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Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, published in 1925, is a modernist novel that unfolds over the course of a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class woman in post-World War I London
. The narrative alternates between Clarissa’s preparations for a party she is hosting that evening and the internal thoughts and experiences of other characters connected to her, including Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked war veteran. The novel explores themes of time, memory, and the impact of war on the individual.Set in a post-war society grappling with the aftermath of the conflict, Mrs. Dalloway employs stream-of-consciousness narrative techniques, allowing readers to delve into the minds of its characters. Woolf’s prose is marked by its poetic and introspective qualities, offering a nuanced exploration of the complexities of human consciousness. Published during a period of significant cultural and social change, the novel is celebrated for its innovative narrative style and its portrayal of the inner lives of its characters. Mrs. Dalloway has become a canonical work of modernist literature, influencing subsequent generations of writers. Its investigation into the subjective nature of reality and the passage of time continues to resonate with readers.
Read the free full text, the full book summary, an in-depth character analysis of Clarissa Dalloway, and explanations of important quotes from Mrs. Dalloway.
