will be the perfect hostess， “She would marry a Prime Minister and stand at the top of a staircase; the perfect hostess he called her （she cried over it in her bedroom）， she had the makings of the perfect hostess， he said” （3）。 Clarissa’s daughter also falls prey to society's pressure as Miss。 Kilman， a lower class German tells Elizabeth “every profession is open to the women of your generation” （74）。 However， Elizabeth’s parents do not encourage her to pursue a job because she is not a man。 Every new generation of women has been told， “oh， it will be better for you。” Critic Bernard Blackstone commented that “Mrs。 Dalloway is an experiment with time。 It is a mingling of present experience and memory。” Mrs。 Dalloway makes the reader consider that time exists coterminously in the past and present。 It forces one to question: with each new generation， how much has changed for women？ Let's consider Silvia Plath's The Bell Jar written in the 1960s。 Both characters Esther and Clarissa are victims of society and suffered because they wanted more than what society allowed them， Clarissa “in this profound darkness， and she forced to stand [there] in her evening dress。。。She had wanted success” （101）。 Woolf and Plath are the voices of the women who felt trapped in the role they had to play。 The Bell Jar ends， with Esther going back to society with hope: “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart。 I am， I am， I am” （Plath， 243）。 However， in contrast， Clarissa ends up regretting her decisions in life。 Woolf and Silvia Plath are not the only ones who bring the struggle of being a woman to light。 In 1996， Nora Ephron delivered a powerful speech to the graduating class of Wellesley University， illustrating how women’s rights have progressed， but inequality is still a reality。 Ephron jokes about the Angels using a reference to Martha Stweart making “Black Robes into tents，” showing how sexism still exists by focusing on homemaking rather than accomplishments。 Just as Alex Zwerdling said: “The sense of living in the past， of being unable to take in or respond to the transformations of the present， makes [society] seem hopelessly out of step with its time。” Maureen Howard wrote: “If ever there was a work conceived in response to the state of the novel， a consciously modern novel， it is Mrs。 Dalloway。” Woolf can be seen as the first feminist of the 20th century。 Clarissa states， “She always had the feeling that it was very， very dangerous to live even one day” （4）。 Every generation of women hope that it will be better for them， that one day they will not have to walk down the street in fear of being harassed or being questioned about being a mother。 Through the unique perspectives of the ordinary people in Mrs。 Dalloway a broader picture is painted representing the struggle women face every day， even as they are told it will get better。 。。。more

Edward Hacking ，

Delicate fucking book

Toey ，

I found the stream of consciousness somewhat difficult to follow at first， especially since pronouns such as "she"/"it" were used vaguely， making it unclear what they were referring to。 However， I enjoyed the story very much once I got used to the writing style。 I found the stream of consciousness somewhat difficult to follow at first， especially since pronouns such as "she"/"it" were used vaguely， making it unclear what they were referring to。 However， I enjoyed the story very much once I got used to the writing style。 。。。more

Kristy-Lee Swift ，

A sentimental favourite…

Xanthe Brennan ，

All the beauty and pain， the simultaneous overwhelm and monotony of lives lived。 This book AFFECTED me

Natalia López ，

Este libro es e s p e c t a c u l a r。 Es increible como woolf conecta durante toda la obra el romance que tiene Clarissa Dalloway con Sally。 Lo que pocos saben （para ello hay que investigar y bastante） es que está novela tiene clarísimas referencias al romance que tuvo Woolf con una tal Emily， cuando Woolf tenía 17 años y ella 35。 Si que es verdad que no fue una relación íntima， sino más bien podríamos decir que Virginia exploró su sexualidad， emocionalmente hablando， ya que Virginia sentía una Este libro es e s p e c t a c u l a r。 Es increible como woolf conecta durante toda la obra el romance que tiene Clarissa Dalloway con Sally。 Lo que pocos saben （para ello hay que investigar y bastante） es que está novela tiene clarísimas referencias al romance que tuvo Woolf con una tal Emily， cuando Woolf tenía 17 años y ella 35。 Si que es verdad que no fue una relación íntima， sino más bien podríamos decir que Virginia exploró su sexualidad， emocionalmente hablando， ya que Virginia sentía una repulsión absoluta hacia las relaciones sexuales （fruto del continuo abuso sexual por parte de su hermanastro Duckworth a ella y a su hermana Vanessa cuando apenas eran unas niñas）。 。。。more

