Compare Gatsby and Dalloway and you find in both a big party, a woman with a child trapped in an unhappy marriage with a powerful man, and a third person with whom the married woman could use to escape. Very similar stories, the difference is Gatsby ends with a shock - kinda like in Larsen's Passing novel - while in Dalloway we're made to understand the dynamic potential of having Peter and Richard in the same room with Clarissa. And we can extend that to the idea that maybe wars start with things like a beautiful woman leaving with, or taken away by another man. In Woolf's depiction of high society, civilization keeps most of the action within the heads of the characters but the potential for sudden violence is always there.
@@Joy-boy-joy I don't know: Perhaps it's improper to compare a Woolf plot to Helen of Troy because isn't that one of the criticisms of patriarchal tendencies in Western Civilization, i.e., that women are at the root of all problems? A lot of it depends on how serious Clarissa is about running off with Peter, who claims to be in love with a much younger women (thereby exciting her jealousy), so likely I'm over-reaching in the comparison to Daisy, who seems ready and willing to enter into an affair with her old flame, Jay. So much of Woolf involves reading into what isn't spoken about in polite company, like the possibility Peter is using jealousy to prod her into an impulsive decision.
@@jamesduggan7200 Interesting! I do not think it is improper. Your perspective makes me think. Especially the Gatsby comparison. That is creeping further into my mind. It felt to me that Peter's mentioning his newfound love was more of him being cathartic and impulsive rather than anything devious. Him preparing to leave his wife for a young love who was already married; his nomadic lifestyle; these all fall into his character. His love comes across as spry and progressive for their times as opposed to Clarissa's (she married for status/social appeal). It is apparent that they love each other, but their ideals separate the entire purpose of love. Interesting enough, I do believe Woolf was reflecting on her own life and the circle of friends around her with the love triangle + 1 (I am including Sally Seton) in Mrs. Dalloway. I read her diaries and I remember bits and pieces that make these characters come to life even more.
@@Joy-boy-joy I like to think that Woolf wrote an actual story, with conflicts, plotlines, and characters. If she was merely recreating her social set then the story suffers, IMHO. If, OTOH, Woolf makes a statement that not only duels are fought over women but even wars, and who knows? maybe the whole reason for WW1 was an argument between two jealous men with more power than was wise to allow them to have? I think that for Mrs. Dalloway to be a novel it's necessary to make Clarissa's dilemma a serious one. It was necessary to have her consider the possibility of leaving Richard for Peter, and then allow the audience to ruminate on what Richard might do in that situation. The point of the story - the moral - becomes that WW1 was the kind of disaster that changes fundamentally the way people think and act. However, possibly it's merely a slice of life with about as much substance as the woman who frets that the mention of a sad suicide might dampen the festive mood of her party (and after she worked so hard at it, even going herself for the flowers!).
@@jamesduggan7200 oh no, I only meant that she was able to draw from some personal experiences to give her characters more life. There are many layers to the novel: the concept of time; the concept of love; interpretations/perception of lives...
Wow, this was a nice surprise. I read this book for the first time 2-3 months ago and it has been on my mind ever since. I agree with the literary enthusiast who say this is a perfect novel. This has me excited for the rest of her works. Happy Easter!
Woolf is one I would've loved to meet. I admire her work so much. I've been feeling like a reread of The Waves. You're right that it's like the flow of thought. I feel similarly about her as I do about James and Proust, in that you eventually sync up your brains to theirs, and the writing begins to sing.
So I just read Mrs D about 3 months ago after putting it off, along with everything else by VW, for my entire life. It sat on my shelf staring at me, and so I decided to finally read it. I'd heard very mixed things, but I knew eventually I had to read it and omg I absolutely fell head over heels in love with VW as a writer. I was blown away by her prose. I mean, the only other author who took me by complete surprise with their brilliance of pose was Cormac McCarthy. I can't stop thinking about Mrs D, and I want to read everything she's written. I bought Orlando, To the Lighthouse and The Waves. The reason given why ppl tend to not like her is her stream of consciousness technique, but I could not have been more enamored and blown away. It makes me wonder why I let negative reviews put me off of certain books. If I'd read it years ago, months ago, I could be well into several readings of it. This is a book I want to understand inside and out. I only feel that way about a handful of books.
I just discovered your channel! I enjoyed your review more than reading the book. I'll subscribe! You're review has been great in giving me new perspective. Thanks!
Thanks for this. I’ve just finished Mrs Dalloway for the first time today. I’m still ruminating on how I feel about it, it’s definitely not instant love for me, but I need to spend a little more time making sense of my thoughts. This helped. So thanks again.
