Analysis Of Mrs. Dalloway - 1298 Words

Walt Whitman’s poem When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer shows a moment which captures the beauty of self-reliance and non-conformity. In the poem, the speaker listens to a lecturer who speaks about astronomy through calculations and measurements. Being sick and tired of the lecture, the speaker wanders off outside to see the stars for himself and becomes struck in awe of the physical beauty of the stars. He also regains peace within himself after finding a new outlet for understanding. This idea of non-conformity being a precursor to self-actualization and inner-peace similarly resonates in Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. The portrayal Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Smith are both examples in the novel that show the negative consequences of conformity. In the beginning lines of the poem, the speaker begins to tell an anecdote about a time he heard a â€Å"learn’d astronomer†. The man is perceived to be highly intelligent and specifically inves ted in the study of astronomy. However, Whitman contracts the word â€Å"learned†, presenting a plain voice that contrasts to the revered sophistication of the astronomer (Whitman 1). This ironic use of tone could be used in order to make fun of the astronomer, despite being a well-educated man and a master of astronomy. Continuing on, the astronomer presents his mathematical â€Å"proofs†, â€Å"ranged in columns† by using â€Å"figures† and the â€Å"charts and diagram† (2-3). The speaker at this point hears the lecture as a list of randomShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway1756 Words   |  8 PagesIt is itself doubtable that Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway would or even could exist, as we know it today, without T.S. Eliot’s 1922 poem The Waste Land – but what’s near-certain to me now is that Woolf may not have ever even written the character of Septimus Warren Smith, had she not read E liot’s poem first. Moreover, after going back and reviewing both of these works, the presence of The Waste Land in Septimus, and of Septimus in The Waste Land, are intensely palpable, if not completelyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Mrs. Dalloway Essay1461 Words   |  6 PagesBritish Literature October 2, 2016 Signature Assignment: Mrs. Dalloway In Virginia Woolf’s book Mrs. Dalloway, she describes the different social class rankings in the 1920s and her characters are compared and contrast during this time. In this time period, class was based on your social upbringing and how you made a living. Clarissa is described as an upper class woman, who is high in society and is married to a wealthy man, Richard Dalloway. She is seen in society, as a woman who has a sense of expensiveRead MoreMrs Dalloway Character Analysis973 Words   |  4 PagesHow far would you go to balance your internal insecurities to keep your external world perfect? In the book, â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway† by Virginia Woolf the main character Clarissa Dalloway struggles to find a steadiness between her lavish outside life and her insecure emotions on the inside. Clarissa lives a high-class life and is a rich housewife. She often finds herself thinking about death and living her life over again. She struggles with sharing her emotions and likes to a ct as if she is a shallow personRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Mrs. Dalloway2371 Words   |  10 Pages Mrs. Dalloway is a novel that examines the world of sexuality and gender amongst the repressive social structure of post-war London through Clarissa and Septimus, two individuals who struggle with queer desires and socially constructed categories of gender. The novel’s title suggests the inescapable structure that Clarissa in particular is bound to regarding the status and assumptions of what it means to be a woman. The particular sets of choices both Clarissa and Septimus make reveal a tumultuousRead MoreAnalysis of Mrs. Dalloway by Ââ€" Virginia Woolf Essay1460 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Mrs. Dalloway by Ââ€" Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway, published in 1925, is a romantic drama with deep psychological approaching in to the world of urban English society in the summer of 1923, five years after the end of World War I. The book begins in the morning with the arrangements for a party Clarissa Dalloway will give and it ends late in the evening when the guests are all leaving. There are many flashbacks to tell us the past of each character, but it does not leave the range ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Mrs. Dalloway By Virginia Woolf1279 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Beautiful, complex, incisive†¦. One of the most moving, revolutionary artworks of the twentieth century† (Michael Cunningham) Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf is not only a book that entertains millions, like Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, or E. L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, but it is a work of literature that revolutionized the art of writing, which continues to influence people’s philosophies, beliefs, and views on life— even roughly afterRead MoreAnalysis the Use of Stream of Consciousness in Mrs Dalloway8784 Words   |  36 PagesAnal ysis the use of stream of consciousness in Mrs Dalloway BY Qian Jiajia Prof. Zhang Li, Tutor A Thesis Submitted to Department of English Language and Literature in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of B.A in English At Hebei Normal University May 8th , 2009 Abstract As one of the representative writers of novels of stream of consciousness, Virginia Woolf has made important contributions to the development of the technique of stream of consciousnessRead MoreAnalysis Of Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway1131 Words   |  5 PagesVirginia Woolf suggested that the War was towering too closely and tremendously to be worked into fiction yet†¦ (Tylee, 154). Regardless of this, Virginia Woolf was able to successfully portray individual aspects of the war through her novel Mrs. Dalloway, using a variety of stories to historicize this catastrophic event. One lens in particular, the love story, provides an important parallel to the war. This spectacle shows the potency of this war, as strain was created in even what should beRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Mrs. Richard Dalloway 1446 Words   |  6 Pagessafe route. She married a well-off politician, and lives a materially satisfying lifestyle. However, she constantly questions her life choices and is plagued by self-doubt. She seems to have lost her sense of self, seeing herself simply as â€Å"Mrs. Richard Dalloway† (10). Her lifestyle causes her to become concerned with her image in society, and she becomes burdened by her constant worry about living up to her role as a politician’s wife. Septimus, on the other hand, risks his life to fight in the warRead MoreAnalysis Of Peter Walshs Mrs. Dalloway1603 Words   |  7 PagesPeter Walsh is a temporarily homeless character inhabiting the pages of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. Away from his adopted home of India, he finds lodgment in memories of the past (his own and other’s), Clarissa Dalloway’s party and living room, Regents Park, a hotel room and a restaurant – along with the streets he traverses. While the Dalloways and the Smiths arrive at home, Walsh is in a state of motion or potential motion throughout the text. After he arrives at the decision to attend Clarissa’s