Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Hannah Gandelman

Sharon Cooke

ENC1102

March.27, 2014

Analysis: Mrs. Dalloway By Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf in 1925, is an excellent example of a piece modernist literature. Woolf is known to have been one of the main members of the modernist movement. In her writings particularly in Mrs. Dalloway, she employs modernist techniques in the narration of the novel, as well as a stream of consciousness and pessimism instead of optimism.

The narrative structure of Mrs. Dalloway departs from a conventional form in a number of perceptible ways. To begin with this novel is not divided in chapters, and it does not have a straightforward narrative from beginning to end. As a modernist Virginia Woolf rejects the idea of a linear storyline, which most authors had used in the past. The story drifts from one character to another, having the story being told through multiple points of view, without any division. This can make the novel a bit complex and confusing at times. As the ongoing narration is constantly shifting from one character’s mind/thoughts to the other, the narration itself is often fragmented. Part of what makes this piece of literature so modernist is the fact that the reader is “hearing” the thoughts and impressions of different characters at the same moment.

Woolf uses the stream-of-consciousness style, which is simply a depiction of a characters uninterrupted, uneven, endless flow of thoughts, feelings, perceptions and reactions. This concept in Mrs. Dalloway deals with the analysis of the characters thoughts, ideas, and feelings, meaning it focuses more on the characters inner life rather then their outer life. By doing this she is in a way mocking society, making her writing untraditional. The following is an example