Considering _A Room of One's Own_ (or even _Orlando_ ) , I think the taking of the husband's name would be an interesting perspective to look at. Since you have indicated that you haven't read AROOO, it would be something to ponder while reading it, and a nice future literary discussion.
I just read this one two weeks ago! I have to admit that, as much as I love it, it is difficult to follow at times. I moved onto the audiobook and really enjoyed it and it was easy to follow the story.
Great, insightful, thorough review! Although I haven't read 'Mrs. Dalloway' yet (on my physical TBR), I just finished reading 'The Dutch House,' which I really enjoyed. And it sounds like these two novels have similar themes (exploring characters' thoughts, feelings, & goings-on; memory; nostalgia; how people recall the past & how spaces evoke memory; bird imagery; time; choices; mortality). I may just pick up 'Mrs. Dalloway' next.
Great review! I attempted to read this book in middle school and could not get into it. I should try again now that I'm a bit older... maybe a bit wiser.. the jury is still out on that lol
After World War I, they were indeed talking about PTSD, except they called it "shell shock," first coming to use in 1915. Not having lived then, I imagine "shell shock" was very much a private thing, probably not discussed openly, like post-partum depression, suicide attempts, or any mental illness, or even out of wedlock children. Shell shock was identified and acknowledged, and not well understood (not that it is today), but certainly not something for discussion in polite society. Of course in today's society, I hear teenagers (and younger) talk of PTSD because their siblings ate the last package of pop-tarts. The "watering down" of this term is unfortunate to those who truly suffer.
Yep - shell shock. What I meant it what you said about how it definitely wasn’t something that was not well understood and definitely not talked about the way we do now. Omg yes. That drives me crazy.
Do you like The Odyssey better than Jane Eyre? I can't believe that woman only wrote one book. The path she carved! Wow. Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play. I find it interesting how many times very passive people find themselves in position of power and a place where they can do so much but they don't have the oomph/mojo. P.S. - I know you don't like Catcher in the Rye, but I think you'd enjoy 9 Stories especially, A Perfect Day For Bananafish. One of the best short stories about war I've ever read.
@@alanaestelle2076 I hope you'll travel like Jane. Maybe not far from where your family is, but far enough to meet your Mr. Rochester (as far as I know you've not met him/her etc).
I agree that _The Odyssey_ is so pervasive throughout our culture. It is one, like Dante's _Divine Comedy_ that seems to have had unfathomable impact on our Western society. A request before you make the video is to indicate which translation (or translations) you have read and/or prefer. I plan on a re-read, but by a different translator.
Perhaps the impact of Dante's Divine Comedy is diluted since 1850 or so, or maybe 1950? Possibly there was a time when to some extent there was a literal interpretation of it, I don't really know. Nonetheless, I think that this political climate is chilly to it, tho I can't pretend to be someone whose thesis proposal was shot down for no good reason. I did watch a series of lectures delivered at Yale a few years ago where the professor (visiting from Italy) stressed its structure and its place as a great love poem. It was an excellent presentation, tho I believe the subject matter - particularly for The Inferno - will continue to determine its place.
@@jamesduggan7200 Inferno, Purgatorio then Paradiso... the guide to heaven is Beatrice, who is Dante's dream girl as you know. Getting to the end of the book, in heaven, with your dream girl ... yeah, sounds like a love story made in Hollywood. People still talk about the demons in hell, and levels of hell, and video games are made of such horrors; it all started with Dante. I even saw one with an NPC called Beatrice helping Dante. Many movies where they reference the seventh level of hell reserved for traitors. You would be hard-pressed to find a Western-based movie, or book that talks about demons or Hell (or most things in the horror genre) without directly quoting Dante, or a work which was directly or indirectly linked to Dante. You'd pretty much have to reach into Eastern cultures or indigenous lore to find something not based on Dante.
Great review 🤓💕 I love the 1997 film adaptation (Vanessa Redgrave) totally captures the essence & Michael Kitchen was perfect 👌 despite not very favorable ratings (i've given up on star ratings) films & books 😆🙅♀ & i love u for saying 54 aint that old 😆😅(turned 52 last month y'know,)., 😉☺👍
Compare Gatsby and Dalloway and you find in both a big party, a woman with a child trapped in an unhappy marriage with a powerful man, and a third person with whom the married woman could use to escape. Very similar stories, the difference is Gatsby ends with a shock - kinda like in Larsen's Passing novel - while in Dalloway we're made to understand the dynamic potential of having Peter and Richard in the same room with Clarissa. And we can extend that to the idea that maybe wars start with things like a beautiful woman leaving with, or taken away by another man. In Woolf's depiction of high society, civilization keeps most of the action within the heads of the characters but the potential for sudden violence is always there.
