Study Notes on Virginia Woolf and *Mrs Dalloway*

Virginia Woolf Overview

  • Born: 1882, significant family background.

  • Early mental health struggles after her mother and father’s deaths.

  • Joined Bloomsbury Group promoting Modernism and rejecting gender norms.

  • Married Leonard Woolf in 1912; co-founded Hogarth Press.

  • Major works: To the Lighthouse, Orlando, A Room of One's Own, The Waves, and *Mrs Dalloway.

  • Died by suicide in 1941.

Bloomsbury Group

  • Formed in 1905 in London by artists and intellectuals including Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, and others.

  • Advocated liberal political views and rejected social conventions.

  • Close friendships amongst members led to artistic collaboration.

Modernism

  • Emerged late 19th to early 20th century; characterized by breaking traditional writing styles.

  • Features: nonlinear plot structures, stream-of-consciousness, social realism.

  • Influenced by anthropology, psychology, and new political theories.

Mrs Dalloway Overview

  • Originally titled The Hours; aims to critique social systems and explore themes of sanity and trauma.

  • Portrays the societal impacts of trauma in post-World War I Britain.

Stream of Consciousness

  • Defined as the flow of thoughts and feelings without structured syntax.

  • Used by Woolf to display character psychology; examples include Clarissa and Septimus Smith.

  • Illustrates individual and collective trauma shaped by the war.

Character Reactions to Trauma

  • Characters' reactions to urban sounds (e.g., motor car backfiring) represent their mental states and trauma.

  • Clarissa reflects anxieties about aging and domestic roles while Septimus showcases his combat trauma in vivid, disjointed thoughts.

Clarissa's Insecurities

  • Compares herself to other women, which highlights her fears of inadequacy and societal expectations.

  • Relationships impact her self-perception; reflective of broader gender dilemmas in post-war Britain.

Clarissa and Sally Seton

  • Past relationship with Sally reflective of deep emotional connections; regret shapes her current consciousness.

  • Flowers symbolize her nostalgic feelings and desire for connection with Sally.