Mrs. Dalloway

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Summary: Worth Struggling, this Acquired Taste becomes Addiction
Review: George softly sings WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? at the end of Edward Albee's play of the same name and his sotted, beleaguered wife Martha answers " I am, George, I am.......". 1962 that was, and Albee's erudite play sent us all to the library to find out who was this Virginia Woolf. Those were college days when Woolf was known to the literati but somewhat of an interestingly enigma to the world in general. Now her century has passed and her works and life are being recognized for the importance they deserve. Re-reading MRS. DALLOWAY reinforces past college memeories of just how dazzling a thinker, poet, writer, and personality she was. In so many ways MRS. DALLOWAY could be a memoir, mirroring Woolf's personality, artistry, and her advanced inspection of same sex love, the decay of aristocracy, the thin line between memory and imagination, fantasy and reality, the loneliness of genius, desire and conscious commitment to the standards of the day. All of these issues she compresses into one June day in London - a day for the preparation of one of the parties for which Clarissa Dalloway is so well known. "Successfully" married to a politician, the mother of a 17 year old beautiful daughter, she allows her thoughts to ramble about love that could have been, mental illness that leads to suicide, brackish and acerbic words from the Lords and Ladies invited, and a lover from the past who rises like a smoldering injured phoenix, making Clarissa reevaluate internally all that has been her life.

There is story here, there are well drawn characters here, and the book can be read solely on the virtues of a novel construct. But if you want to really experience the magnificent wordsmith gifts of Virginia Woolf, then savour each page for the grace of the English language stretched into a seamless, protracted poem. This is book to read slowly, catching all the references to history as it blanketed England after WWI, when in 1923 the Bloomsbury group served as a quiet cocoon of intelligensia, when writing was an art in itself, more concerned with thoughts and ideas as words might mold them than in best selling, rapidly written and published transient pops in the vast sky of literature.

Then Martha's answer to George's/Albee's question will make so very much sense.

Rating:
Summary: Avant-garde yet timeless
Review: Like many recent reviewers, I came to "Mrs Dalloway" via the movie adaptation of "The Hours". When I visited my local book exchange in search of a second-hand copy, I was chided by the proprietor for succumbing to popular culture. The book was no longer in stock, but I was assured that prior to the release of "The Hours", Mrs Dalloway had long sat unloved and forgotten on the shelf. Now, having read it, I know why Mrs Dalloway is so unpopular most of the time.

This book is a challenging, and at times confusing read!

But is "Mrs Dalloway" an historical curiosity, or a timeless masterpiece? My vote goes with "timeless masterpiece" (and that's having perservered with the book through several episodes of wanting to put it down and forget about it).

I believe that Woolf exhibited ground-breaking style in "Mrs Dalloway". But I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling relief that her style isn't widely emulated today. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I opened "Mrs Dalloway", so the style (multiple streams of consciousness) came as something of a shock to me. Creating social commentary out of streams of consciousness must be the *ultimate* form of "showing, not telling". Woolf doesn't tell us how it is ... she lets us take a peek and see for ourselves. This book is dense with insight.

Indeed, I found Woolf's social commentary, expressed by a somewhat bewildering array of characters, to be painfully accurate and timeless, but certainly not heart-warming.

The story itself is dated as a direct result of rich detail (we encounter glove shops, parisols, painful formality, and colonialism - the Indians, for example, are "coolies").

I can't resist adding that, in light of all that painful formality, I was more than a little bit surprised to find a homosexual encounter described as "the most exquisite moment of [Clarissa's] whole life" (p.34).
Woolf beat Madonna onto the lesbian pop-culture bandwagon by several decades! (Although I suspect Woolf's motives were somewhat more sincere than Madonna's).

Nevertheless, it took me a long time to warm to "Mrs Dalloway". It wasn't until I got to the description of the "ugly, clumsy, odious" Doris Kilman ("whom Heaven knows Clarissa would have liked to help") on p.127 that Woolf totally won me over. Woolf depicts the life of an unloved woman with devastating acidity. In my opinion, it is verbal illustrations like these that make "Mrs Dalloway" a timeless masterpiece.

Now I feel inspired to have another crack at "Orlando" ...

