Mrs. Dalloway

So, Virginia Woolf. She kind of intimidates me. OK--she totally intimidates me. I think of myself as reasonably intelligent, not as smart as some, not as dumb as others, but I have a terrible fear of reading Woolf and, you know, not getting it. This in spite of the fact that I have read some Woolf, and while I found it difficult, I also found it enormously rewarding.

I want to say that I love Mrs. Dalloway, and I do, but then I feel compelled to spout forth some highly erudite thoughts as to why I love it. Once compelled, I'm struck with images of Mrs. Woolf roaring in vexation from the great beyond at my insolence and lack of capability. Sort of how I imagine Kurt Cobain to react when I listen to his music. Or how they'd both react to being put in one paragraph together, which one probably shouldn't do, but there you go--that's how I roll.

"Did it matter then, she asked herself, walking towards Bond Street, did it matter that she must inevitably cease completely; all this must go on without her; did she resent it; or did it not become consoling to believe that death ended absolutely? but that somehow in the streets of London, on the ebb and flow of things, here, there, she survived, Peter survived, lived in each other, she being part, she was positive, of the trees at home; of the house there, ugly, rambling all to bits and pieces as it was; part of people she had never met; being laid out like a mist between the people she knew best, who lifted her on their branches as she had seen the trees lift the mist, but it spread ever so far, her life, herself."

This is heady stuff, and it's beautiful, and not in an empty way devoid of meaning. Although not much happens (with one notable exception), this novel contains an entire world full of flawed, yet sympathetic people, people who have views and opinions on those around them which are so often wrong, and yet so often well-intentioned and based on years of contact. Some of them are unbearably sad--Septimus, obviously, and the rigid Miss Kilman (seriously? I wish Woolf had written a book just about her). But they all have their reasons for sadness, private or not, and they all have a certain amount of self-awareness and self-deception operating at the same time.

One thing I noticed was the frequent use of "thread" or "string", which made perfect sense, given how these people are all connected, some very tenuously, and yet their lives touch and affect each other, sometimes to an extent they don't realize or understand.

The edition I chose to read was in The Mrs. Dalloway Reader, edited by Francine Prose. Now having read the novel, I can go back and read the essays about the novel included in the reader--and I so look forward to doing just that.

Comments

[Emily]

Amy, you are definitely not alone in finding Woolf intimidating - good for you for diving in anyway, though, and finding a book you loved! I think this line:

"this novel contains an entire world full of flawed, yet sympathetic people, people who have views and opinions on those around them which are so often wrong, and yet so often well-intentioned and based on years of contact"

is so central to my love of the book - people are wrong and yet right, flawed and yet caring.

One of my favorite "thread" moments is after Richard and Hugh have lunch with Lady Bruton, and Woolf describes how, after lunching with friends, one is connected to them by a gossamer thread which extends across town, joining the bodies of the former lunch-mates. I really relate to that image - the atmosphere created by a shared meal or experience, that persists even after the experience is over.

ANYway, super long comment. Here is the summary: I'm glad you enjoyed the book! :-)

[Sarah]

Your comment about putting Kurt Cobain and Woolf in the same sentance got me giggling! Excellent post. I also love the line that Emily already quoted. :)

[claire]

I also read her for the first time and also found it very rewarding, but admittedly didn't get it 100%. In fact, I need about 3 to 5 more rereadings before I can finally say something coherent about it. But yes, lovely experience and cannot wait to read more of her stuff. She's a genius.

[Frances]

Before you judge yourself even more, take a look around at the other posts. The number coming to the book for the first times with trepidation like yours. And the equally large number of people on a re-read for this is a book that invites multiple visits. For what it is worth, I saw no other post that picked up on the thread imagery/theme which is key to these inter-related plot lines. Enjoyed your fine post, and like Sarah, LOVED that you worked Cobain into a Woolf post. What would a conversation between the two of them been like? See you for To the Lighthouse in two weeks.

[ds]

I have the same feeling of Woolf "roaring in vexation" at my inanity every time I read her. And I also love that you mentioned the threads--they are what link these stories together. Great job; thank you.

[EL Fay]

I have that same dilemma with a lot of books I read and write about: that I should have some erudite, insightful response to them. I actually had that difficulty here too. But I think you summed it up very nicely and I especially like your observations about the thread/string.

[lena]

I wish I had known there was a "reader" edition of the book - especially by Francine Prose (the woman with the luckiest name in literature, who really deserves it). I'm really curious to read some books about Woolf herself and draw parallels between her characters and her own life.

I loved your thoughts and your quirky Cobain comparison. (:

[JoAnn]

I haven't seen The Mrs. Dalloway Reader, but will invest in it for my second reading! I had similar fears of "Mrs. Woolf roaring in vexation from the great beyond"... but couldn't find such perfect words to express it ;-)

[Violet]

I don't think Mrs Woolf would have anything to say about our comments about Mrs Dalloway. I think she would sit back in her chair, take a puff of her cigarette, and allow an enigmatic smile to twitch her lips. I think that only she knew what it all means...

[Kristin Callender]

Virginia Woolf is intimidating to me also. I haven't read any of her novels yet. My first introduction to her writing was her diaries. They were put together into a book by her husband, Leonard. It's one of the books that take forever to get through, but I can't seem to give up on eventually finishing. It is very interesting reading her thoughts while she wrote and on other authors of her time, but I find her depressing. Maybe it's because I know how it all ends. I want to read Jacob's Room because of way she wrote about it.