Mrs Dalloway — Pre-Reading Guide
Read this before you start the book
📖 What Is This Book?
Mrs Dalloway, published in 1925, is one of Virginia Woolf’s most famous and innovative novels. It takes place over the course of a single day in June 1923 in London. The story follows Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class socialite, as she prepares for a party she is hosting that evening. Parallel to her story is that of Septimus Warren Smith, a World War I veteran suffering from severe shell shock (PTSD).
Basic Facts:
- Author: Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
- Published: 1925
- Length: ~200 pages
- Genre: Modernist Fiction, Psychological Realism
- Setting: London, June 1923 (Post-WWI)
- Status: A masterpiece of 20th-century literature and a definitive “Modernist” text.
🏆 Why Is This Book Important?
Literary Significance
- Stream of Consciousness
- Woolf perfected a narrative style that mimics the flow of human thought—jumping between memories, sensory perceptions, and deep reflections without traditional transitions.
- The “Tunneling Process”
- Woolf described her method as “digging caves” behind her characters. By exploring their memories, she connects their past versions to their present selves, creating a three-dimensional view of a person in a single day.
- The Modernist Break
- Along with James Joyce, Woolf moved the novel away from “what happens” (plot) and toward “how it feels to exist” (consciousness).
Historical and Cultural Impact
- The Shadow of the Great War: Written five years after WWI ended, the novel explores a London that is trying to pretend things are back to normal while characters like Septimus show that the trauma is still very much alive.
- Mental Health: Woolf, who struggled with her own mental health, provides a scathing critique of the medical establishment’s treatment of “shell shock” and depression.
🎯 What to Think About As You Read
Key Questions to Keep in Mind
- How are Clarissa and Septimus connected?
- They never meet. Pay attention to how the narrative links them through shared symbols (the sky, birds, the chimes of Big Ben) and similar thoughts about life and death.
- What is the role of time?
- The novel is punctuated by the “leaden circles” of Big Ben. Why is it important that we know the exact time throughout the day?
- Communication vs. Privacy
- Clarissa hosts parties to bring people together, yet she often feels completely alone. Septimus tries to communicate a “great secret” but is seen as mad. Can humans ever truly reach one another?
- The Past in the Present
- Notice how a simple sight (a flower, a car) can trigger a ten-page memory of thirty years ago. How does the past shape his characters’ present choices?
Literary Elements to Notice
- Big Ben: The symbol of objective, social time vs. the “subjective time” of the mind.
- Motifs of Water: Look for words like “waves,” “plunge,” “dive,” and “sea.” Characters often feel like they are “swimming” through their own lives.
- The Shifting Perspective: The narrative “loops” from one person to another. Notice how the POV might shift from Clarissa to a random bystander just because they both see the same airplane in the sky.
📚 A Note on Structure
The novel has no chapters.
- It is a continuous flow of prose.
- Shifts in perspective are often marked by a large space in the text or the striking of a clock.
- The “plot” is simply: Clarissa buys flowers, Peter Walsh visits, Septimus sees a doctor, and the party happens. The “real” action is all internal.
🎓 About Woolf’s Style
Free Indirect Discourse
Woolf uses a technique where the third-person narrator takes on the specific “voice” and “vocabulary” of the character they are currently following. When we are with Clarissa, the prose feels elegant and social; when we are with Septimus, it feels fragmented and ecstatic.
Lyrical Prose
Woolf writes like a poet. Pay attention to the rhythm of her sentences—long, winding descriptions often build up to a short, sharp realization.
💡 Reading Tips
- Don’t Panic: If you lose track of who is “thinking” for a moment, just keep reading. The rhythm will eventually guide you back.
- Read Aloud: If a sentence feels too complex, reading it aloud often reveals the emotional logic.
- Follow the Chimes: Use the striking of Big Ben as your “anchor” to know where you are in the day.
🎯 Your Reading Goals
- Track the memories of “Bourton” (Clarissa’s childhood home). Why does she keep going back there in her mind?
- Identify moments where Clarissa and Septimus feel exactly the same way about a sensory detail.
- Analyze the character of Peter Walsh. Is he a romantic hero or a failure?
📝 Before You Start
Take a moment to consider:
- Have you ever had a moment where a smell or a sound completely transported you back to a specific day ten years ago?
- How much of “who you are” is made up of your memories versus your current actions?
Ready to read?
Start at the beginning: “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”
Pre-Reading Guide created: 2025-12-25
For Great Literature 101 - Book 6 of 10