Rating:
Summary: ALL IN ONE DAY
Review: Devoid of form and convention Virginia Woolf crafts a portrait of individual's consciousness in MRS. DALLOWAY. Gaining popularity after it's portrayal in Michael Cunningham's THE HOURS, MRS. DALLOWAY continues to be a classic in the many decades since it's original publication. Set in London in June 1923 Woolf creates an intriguing mix of characters. As Clarissa Dalloway is busy preparing for a party in the evening the narration cohesively jumps to Peter Walsh, her lover from years past. The reader also meets Sally Seton (her childhood friend), Elizabeth (Clarissa's daughter), Richard Dalloway (Clarissa's husband) and Septimus Warren Smith (a man suffering from shell shock from WW1) among others. Lack of action is fully compensated by the extraction of the inner workings of the character's consciousness. This aspect makes this book a success. We learn about their passions, guilt, anger, and loneliness. Transitions from one character to the next are seamless without losing the narration's flow. Especially admirable are the transitions occurring between strangers passing each other in Reagent's Park. I must admit that MRS DALLOWAY is not easy accessible as Woolf's prose can be convoluted and confusing to some readers. But I beg those who are struggling with this book to hang on. The ride can be difficult but the message is profound.

Rating:
Summary: Dazzling and idiosyncratic language; whirlwind of thoughts
Review: Out of a gnawing curiosity after reading The Hours, I found my way to Mrs. Dalloway. The novel unfolds over one sultry day in London as Clarissa Dalloway is preparing for a party she will give in the evening. Smith has battled against mental illness from his experiences in World War II. Clarissa kicks off the day buying flowers for the party. As the day unravels, narration begins to shift to different characters. Clarissa reminisces of her entangled love relationships at Bourton. During her earlier years, Clarissa caught herself between her fiancé, Peter Walsh, her sensual female friend Sally Seton, and her husband Richard Dalloway. Much to Clarissa's surprise (as well as mine) is when all these old-time lovers reunion at the evening party in the presence of the Prime Minister. Peter Walsh shows up at Clarissa's doorstep right before the party after running off to India for some 25 years. The voluptuous Sally Seton also makes her entrance as Lady Rosseter. Present among the London elite are Sir Septimus Warren Smith and his wife. Smith has struggled with mental illness from his experiences of World War I. Incidents that lead to convergence of these characters is what makes the book a legacy (you have to read and find out).

The book overall does not manifest a structure. Virginia Woolf has told the story through the multiple point of views from the different characters. The book also explores the hidden thoughts, feelings, and actions and relies on which to tell the story. At the end the story is seamlessly woven together with the party being the meeting points of all her characters. The pleasure of reading this book stems from seeing how these characters have gone their own separate and unpredictable ways, headed off in their own directions, pinned by memory, and cross path again at the evening party. If you find reading The Hours somewhat confusing, Mrs. Dalloway is even more so, between the shifts of characters. For a tiny book Woolf has written prose that is packed with figurative language, poetic expressions, vivid details and provocative tones. The sensual affair between Clarissa and Sally is hinted at in a stifling manner. Michael Cunningham graciously makes that affair come into fruition by putting Clarissa and Sally in the same bedroom in The Hours. The book is simple in plot, but rich in language. That is, certain level of attentiveness is required for reading. I'm convinced that Michael Cunningham must have inherited Woolf's idiosyncratic language and long sentences! And I think this is what many fellow reviewers refer as the "stream-of-consciousness" approach. But don't let that the big term turn you off and miss this great novel. A crafted work. 4.0 stars.

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Summary: A day in many lives
Review: "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf was a surprise to me, even though I thought I had an idea of what to expect. It was a lovely surprise, actually.

I knew it was considered an "experimental" novel, and focused on only one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a 50-something wife of an upper class and successful, but not quite successful enough governmental official. But I didn't know that the stream of consciousness as Clarissa prepares for a party that evening, and remembers and considers her life, is shared among multiple characters. I loved the way the viewpoint flowed among the characters, in a way, as if once they shared an experience on the street or in the park, the point of view would switch to the next person and follow him or her. It was fascinating and done even-handedly.

The flow of point of view brought out some key differences in the characters. Clarissa, while one empathizes with her, seems shallow and self-involved when compared with Septimus, the only one of the main characters who doesn't appear at the party at the end of the day. Septimus is seriously mentally ill, the result of shell shock from World War I. He has an Italian wife he has brought back to London with him from the war, and she is beside herself with worry. Her husband talks to people who aren't there. He writes cryptic notes to himself and leaves them about. She can't connect with him anymore. When it's her point of view, her loneliness is palpable and painful. She's losing hope. Septimus, who watched his war buddy die and "took it like a man" is afraid he no longer feels anything, and has been getting "treatment" from a family practitioner who has no idea what to do for his psychological problems.

Meanwhile, Clarissa prepares for her party by mending her gown. Her former love interest, the man she was involved with before she became engaged to her husband, Richard, comes back into her life from India and drops in her. She remembers that she always feels judged by Peter Walsh and sees him as someone who has made poor and ruinous errors in judgment where women are concerned. He's in London to get a divorce for his new interest, an Indian woman married to an Indian military officer, so that he can be with her. His being back in London and her receiving him in her home causes them to remember their pasts, including a woman, Sally, they had both known, who was very antiestablishment, and with whom Clarissa seems to have been in love, as well.

