Mrs. Dalloway

When we say Woolf, when we say Mrs. Dalloway, we say Modernism at its peak, and in all the glory that was born to it in the mind of a creative and intelligent woman, who had struggled with her own thoughts to bring to the world a masterpiece that was destined to immortality.Breaking free from all previous literary traditions, the plot records the events of a single June day in the year 1923. Following no chronological order, multiple flashbacks are inserted every now and then to lure us from the immediate actions into a distant past that contributed to their own making. Similarly, the 19th century omniscient narrator is replaced by multiple viewpoints inspired by Cubism and other artistic movements which had revolutionized art at the time.When it comes to the structure, the novel is divided into different scenes, each following the thoughts of a given character. For this to be possible, Woolf had used many a Modernist technique including interior monologue, soliloquy, and stream of consciousness. In this manner, she had managed to acquaint the reader with the inner mental state of the characters instead of the 19th century's focus on their progress in the material world.Woolf and female characters is a long story which can only be grasped and fully understood once you have read her complete works with an eye kept closely on her female characterization. In Mrs. Dalloway the washed away identity of Clarissa, as Richard's wife, is a central theme, for it suggests the limited opportunities of women, and the injustice of the patriarchal regime. Clarissa and her friend Sally Seton are presented to us in the fullness of their struggle against patriarchal oppression, but also against the conventions which made them experience a sense of guilt for even desiring a state of liberation.Modernism's focus on the psychological and mental state of the characters is pushed a little farther through the character of Septimus Warren Smith whose increasing psychoses emphasizes the post-war trauma, and the mass depression which resulted from the war. Furthermore, the misdiagnosis of his case at the hands of all his doctors is an indication of the neglect of mental illness at the time.In other respects Septimus' attachment to his comrade Evans parallels Clarissa's feelings for Sally, and speaks of sexual freedom advocated by the authoress at an age during which such preferences were still regarded as taboo and controversial.

Mrs. Dalloway is a true masterpiece. I loved every single page of it. The way Virginia Woolf writes, flowing through thoughts, memories, and emotions, is just perfect. It feels so real and human. Even though it’s set in just one day, it says so much about life, love, time, and identity.I was deeply moved by the characters, and how their lives, though so different, are strangely connected. This book made me think and feel so much. Everyone should read this at least once in their life.