Book Summary: Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf



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Introduction

Author Name: Virginia Woolf

Book Name: Mrs. Dalloway

Genre: Psychological Fiction

Language: English

About Author

Virginia Woolf was an English writer who was regarded as one of the most significant modernist authors of the twentieth century and a pioneer in using a stream of consciousness as a literary device. Woolf was born into a wealthy family in South Kensington, London, as the seventh child in an eight-member blended family that included Vanessa Bell, a modernist painter.


About Book

Mrs. Dalloway is a novel written by Virginia Woolf about a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictitious high-society woman living in post-World War I England. It's one of Woolf's most well-known works. Mrs. Dalloway was based on two short stories, "Mrs. Dalloway on Bond Street" and the unfinished "The Prime Minister," and was initially named The Hours. The story follows Clarissa as she prepares for a party, she is hosting that evening.


Book Summary

Mrs. Dalloway portrays a single day in the life of a woman from sunrise tonight. Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class housewife, goes on a walk around her London neighborhood in preparation for the party she will throw later that evening. Peter Walsh, an old suitor, and acquaintance, unexpectedly comes by her house when she returns from flower buying. They've always been harsh on one other, and their current interaction is linked with their memories of the past.

Clarissa had turned down Peter's marriage proposal years before, and Peter has never fully recovered. Clarissa is asked if she is satisfied with her husband, Richard, but she is interrupted by her daughter, Elizabeth, who enters the room before she can respond. Peter gets in his car and drives to Regent's Park in London. He is still haunted by Clarissa's rejection.

The focus switches to Septimus, a World War I soldier who was injured in trench battle and is now suffering from shell shock. Septimus and Lucrezia, his Italian wife, relax in Regent's Park. They're waiting for Septimus' meeting with famous psychiatrist Sir William Bradshaw. Septimus was a blossoming young poet and Shakespeare admirer before the conflict, and when it broke out, he enrolled right away for passionate patriotic reasons.

He had become immune to the horrors of war and its aftermath, and he showed little grief when his buddy Evans died. Septimus now sees nothing worthwhile in the England for which he fought, and he has lost interest in preserving either his society or himself. 

He is suicidal and thinks that his inability to feel is a crime. Septimus' experiences in the battle have clearly left him traumatized, and he suffers from significant mental issues. Sir William, on the other hand, ignores Septimus' words and declares "a lack of proportion." Septimus will be separated from Lucrezia and sent to a mental facility in the country, according to Sir William.

Hugh Whitbread and Lady Bruton, members of high society, attend lunch with Richard Dalloway. The gentlemen assist Lady Bruton in writing a letter to the Times, London's most widely circulated newspaper. Richard arrives home to Clarissa with a big bouquet of roses after lunch. Richard arrives home to Clarissa with a big bouquet of roses after lunch.

Clarissa explores the gap that occurs between individuals, including husband and wife relationships. Even though she loves the privacy she can preserve in her marriage and considers it essential to the relationship's success, she finds it slightly troubling that Richard does not know everything about her. 

Clarissa watches Elizabeth and Miss Kilman, her history teacher, leave to go shopping. The two older ladies strongly dislike one another, each thinking the other to be an oppressive influence in Elizabeth's life.


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Meanwhile, Septimus and Lucrezia are having a happy time together in their apartment before the men arrive to take Septimus to the asylum. Dr. Holmes, one of Septimus' physicians, comes, and Septimus is afraid the doctor will kill his soul. To avoid this destiny, he leaps to his death from a window.

When Peter hears the ambulance arrive to collect Septimus' body, he marvels sarcastically at London's degree of civilization. He attends Clarissa's party, which brings together the majority of the novel's key characters. Clarissa works tirelessly to ensure the success of her party, but she is unsatisfied with her own role and painfully aware of Peter's critical eye. 

All of the partygoers, notably Peter and Sally Seton, have failed to realize their childhood ambitions to some extent. Although the social order is certainly shifting, Elizabeth and her generation are likely to imitate Clarissa's mistakes.

Sir William Bradshaw comes late, and his wife informs him that one of his patients, a young soldier named Septimus, has killed himself. Clarissa locks herself up in a small room to think about Septimus' death. She realizes he was overwhelmed by life, and that people like Sir William made life unbearable.

Septimus inspires her, and she admires him for taking the risk and not sacrificing his soul. She believes she is to blame for his death because of her fortunate status as a social hostess. As the celebration draws to a conclusion, visitors begin to depart. Clarissa enters the room, and Peter becomes fascinated by her presence.

You can buy this book easily from Amazon: Mrs. Dalloway

Written By - Grasha Mittal
Edited By - Anamika Malik

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