Priyashini ，

This book was really fascinating。 I have not read Virginia Woolf before this， and this was a great introduction。 It started off a bit slow for me because I could not understand the flow of events。 As I progressed， I learnt so much about each character and was so awed at how we move so fluidly between the minds of different characters。 Septimus， Rezia， Peter Walsh and Clarissa are some characters that will stick with me for a long time。 I definitely see myself re-reading this book in a year or tw This book was really fascinating。 I have not read Virginia Woolf before this， and this was a great introduction。 It started off a bit slow for me because I could not understand the flow of events。 As I progressed， I learnt so much about each character and was so awed at how we move so fluidly between the minds of different characters。 Septimus， Rezia， Peter Walsh and Clarissa are some characters that will stick with me for a long time。 I definitely see myself re-reading this book in a year or two because it feels like I probably missed out a lot of things that went on due to my unfamiliarity with Woolf"s writing style。 。。。more

Zahreen ，

I struggled finishing this book。 Woolf's writing is obviously stunning and the innovative use of stream of consciousness and flashback/fast forward as part of character development gives the novel a cinematic feel。 But I just couldn't get into the plot or care about the characters at all。 I don't know if that has to do with structure or the content。 I struggled finishing this book。 Woolf's writing is obviously stunning and the innovative use of stream of consciousness and flashback/fast forward as part of character development gives the novel a cinematic feel。 But I just couldn't get into the plot or care about the characters at all。 I don't know if that has to do with structure or the content。 。。。more

Scarlett ，

lacked anything particularly revolutionary or exciting which i would have expected from Woolfwhile the plot was interesting， it was not thought provoking While i wouldn’t necessarily discourage someone from reading this book as it is a classic and Woolf is undeniably a fantastic writer - it just lacks something exciting and controversial

Ruth ，

This book is too short- it's over too soon。 This book is too short- it's over too soon。 。。。more

Ahmed Alaa ，

One of my favourites。 Actually all Virginia woolf's are One of my favourites。 Actually all Virginia woolf's are 。。。more

Amaure ，

I am forever in love with your books。 you are such a sneaky author。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

morgan ，

the only thing I remember is that somewhere in this book is the words "There were books。"I don't remember much the only thing I remember is that somewhere in this book is the words "There were books。"I don't remember much 。。。more

Cathy Graham ，

It was as if someone had said， you know that T S Eliot？ He’s written this great outline for a book。 All you need do is fill it out a bit。 Seriously， it was like an unedited version of Love song。 I had to double check publication dates。 However， he’s well up there on my favourite poet lists so that’s ok。 I’m never much into stream of consciousness as a writing style。 I was interested， but never committed， to anyone’s story or life。 I need to like （or hate） the characters for that。 These just regi It was as if someone had said， you know that T S Eliot？ He’s written this great outline for a book。 All you need do is fill it out a bit。 Seriously， it was like an unedited version of Love song。 I had to double check publication dates。 However， he’s well up there on my favourite poet lists so that’s ok。 I’m never much into stream of consciousness as a writing style。 I was interested， but never committed， to anyone’s story or life。 I need to like （or hate） the characters for that。 These just registered disgust for the main。 I would have liked to enter into the relationship between Elizabeth and her father more。 That seemed genuinely loving to me。 And obviously the Rezia/ Smith lives would have been more moving had Woolf allowed them to be。 For the most part I found everyone pathetic， but not in a way to engage sympathy- at least not all the time。 I also found some of the sentences so convoluted with breaks and gaps that I lost the thread， and quite often thought one voice was talking whereas in fact， it was another。 What I really loved was the clocks and bells， especially Big Ben tolling away the hours of life。 It reminded me of Hardy’s moor in Return of the Native。 Always present， a huge character that overshadows everything else。 I wonder what it would have been like to read not knowing Woolf’s mental health issues。 That， as background， created the poignancy for me。 All in all I enjoyed it， and it was a quick read， I think the stories will twist around in my head for a long time to come。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mrs Dalloway

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mrs Dalloway&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mrs Dalloway&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0