I have seen many interpretations of this book concerning the dynamics between characters and this is another great one I hadn't considered.
@@Joy-boy-joy I don't know: Perhaps it's improper to compare a Woolf plot to Helen of Troy because isn't that one of the criticisms of patriarchal tendencies in Western Civilization, i.e., that women are at the root of all problems? A lot of it depends on how serious Clarissa is about running off with Peter, who claims to be in love with a much younger women (thereby exciting her jealousy), so likely I'm over-reaching in the comparison to Daisy, who seems ready and willing to enter into an affair with her old flame, Jay. So much of Woolf involves reading into what isn't spoken about in polite company, like the possibility Peter is using jealousy to prod her into an impulsive decision.
@@jamesduggan7200 Interesting! I do not think it is improper. Your perspective makes me think. Especially the Gatsby comparison. That is creeping further into my mind. It felt to me that Peter's mentioning his newfound love was more of him being cathartic and impulsive rather than anything devious. Him preparing to leave his wife for a young love who was already married; his nomadic lifestyle; these all fall into his character. His love comes across as spry and progressive for their times as opposed to Clarissa's (she married for status/social appeal). It is apparent that they love each other, but their ideals separate the entire purpose of love. Interesting enough, I do believe Woolf was reflecting on her own life and the circle of friends around her with the love triangle + 1 (I am including Sally Seton) in Mrs. Dalloway. I read her diaries and I remember bits and pieces that make these characters come to life even more.
@@Joy-boy-joy I like to think that Woolf wrote an actual story, with conflicts, plotlines, and characters. If she was merely recreating her social set then the story suffers, IMHO. If, OTOH, Woolf makes a statement that not only duels are fought over women but even wars, and who knows? maybe the whole reason for WW1 was an argument between two jealous men with more power than was wise to allow them to have? I think that for Mrs. Dalloway to be a novel it's necessary to make Clarissa's dilemma a serious one. It was necessary to have her consider the possibility of leaving Richard for Peter, and then allow the audience to ruminate on what Richard might do in that situation. The point of the story - the moral - becomes that WW1 was the kind of disaster that changes fundamentally the way people think and act. However, possibly it's merely a slice of life with about as much substance as the woman who frets that the mention of a sad suicide might dampen the festive mood of her party (and after she worked so hard at it, even going herself for the flowers!).
@@jamesduggan7200 oh no, I only meant that she was able to draw from some personal experiences to give her characters more life. There are many layers to the novel: the concept of time; the concept of love; interpretations/perception of lives...
Wow, this was a nice surprise. I read this book for the first time 2-3 months ago and it has been on my mind ever since. I agree with the literary enthusiast who say this is a perfect novel. This has me excited for the rest of her works. Happy Easter!
Thank you! Happy Easter!
Woolf is one I would've loved to meet. I admire her work so much. I've been feeling like a reread of The Waves.
You're right that it's like the flow of thought. I feel similarly about her as I do about James and Proust, in that you eventually sync up your brains to theirs, and the writing begins to sing.
Yes! Sync is the perfect way to describe it!
So I just read Mrs D about 3 months ago after putting it off, along with everything else by VW, for my entire life. It sat on my shelf staring at me, and so I decided to finally read it. I'd heard very mixed things, but I knew eventually I had to read it and omg I absolutely fell head over heels in love with VW as a writer. I was blown away by her prose. I mean, the only other author who took me by complete surprise with their brilliance of pose was Cormac McCarthy. I can't stop thinking about Mrs D, and I want to read everything she's written. I bought Orlando, To the Lighthouse and The Waves.
The reason given why ppl tend to not like her is her stream of consciousness technique, but I could not have been more enamored and blown away. It makes me wonder why I let negative reviews put me off of certain books. If I'd read it years ago, months ago, I could be well into several readings of it. This is a book I want to understand inside and out. I only feel that way about a handful of books.
Her prose is beautiful! I can see though how for some it may be hard to follow at times. She does make you focus haha
I just discovered your channel! I enjoyed your review more than reading the book. I'll subscribe!
You're review has been great in giving me new perspective. Thanks!
Thanks for this. I’ve just finished Mrs Dalloway for the first time today. I’m still ruminating on how I feel about it, it’s definitely not instant love for me, but I need to spend a little more time making sense of my thoughts. This helped. So thanks again.
Thanks for watching! It's an interesting piece of lit, and i find that Woolf takes some time to process haha.
Considering _A Room of One's Own_ (or even _Orlando_ ) , I think the taking of the husband's name would be an interesting perspective to look at. Since you have indicated that you haven't read AROOO, it would be something to ponder while reading it, and a nice future literary discussion.