The day moves forward, and the author ingeniously inserts chiming clocks throughout the narrative to keep the reader anchored in time as the characters' minds flow back and forth over the years and the recent days. The contrast of Clarissa's and Septimus's lives is striking, and there is an idea that Peter Walsh's connection with India, Clarissa's thoughts about her own death and Septimus's pain over the death of his friend and his lack of feeling are commenting on a coming demise of the British Empire. When some characters speak of a patient's death during Clarissa's party, she is selfishly offended; though someone has died, she feels very petulantly negative toward those guests, thinking that they have "brought death to my party."

The book is very thoughtful, very considered, and always, of course, subjective. It's a wonder to read because although it flows so well among all these people who tend to answer each other and make pointed contrasts, there is a lot to think about within this one day. One gains from this perception: You know Clarissa's feelings and you know others feelings about her. It's an interesting way to see a fictional character.0 I would like to read it again sometime, just because I know there's a lot more there.

I did want to mention that having read "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham, I wanted to read this novel, which inspired it. After reading "Mrs. Dalloway" I like "The Hours" less. Things that I credited Cunningham for were taken, sometimes whole, from "Mrs. Dalloway," and I did feel that the end of "The Hours" seemed wrong, not quite believable, not quite what we were led ahead into. "Mrs. Dalloway" did not disappoint in this way.

Rating:
Summary: Virginia Woolf, master psychologist
Review: I'm not that familiar with Woolf's other work, but this book shows the amazing psychological insight that this woman possessed. There's not really much of a plot, other than intense rumination and speculation, so don't expect any dramatic action. What you will find is a glorious stream of consciousness approach to developing characters and letting their random thoughts weave together an interesting story. This book will certainly not suit all tastes, but if you enjoy rumination, florid sentences that seem to never end, and a whimsical view of the world, "Mrs. Dalloway" will please you. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

Rating:
Summary: A modernist masterpiece
Review: On a single day in June, Clarissa Dalloway is preparing for the party she is giving that evening. Septimus Warren Smith struggles with mental illness as a result of his experiences in WWI. Using stream-of-consciousness technique Virginia Woolf explores the thoughts, emotions and sensations of these two characters and others connected with them. Past and present commingle in her characters' minds and this merging of past history and present moment allows for much richer presentation of the characters and their universe than the plot would suggest.

The chief pleasures of the book are the vivid, evocative, poetic language, and Woolf's gift for inner dialogue - the stories characters tell themselves - which in turn reveals them to us.

How good is the book? I "Mrs. Dalloway" can be found on many lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century, one of Virginia Woolf's major achievements. More often than not, it's considered her best work after "To the Lighthouse." Personally, I loved the book, and it led me to start reading her other books and to the biographies. The practical question is not whether this is a good book - it is arguably a great book. The question is whether it is for you.

The book is unapologetically literary, which means that if you don't find language a genuine pleasure, you probably won't enjoy it. For those who do, the rich, imaginative language is the reason for reading. There is little in the way of conventional suspense to keep one turning the pages. The stream-of-consciousness style is demanding, and it requires an attentive reader. On the other hand, it would be a mistake to overemphasize the difficulties. The action of the book is relatively easy to follow, and one does not need a concordance to appreciate it. In fact a good sense of the language can be had simply by reading the first few pages provided in Amazon's section, "Look Inside the Book."

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: A very enjoyable book - I visited the Woolf's original Hogarth Press printing press in England and it was amazing to stand next to it and actually touch it. I am a big Virginia Woolf fan!

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Summary: Symbolic to her own life- Virginia Woolf
Review: In Mrs. Dalloway, Virgina uses a literary device to help the reader better understand Mrs. Dalloway's inner most thoughts, this tool is called stream of consciousness. This was a literary tool that was trademarked and used effectively by Virginia Woolf. Through this tool, the reader can draw many correlations between Virginia's life and Mrs. Dalloway. Mrs. Dallowway's marriage was one of respect rather than passion. Virginia's marriage to Leonard was a platonic relationship with no passionate love involved. This book also deals with sucide and it views it as a freedom from the strains of life. This is symbolic later in Virginia's life becuse she later committed sucide. Sucide in her mind was unleasing her from the mental breakdowns and the manic depression she faced in her life daily. Overall all this is a good book and it is intersting to draw the similarities between Virginia and Mrs. Dalloway.

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Summary: Meanders Nicely...Be Patient
Review: If you're looking for direction don't read this book.

If you're comfortable with wandering, or want to be comfortable with wandering this is a book for you.

It's amazing how the little bitty details of our little bitty lives make up the biggest stories. Virginia captures this.

And to think Clarissa wasn't invited to lunch! Oh, those details...