The edition that I read this time was the Oxford World Classics Kindle edition, published in 2000 by the Oxford University Press. I would highly recommend this edition because of the essays that come before the novel are insightful and supplement the reading of the text. The explanatory notes are also useful though somewhat distracting sometimes, as they largely map out the locations in London. I have previously read Mrs Dalloway before, about three years ago, and so already had an idea of the general style and content. The essays were helpful in that they picked out relevant details and elaborated on their relevance individually (according to the perspective chosen by the essay writer), where in the novel themselves there are so many elements coming together at once that it can seem somewhat overwhelming. I'll list some of the main themes in the novel and elaborate on a few of them, then make a few remarks on the style before giving a few of my final thoughts.
The colonialism of India is a recurrent part of the novel and reflects a facet to British life and identity. It is somewhat an extension of Britain, as the colonisers based in India are considered 'Indians', almost replacing the native people's existence and reducing them to 'coolies' and workers. Racism is thus an underlying sub-theme where there is a notion of white superiority and the inferiority of other ethnicities. Mrs Bruton's idea of sending British citizens to Canada to spread the colony further and protect the white race and high blood underlines the sense of superiority amongst the white British population, especially in upper class circles. This presumed superiority of the white race, especially of a certain class and education with a particular emphasis on their physicality, introduces a theme of eugenics, which is also discussed in one of the preceding essays.
Typical of the British class system, there is a considerable social structure at play in the novel highlighting the dynamics between social classes and the nature of a hierarchical society. This is then developed further into the question of social appearances and social expectations. This is most clearly demonstrated through the characters of Mrs Kilman and Ellie Henderson although these are not the only significant instances of social class, as we also notice this within the medical profession and from the people in the parks and streets.
Septimus, Clarissa Dalloway's counterpart, is most obviously a patient with a case of, what we call today, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a form of mental illness. The insight into his view and experience of the world not only provides another reality but also brings into question how we define sanity and insanity. The treatment and taboos of mental illness are put in contrast to the doctors' behaviour and respected statuses despite questionable diagnoses. This brings the medical practice under scrutiny as the doctors appear more deluded than the patient himself, while he is no doubt suffering. Clarissa Dalloway is also a patient of a weak disposition, indicating some sort of mental anxiety. Although it is not quite clear what she suffers from, she is concerned with how she is perceived in society even if in her home she is treated like an invalid in some ways (i.e. isolated bed in the attic).
Unrequited love is a theme that we're constantly reminded of through the character of Peter Walsh. His life appears to be defined by it yet he actively lives in a fashion that wants to escape it; however it is imprinted into his heart and memory so that he never really is free from his first love. Peter Walsh isn't the only one to love in the novel, as Richard Dalloway feels he loves Clarissa, his wife, too despite not being able to say it in so many words. Woolf expands the theme of romantic love to same-sex love and passion to include the relationship between Sally Seton and Clarissa Dalloway. Woolf appears to be exploring the nature of love and desire in relation to social constraints and limitations, as Clarissa also chooses to marry Richard for social stability and status over a less 'reasoned' match.
Politics is a running theme throughout the novel, as Richard is a member of the Conservative party. Woolf puts the Conservative ideals and politics in opposition to more liberal values through characters like Peter Walsh and Sally Seton. She questions the Conservative values through these characters who challenge them in their own ways, but also subscribe to them in many ways themselves, such as Sally settling down with a fairly wealthy man and having five of his children. There seems to be a search for political alternatives and yet a satisfaction with the calm after the first world war.
The country in opposition to city life make us think about authenticity and superficiality, as the natural environment largely seems to bring out more sincere dimensions of the protagonists' character, such as in Sally and Richard who seem to be their authentic selves in Burton. The city appears to force the protagonists to assume an artificiality in order to survive and meet social expectations.
Woolf explores the notion of what it means to be alive or living, for often Clarissa seems to be living a somewhat void life, filled with occasional superficial, orchestrated parties. This existential question is not only linked to the consciousness but also to the soul, and thus the sound of religion is in the background and even comes to the foreground through the character of Ms Kilman, who is hardly described favourably in terms of her character and her attachment to the church. The novel also brings up notions of atheism, as it is a period of questioning and criticism of faith and values and not believing is increasingly common.
The importance of science is often referred to in an ironic tone. This is interesting because as doubts increased in Britain in relation to faith, there was a rise in confidence directed towards science and technology. Science almost became the new religion, the new way of understanding the world.
The discussion concerning education and careers for women in society indicates a turning point in history. The role of women is explored by comparing Sally and Clarissa's aspirations, as well as those of Ms Kilman, to the more promising future of Elizabeth, Clarissa's daughter. While the former three had many dreams, they were not necessarily socially acceptable and were more likely to be practically unfeasible. Ms Kilman insists that this is no longer the case for Elizabeth and she can afford to spread out her wings and explore and dream further, and even realise her dreams. There is quite clearly a strong sense of disappointment in the novel, where the reader hopes for a different type of life for Sally Seton to that which she eventually has. While we accept the matter as fair, it feels as if there has been a lot of potential stifled under the female role of wife and mother.
In terms of style and form, Woolf doesn't divide this novel into chapters, rather it is one long piece, a piece that develops its own fluidity and is thoroughly intertwined. The reader will switch from the thoughts of one character to another quite rapidly and Woolf does this in an almost seamless fashion where we can simply "hear" what people are thinking. She uses both free indirect speech and stream of consciousness, which contribute to her style of capturing the mind as well as forming the fluidity of time. Woolf attempts to capture an authentic experience of the human mind by conveying repeated thoughts as well as the memories these may evoke or otherwise unrelated (if that is possible) thoughts of the past combined with various criticisms and judgements of other people and the self. This impressively conveys the subjectivity of judgement and understanding because oftentimes there are scenes in which we will read the thoughts of more than one character, with differing experiences and perspectives.
To bring this rather long post to a close, I would just like to add that Virginia Woolf's experimental style is initially quite strange for readers seeking a certain plot and series of events. However, once we understand that Woolf isn't exploring events but rather experiences of consciousness, we can appreciate her style much more and thus delve into the minds of her characters and of ourselves. The themes are of course relevant in as much as they constitute the material for our human experiences and build our identities but how we engage with these external factors is fascinating in itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment