Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf | Summary & Analysis

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, themes, and motifs of Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway.
Download the free study guide and infographic for Mrs. Dalloway here: www.coursehero.com/lit/Mrs-Da...
Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway describes a single day in London from the perspectives of several characters through stream of consciousness narration.
Notably, Clarissa Dalloway, the title character, ruminates on her life as she moves through the city and prepares for a party. On the outside, she is the perfect party hostess. Internally, she’s doubting her marriage, missing lost loves, and contemplating growing old.
The novel drifts into the minds of several of Clarissa's acquaintances, as her friends defy social expectations and struggle to process the aftermath of World War I. The novel notably explores the thoughts of Septimus Smith, a World War I veteran suffering from the lingering effects of shell shock.
Remarked for its stylistic innovation and compassionate treatment of unconventional women, mental illness, and sexuality, the narrative situates profound revelations within the mundane activities of everyday life.
Celebrated British author Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway was first published in 1925. Born to an artistic Victorian family, Woolf balanced creative passion and severe depression throughout her life. She often focused her work on characters’ complex interior lives, dabbling in unusual forms such as stream of consciousness-as in Mrs. Dalloway-surrealism, and minimalism. The character Mrs. Dalloway is featured in five short stories written by Woolf.
The dramatic novel Mrs. Dalloway contains many important themes, including age and memory, as the characters grow older and reflect on the past differently; the passage of time, as the characters measure minutes, hours, and years; and stress and mental illness, as Clarissa and Septimus fight internal battles. Important motifs include flowers, water, and Big Ben.
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[@morradi10000]

This book was sheer torture. Stream of consciousness is not for me, I’m afraid. Thank you for making me understand the themes of the story.

[@sandranathan6844]

I agree. Reminded me of a "BLOG" where people want to share their unsolicited thoughts and never-ending personal, uninteresting perceptions and useless activities.

[@littlesometin]

@@sandranathan6844 please go do something useful then, all this nagging is quite useless

[@MrRegman1011]

@@littlesometin Funny how you contribute to the nagging by responding

[@littlesometin]

@@MrRegman1011 well I'm not the one obsessed with everything being useful, so I can afford it

[@ayoo9963]

Sm biggest mistake of my life going along with my classmates to choose this

[@blvcksumerivn]

I was getting dizzy after reading more than 3/4 of the book, you've really helped me a lot. thank you very much for this wonderful insight

[@danangdann2163]

The presentation of summary and analysis of Mrs Dalloway is well-easy understandable. Very appreciated to create such a video! Thanks for assistance!

[@Bubblesandcandyfloss]

Needed this . Assignment due. Thank you

[@user-yk7yh4lr8i]

Too true

[@Yupppp222]

love the energy russell. you're the best

[@Tea281099]

He's truly a hero! Thanks for all the amazing summaries and analyses. Love your channel!

[@FogelsChannel]

Agreed.

[@markbeck8384]

I enjoyed this. I just read Mrs Dalloway, watched a couple of movies about it, saw the Opera The Hours. Thanks to maybe the help, I found Mrs Dalloway easy to read, and glorious. I think it is one of the best novels i have ever read. Thanks to all the outside sources who expanded my understanding, helped me appreciate the genius of this book. I will never be the same.

[@Booklover-coffeelover]

You mean to tell me that schools assign this novel for high school teens? I read it at 23 for the first time and even then I did not fully understand it. No wonder young people hate good literature if their first introduction in it is the most difficult Virginia Woolf novel.

[@44theshadow49]

I was forced to read this in high-school. I didn't quite get it. Many years later, my curiosity impelled me to look into it again.

[@abigaillissa5314]

Thank you for making it easy for us non-native speakers of English :)

[@jovanacapric2051]

Hey, just a friendly suggestion - you might want to make the background sounds less loud. I don’t know if other people have had the same issue, but I’ve found the gasps and other animated characters’ reactions very distracting because they are happening simultaneously with your presentation while being louder than your voice. Otherwise, really great content, I’m just a bit sad because the background noise really takes the focus off the content so I have to keep rewinding in order to focus on what you’ve said. Hope you’ll fix this so I can continue enjoying your videos. :) All the best!

