Mrs. Dalloway: The Virginia Woolf Library Authorized Edition

Though there are some passing resemblances to Jane Austen, the comedy of manners, and Victorian narrative satire, this is a modernist novel and a fairly accessible introduction to Woolf, unless the reader is overly impatient or tone-deaf. Woolf creates a character's interior life through a virtuosic, highly mobile third-person narrator, who might be thought of as the character's "persona," not merely "expressing" the character's thoughts but "mirroring" how the character perceives him or herself as seen by others. Moreover, the indefinite pronouns can shift unexpectedly or occur in too close proximity to make identification easy or even definite. As a result, the reader has to work overtime to achieve entrance into the mind of the "right" character while simultaneously sensing the liquid, interpenetrating and shared qualities of human identity itself. And finally there's that tone, now soft, now loud, and rarely without irony. Woolf makes it fairly easy on the reader with the broad, sardonic strokes she uses to paint the practically villainous Sir William Bradshaw, the eminent psychiatrist viewed by many (especially himself) as the scientific high priest of this cross-section of deluded London luminaries; and she's equally nasty to her other "villain," Miss Kilman, a repressed and embittered born-again Christian who, like Sir William, lives by the code of "conversion," Woolf's euphemism for those powerful personalities who are bent upon breaking, controlling and dominating the will of anyone not strong enough to resist them. The other portraits are more subtle, requiring the reader either to hear the soft, nuanced ironical tones or risk missing both the social satire and the character. Woolf's targets range, perhaps not surprisingly, from the pretense, pride, and hypocrisy of an out-of-touch social stratum that clings to the "orderly" past; to the arrogance of modern medical "science"; to, more surprisingly, the suffocating alternatives offered by both religion and love. She uses the term "Human Nature" ironically, making it refer to those individuals who cannot see with understanding, empathy or vision, substituting for "life" the ego's own conventional, reductive and limited sense of a world that's all surface and order. Readers lured to this novel because of Cunningham's "The Hours" (novel or film) may be disappointed or quickly frustrated. Moving from Cunningham to Woolf is a bit like going from Fitzgerald to Faulkner, or from Austen to Shakespeare. What you immediately notice is the far greater range and more inclusive thematic focus and, most importantly, the sheer power and vitality of the prose (from fluid motion to dynamic rush). Woolf--like Joyce, Faulkner, and Shakespeare--employs a syntax that can cause the head to spin and the earth: she's a writer who represents not merely individual characters but captures a microcosm of life not to mention the life of language itself. The greatest challenge "Mrs. Dalloway" presents to a first-time reader is never to let up. It's essential to stay with Clarissa throughout her entire day, finally becoming a fully engaged participant in the party itself--the final thirty pages of the novel, which contain some of Woolf's best writing. Especially critical is the extended moment, almost 20 pages into the party scene, when Clarissa, like Septimus, walks to the window and has her epiphany. It's a moment highly reminiscent of Gabriel Conroy's singular internal struggle and ultimate attainment of vision in the closing paragraphs of "The Dead" (Woolf was not especially fond of Joyce, but it's hard to believe she was not influenced by him). At that moment, Clarissa sees her affinity and even oneness with Septimus, a character who suffers internally but is capable of resisting the worse alternative of the "cures" offered by Dr. Bradshaw, one of the guests at Clarissa's own party. The insight produces action: one character chooses death; the other, life. But Woolf enables us to see these apparently opposite choices as existential cognates: both characters make choices that enable them to save their souls. (The "Death of the Soul" is a theme introduced early in the novel by the insightful Peter, a "failure" by society's standards and his own admission and someone who cannot get the better of his fixations--on the irretrievable past and his own youth. By the story's end, it is not Peter but Clarissa who presents a whole and integrated self, capable of separating the illusory from the real, of the once dependent "Mrs. Dalloway" from the newly enlightened "Clarissa." Cunningham is a first-rate stylist and craftsman who can tell a story that's moving and evocative, a narrative, moreover, that connects with today's readers by affirming the choices available to the self. But it feels like a mechanical assembly next to the vibrant novel that is its source and inspiration. Ms. Woolf, like her character Clarissa, knows how to throw a party.

