Reflecting on one’s own life while preparing a party: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (book review)

For a long time I’ve been interested in reading a book by Virginia Woolf. However, I became more aware of her literary importance after taking the online course “How to read a novel“, where her novels were mentioned during discussions about flashbacks / flash-forwards and pace. That’s how I found out that she is most known for capturing day-to-day experiences, illustrating the “thrill and drama of living in the 20th century” (The School of Live video).

In a nutshell

“Mrs Dalloway” follows Clarissa Dalloway throughout her one-day preparations for a high-society party she is going to host that night. But there is more to the story than the life of Mrs Dalloway – a second narrative line tells the story of Septimus Smith, a war veteran who suffers from the posttraumatic stress disorder.

Narrative methods of Mrs Dalloway

Even though the book is framed in only one day (from morning ’till evening), we get more insights than what happens on that specific day. Using streams of consciousness and flashbacks as main narrative methods, the writer reveals many important aspects of the characters’ past. The story travels back and forth in time, diving deep into the characters’ thoughts and memories.

Blurry time and person boundaries

I found it intriguing and challenging at the same time that the time and person boundaries are very blurry. Talking about time boundaries, even though the “action” takes place in a single day, the flashbacks and reminiscences create the impression of dilated time. While reading I felt that I was “following” the characters for a longer period of time, as the narrator reveals many details from their past.

When it comes to the persons’ boundaries, here I refer to the fact that the narrator “jumps” abruptly from one character’s thoughts to another’s – sometimes even in the same paragraph. This approach enabled some very powerful moments, when for example the reader was aware of what two characters were thinking while talking to each other.

Lax structure

After reading the first few pages I realized that the book is not split into chapters – it is rather like a long essay. For me, this was an important drawback, as I prefer having a modular structure (chapters, volumes, etc) to help me feel I am making progress during the reading process.

Wrap-up

To conclude, “Mrs Dalloway” is a complex book that touches upon themes such as the passage of time, stress and mental illness, and contemplation of own life. Even though it is a book I appreciate, and I understand why it is considered a masterpiece, I personally did not “click” with it.

Book covers around the world

If you’re curious how the book’s covers are illustrated around the world, check out this post: Book covers around the world: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.

Did you read any novels by Virginia Woolf? What’s your opinion on her books?

‘Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana

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PS: For someone who loves books with action and excitement like I do, reading “As I Lay Dying” and “Mrs Dalloway” in a short time span can be a bit overwhelming … I think I need a break from reading books that have streams of consciousness as main component 🙂

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Images from LitHub.com | Kiddle.co | KateForster