Great Books
Group 2
M. diMuro, M. Moua, J. Popp, K. Heaslet, M. Hemphill, and R. McNamara
Our website for discussions of the books read in English 260.
Character Analysis
Clarissa Dalloway is a high class woman of her 50's who lives a life of luxury, parties, fashion and high society. As she lives this life though, she is constantly reflecting on her feelings and trying to find a deeper meaning in her lifestyle. She is always thinking of the past and the present and reflecting on the choices she has made in her life. She thinks a lot about her decision to marry Richard instead of Peter and she feels deep down that she may have sacrificed passion and true love for security. On the outside her inner turmoil is invisible; she always keeps herself composed to keep up her image of luxury and happiness.
Septimus Warren Smith is a man who is extremely lost in his mind and is seemingly going insane. He has visions and hears things, speaks to himself about the evils of life, and claims to know the truth about the world. His condition got bad after the death of his best friend Evans during the war, and Septimus has visions of Evans constantly and talks to him as if he is still alive. Septimus is angered by any outside help and feels that no one understands him or can help him. He is very cynical towards life and struggles to find any happiness. He talks of suicide to his wife and as the doctors seem to turn on him, he becomes overwhelmed and ends his life.
Peter Walsh is a middle aged man who many years ago was Clarissa Dalloway's lover. Clarissa had decided to marry her husband Richard instead of Peter, and Peter had left in a hurry for India. Now, many years later, he is back in town and seemingly not completely over Clarissa. He spends much of his time worrying about life and whether or not he has wasted his. He is aware that he had potential for success in high society but abandoned all chances he had when he fled for India. He contemplates whether or not this was a good decision, because he feels like somewhat of a failure when around those from his past. He looks down of high society and how superficial it is, and is very harsh and judgemental on Clarissa for her decisions and lifestyle.
Richard Dalloway is the husband of Clarissa and the father of their daughter Elizabeth. He is a caring and supportive husband who does love Clarissa even though he doesn't say it as much as he thinks he should. He is more serious than Clarissa, though, and spends much less time reflecting on life and his thoughts than she does. He is a fan of English society and tradition, and has close associations with members of high society.
Mrs. Dalloway
Suggested Reading!
The White Guard
By: Mikhail Bulgakov
Written in Russia, but set in 1918 Ukraine, explores what one family goes through during the Russian Civil War focusing on the battle in Kiev.
The Hours
By: Michael Cunningham
The Hours tells the story of three women: Virginia Woolf, beginning to write Mrs. Dalloway as she recuperates in a London suburb with her husband in 1923; Clarissa Vaughan, beloved friend of an acclaimed poet dying from AIDS, who in modern-day New York is planning a party in his honor; and Laura Brown, in a 1949 Los Angeles suburb, who slowly begins to feel the constraints of a perfect family and home. By the end of the novel, these three stories intertwine in remarkable ways, and finally come together in an act of subtle and haunting grace.
Author Bio: Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf, better known as Virginia Woolf, was born on the 25th of January 1882 in London, England. She was an essayist, novelist, publisher, critique, specially famous for her novels and feminist writings. She is considered to be one of the leading figures of modernist literature of the twentieth century. Her most notable works are the novels Mrs Dalloway, Orlando, To the Lighthouse, The Waves and the feminist essay A Room of One's own. She was an active figure in the London literary society in the interwar period and was a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Virginia Woolf committed suicide on the 28th of March 1941 in East Sussex, England, at the age of 59. Psychologists have determined that she had Bipolar disorder, which, untreated, eventually led to her suicide by drowning.
Book Summary
Mrs. Dalloway is a novel that takes place in one single day in June 1923. There are two storylines that end up connecting at the end- the story of Clarissa Dalloway's day and Septimus Warren Smith's day. Clarissa is a middle aged woman of high class who is to throw a party that evening. Her morning is spent choosing flowers for the party and having an unexpected meeting with her ex lover, Peter Walsh. Her afternoon is then spent reflecting on the past and her decision to marry her husband instead of Peter. Meanwhile, Septimus is spending his day in the city with his wife Lucrezia. Septimus is a post-war veteran with an obvious case of severe depression and PTSD, who is struggling to find peace in his mind. His wife has been trying endlessly to help him and has hired multiple doctors to try and figure out what is wrong, but nothing is seeming to help cure Septimus' inner demons. The doctor Lucrezia has hired has become a demon in Septimus' mind; there is nothing that will make Septimus obey the doctor's suggestions to stay in an asylum. As Septimus is in bed, the doctor comes by for him. Septimus in a panic tries to get him to leave but it does not work, and frantically he jumps out of the window. This unforunately kills Septimus. The news of this death circulates when the doctor and his wife arrive at the Dalloway's and the story ends up being a topic at Clarissa's party, to her distaste. The night goes well for Clarissa over all- she sees many people from her past, such as Peter and her old best friend Sally. She reflects on her choices and the way she lives her life in this society. At the end of the night, she is left feeling somewhat disappointed for a reason she can't quite pinpoint. The story ends with Peter Walsh seeing Clarissa approach him at the party.