The book itself is great, but the copy I received had a weirdly varied amount of ink used to print each page: some pages look like all the words are in bold, and some pages have faintly printed words. It’s not the best copy, but it’s good enough!

For me this was less a story than an exploration of life and what it means to be human. And, by necessity, how to get the most out of the lives we live, which, as Woolf reminds us, go by in the blink of an eye. Woolf is a superb writer; perhaps one of the greatest of all time. And this may well be her best work, made all the more impressive by the fact that she used the stream of consciousness technique that jettisons many of the rules most readers are familiar with. There are no chapters, for example, and many of the most important sentences are so short and simple, by design, as to be overlooked. I won’t say it’s difficult to read but you do have to get used to it. The storyline has been well documented by other reviewers. Set in London following the First World War, we follow the day of Mrs. Dalloway, hostess extraordinaire to the “ruling class”, and the wife of an English bureaucrat in the upper crust of the British government but who will never quite grab the golden ring of appointment to the Cabinet. The achievement and the shortcoming both define him in equal measure. There is a long list of characters, many of them quite minor, but to whom Woolf devotes considerable print. That, I believe, is quite by design, because each represents a different representation of the human reality that we each, at some level, accomplish something, but that none of us ever quite realize complete and utter fulfillment. We choose who we are but can never quite choose who we ultimately want to be. It is the duality of human existence and there are no exceptions. Even Mrs. Dalloway, who has devoted her life to living in the present, faces the same existential dilemma. She is admired by some, tolerated by others, and quite disliked by a few. She is, in a word, human and, as a result, she is both defined and burdened by her duality. One of the characters is Septimus Warren Smith, a young veteran of World War I who suffers from what we now call PTSD. He is, in terms of the storyline itself, a minor character, to the point that many have questioned his inclusion. To me, however, he is a central character and the book couldn’t exist without him. And even Woolf herself admitted, when challenged on this, that he was the double of Mrs. Dalloway. Smith is central, it seems to me, because if Mrs. Dalloway hides the doubt and ambiguity of her life successfully, he loses himself to the same ambiguity quite obviously. They are quite like yin and yang, the complementary forces of light and dark, fire and ice, the masculine and the feminine. One cannot exist without the other. In the end it would be difficult to describe this work as uplifting. It is life. And life, as Woolf reminds us, despite pockets and moments of glamour, is always a bit messy and dispiriting. Life is a duality. Tragedy occurs alongside grace. Doubt inevitably accompanies hope. Can there be the joy of success without the crush of failure? All told I think this is a superb book and if you have any interest in exploring the duality of our existence there is a great deal here, in what is a relatively quick read.

This is not an easy book. I stuck with it to the end but not sure it was worth it. It was on a list of must read books, the author has a unique writing style. Long paragraphs and very broken Ideas. Not one of my favorite classics. I much prefer a happier story. If you are looking for a challenge, go for it.

"Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf is a profound modernist novel that takes place over the course of a single day in June 1923, following Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares to host a lavish party in London. Through Woolf’s innovative stream-of-consciousness narrative, readers delve into Clarissa's reflections on her past decisions, societal expectations, and the transient nature of life and identity. As she navigates memories and encounters with various characters, including the effects of World War I and the struggles of those around her, the novel intricately weaves themes of connection, isolation, and the passage of time. More than just a simple account of a day in the life of a high-society woman, "Mrs. Dalloway" captures the complexity of human experiences, revealing the hidden depths of its characters and the impact of their histories. Woolf’s lyrical prose and innovative structure solidify this work as a classic of modernist literature and an essential exploration of the inner workings of the human mind. With its rich emotional landscape and insightful commentary on societal norms, "Mrs. Dalloway" remains a vital piece of literature that speaks to the enduring complexities of life and the human condition.

Beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson. Mrs. Dalloway is a Modernist classic; it had a huge influence on literature and is a book to return to again and again... I first read it 30+ years ago, then again a few years ago, and started the paperback again this June (2025) because it's the 100th anniversary of the publication. Due to various constraints, I decided to "cheat" this June and listen to the audiobook rather than finish the paperback... I was glad I got this version... Juliet Stevenson reads wonderfully, with just the right level of accent and insight for the various characters whose inner thoughts are portrayed by Woolf; and London of 1925 is brought to life. If you want the audiobook version of Mrs. D., this is the one to get!

This is a review of the audiobook. It is the WORST. Even though it says the narrator is a human, it is clearly AI. Completely expressionless and pauses at the end of lines, rather than at punctuation. I could only listen to about 10 minutes. Cant find a way to return it. What a waste of time and money. It also won’t let me give it only one star.

I must admit to some confusion. I think I have read Mrs. Dalloway, word for word, beginning to end. My uncertainty arises because I suddenly found myself, too soon, at the end of the book. My Kindle copy had jumped ahead about 15%. Not the fault of the book, my reader has been a tad twitchy. I did page back to where I thought I was, and I check against a few on line plot summaries. My real problem was that this is a book where you can miss parts and not always know that you have skipped ahead, or behind. The story of Mrs. Dalloway is the story of several people more or less connected to Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway. Each character is experiencing the same day, the day leading up to a party by the title character. Mostly we learn about these people by listening in on their thoughts, random mental notions and occasionally as they look at or speak with another of the fictional circle. The technique is a variation on Stream of Conscious. Not just the mental world of one person but of several , as they interact or move away from interaction. Ms Woolf's ability to take us into the heads of a diverse cast is art not artifice. The transitions from interior monologue to interior monologue are rarely announced. Rather we are lead into a thought that might apply to either the original thinker or the new one. That is the reader must pay attention or will have to go back a page and realign to the new character. Conclusion, this is not intended as a casual read. The audience for this book needs to stay focused. I had problems being this focused. Characters let their minds wonder. This is how normal minds work. But I found that it lead to my mind wandering and costing me the thread. Knowing that I have gone a woolgathering even as the fictional characters do, I suspect I have missed parts of a well written book. The physical setting Ms Woolf chooses is upscale, London. We are in or near Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Regent's Park and the time is just after World War One. Almost all of the characters are what I think of as the Mayfair Set. In my mind the cast is largely upper middle income, but not titled or financially independent. They are mostly conventional and all financially vulnerable. Clarissa herself has lived a life of privilege with no important responsibilities and we find her to be the shallowest. Her teenage daughter Elizabeth may grow past her mother, but her indecision to become a farmer or a doctor is almost comical given her lack of serious thought about either choice. Elizabeth has a history teacher, one of the few dependent characters who is at once filled with religious inspiration and jealous hatreds. The only other representatives of eh lower, or middle, middle class is Septimus, an man suffering what we would now call post traumatic shock from his war time experiences and his Italian wife, who trims hats and does not understand the threats in her husband's head. For the rest characters are more or less shallow. Their thoughts center on typical moneyed class problems: creating or keeping employment, surviving long lost loves, trying to remember when it was that life stopped being a thing of possibilities. No thought process is so important that the person has to stay focused on it until it is fully thought out. Always there are distractions. Virginia Woolf does tell a masterful story. The minds we inhabit are credible and well written. What are missing are clear individual idiosyncratic styles that would identify each individual brain in a minimum of words. This may be deliberate by Mw. Woolf. A way of saying we are all alike before we are all different. Mrs. Dalloway is worth reading. It may be a book that needs more than one reading. It is one that demands concentration. The lives we will visit are not that interesting. The technique used to tell us about them is.