[@maitri_negi]

These sounds puts life in the video and you might not notice it but they make you think what’s not told, which is correct. Like Dalloway gasping when his husband comes because she thinks it’s time for guests and gets shocked how time flew... later knowing that it’s just his husband

[@hindashrafezzel-din1190]

I have a Modern and Post-Modern Literature exam in two days and this was very helpful.

[@Deesha316]

hey xD

[@hindashrafezzel-din1190]

@@Deesha316 😂😂😂😂😂

[@anabeleme]

OMG I feel so much better now that I've read the comments of people having trouble with this book, I wanted to read it in English (not my first language) instead of a translation and it really made me question myself. I thought I didn't understand cause I had, somehow, forgotten the language 🤭

[@dienzen]

Oh thank you! I read the book and loved it even though I didn‘t quite understand the good second half of it. Now I must say, I grew even more fond of it, for I have a better understanding of the book as a whole.

[@gray5105]

i love literature, but i swear i cannot do modernism. i respect it for what it did, but stream of consciousness writing is just not FUN for me to read.

[@biffboy4133]

Yepp

[@Me-hr1wd]

The most comprehensive summary out there, thanks for your great effort! Also Баргушники здесь?)

[@lunatic8012]

вас там заставляют на английском читать?

[@iremkucuk3736]

This is exactly what I needed, thank you so much

[@hiddentreasures8633]

Very informative. And beautifully described.

[@Alma-gj9no]

This was very helpful! I'll have to read the book again. It wasn't too hard to read but I was somewhat aware there were so many details I wasn't getting (and, of course, there were more than I thought).

[@tokelojiyane2952]

Taking notes for the the Exam based on this. If I pass the Exam, i'll like & subscribe.

[@moharolex9774]

Btw in characters Peter Walsh proposed to Mrs dalloway not septimus

[@laconcilienteatshe1027]

hi can u help me??

[@alaggs7279]

i still dont get the story

[@maitri_negi]

You should watch the series... not just summary because tbh this novel is ... kinda weird nothing makes sense XD

[@khushibajaj1629]

Thank you so much!

[@ModernLady]

I’m like 4 pages in and have no idea what is going on. Not a great start..

[@magdasawicz9042]

it gets a little better, but the way story is told is not for everyone. i didn't read the whole book, but got through 200+ pages.

[@harryfall3500]

well thx for that explanation this was really really very helpful! :-)

[@Hafeex_vaxeer]

Thanks Course Hero

[@zuhatalat6406]

Please make videos on to the lighthouse by virginia woolf

[@sydbarrett7511]

thank you so much

[@clary98]

I can't thank you enough for this video

[@shortclub7011]

Such a good presenter :D

[@shaktisinghbundel3761]

Thank you🌹 so much...

[@maggie8586]

Good analysis, but the pace and vocals of delivery are a bit of a shellshock right after watching the movie.

[@serlongteron1936]

Nice though

[@Skhaokip1023]

Subtitles will be better😀

[@Royalroadtotheunc]

Just press or click on CC and you'll get Closed Caption subtitles.

[@Rikabunneh]

Love your content! But you might wanna slow down a bit. You talk so fast that I'm forced to rewind in order to focus better.

[@Royalroadtotheunc]

Sometimes it helps to change the speed to 0.75 !! 😊

[@alaekabbaj4555]

My fav virginia woolf novel is Orlando I didn't like Mrs dalloway as much as I thought I would

[@oumaimaghouili9372]

The moaning in the background.. weird tho

[@kumarsushant9589]

Haha😂😂😂

[@maitri_negi]

Why?

[@CodyQuach]

Anyone here from Elkerton

[@cristianmorgan2012]

Boy did I hate this book!

[@larissastreil4432]

How does Clarissa suffer from mental illness in the book?

[@cristianmorgan2012]

Can you please stop calling this book a "masterpiece"? This is a horrible book that no casual reader seems to understand.

[@turbzyangling]

Americans...

[@alexandarvlaskalic710]

What do you mean?

[@supermarketrash8616]

wha..?

[@margot024]

@@alexandarvlaskalic710 @supermarketrash As a student in the UK, it's weird to hear about this book by an English author set in London from an American with his very American accent, way of speaking, and mannerisms. It's just very different. Even the way the video is designed, lol