Good to know!
I just read this one two weeks ago! I have to admit that, as much as I love it, it is difficult to follow at times. I moved onto the audiobook and really enjoyed it and it was easy to follow the story.
Ooooh I could see the audiobook being perfect for this!!
Great, insightful, thorough review! Although I haven't read 'Mrs. Dalloway' yet (on my physical TBR), I just finished reading 'The Dutch House,' which I really enjoyed. And it sounds like these two novels have similar themes (exploring characters' thoughts, feelings, & goings-on; memory; nostalgia; how people recall the past & how spaces evoke memory; bird imagery; time; choices; mortality). I may just pick up 'Mrs. Dalloway' next.
Thank you! Oooooh this is good to know. I have The Dutch House in my shelf and I haven’t read it yet.
Great review! I attempted to read this book in middle school and could not get into it. I should try again now that I'm a bit older... maybe a bit wiser.. the jury is still out on that lol
Thank you! Haha yes! Try it again! You never know.
After World War I, they were indeed talking about PTSD, except they called it "shell shock," first coming to use in 1915. Not having lived then, I imagine "shell shock" was very much a private thing, probably not discussed openly, like post-partum depression, suicide attempts, or any mental illness, or even out of wedlock children. Shell shock was identified and acknowledged, and not well understood (not that it is today), but certainly not something for discussion in polite society.
Of course in today's society, I hear teenagers (and younger) talk of PTSD because their siblings ate the last package of pop-tarts. The "watering down" of this term is unfortunate to those who truly suffer.
Yep - shell shock. What I meant it what you said about how it definitely wasn’t something that was not well understood and definitely not talked about the way we do now.
Omg yes. That drives me crazy.
Do you like The Odyssey better than Jane Eyre? I can't believe that woman only wrote one book. The path she carved! Wow. Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play. I find it interesting how many times very passive people find themselves in position of power and a place where they can do so much but they don't have the oomph/mojo. P.S. - I know you don't like Catcher in the Rye, but I think you'd enjoy 9 Stories especially, A Perfect Day For Bananafish. One of the best short stories about war I've ever read.
Nope, Jane Eyre is number one! 🙌🏼
@@alanaestelle2076 I hope you'll travel like Jane. Maybe not far from where your family is, but far enough to meet your Mr. Rochester (as far as I know you've not met him/her etc).
@@martasoltys9091 this is so sweet, thank you! ❤️
@@alanaestelle2076 love is important. I underestimated it. I remained in a horrible relationship. Please don't make my mistake.
I agree that _The Odyssey_ is so pervasive throughout our culture. It is one, like Dante's _Divine Comedy_ that seems to have had unfathomable impact on our Western society. A request before you make the video is to indicate which translation (or translations) you have read and/or prefer. I plan on a re-read, but by a different translator.
Perhaps the impact of Dante's Divine Comedy is diluted since 1850 or so, or maybe 1950? Possibly there was a time when to some extent there was a literal interpretation of it, I don't really know. Nonetheless, I think that this political climate is chilly to it, tho I can't pretend to be someone whose thesis proposal was shot down for no good reason. I did watch a series of lectures delivered at Yale a few years ago where the professor (visiting from Italy) stressed its structure and its place as a great love poem. It was an excellent presentation, tho I believe the subject matter - particularly for The Inferno - will continue to determine its place.
@@jamesduggan7200 Inferno, Purgatorio then Paradiso... the guide to heaven is Beatrice, who is Dante's dream girl as you know. Getting to the end of the book, in heaven, with your dream girl ... yeah, sounds like a love story made in Hollywood.
People still talk about the demons in hell, and levels of hell, and video games are made of such horrors; it all started with Dante. I even saw one with an NPC called Beatrice helping Dante. Many movies where they reference the seventh level of hell reserved for traitors.
You would be hard-pressed to find a Western-based movie, or book that talks about demons or Hell (or most things in the horror genre) without directly quoting Dante, or a work which was directly or indirectly linked to Dante. You'd pretty much have to reach into Eastern cultures or indigenous lore to find something not based on Dante.
@@kurtfox4944 funny you should say that today because last night on youtube I watched Denzel Washington in Fallen
Great review 🤓💕 I love the 1997 film adaptation (Vanessa Redgrave) totally captures the essence & Michael Kitchen was perfect 👌 despite not very favorable ratings (i've given up on star ratings) films & books 😆🙅♀ & i love u for saying 54 aint that old 😆😅(turned 52 last month y'know,)., 😉☺👍
Hahah 50s definitely ain’t old! Plenty of life left to live! 🙌🏼
❤
❤️❤️❤️