Human Nature

So, like I said in class, I'm going to use Dr. Holmes in conjunction with Septimus and his suicide to help "define" modernism and this "ego-centric predicament." The passage on human nature and Dr. Holmes on pg 92 will start my analysis, simply showing that Dr. Holmes is a type of symbol for the nature of humans to be ego-centric in the modernist's point of view. Fast forwarding to pg 149, Septimus' suicide, I'll use this "scene" to show how Septimus essentially rejects modernism. He commits suicide to escape Dr. Holmes and humans in general, who, according to the modernist, all live in their own 'bubbles' and each are central to themselves. I know I need to make all of this a little more clear by explaining it but, in a nutshell, that's what I want to write about.

For my essay a few sences appeal to me but the one i have selected is Richards resolve to tell his wife he loves her. With in it im inermingaling the relivence of time and Big Ben. I really like the scene and i think its crusial for the rest of the story. I think it can be seen as a great reprsentation of the rest of the book. and that there are alot of messages Woolf is trying to portray though Richard, Mrs. Dallowway, Big Ben and the events of this scene.

Essay Topic

Hey ya'll. So for my essay I'm going to explore three scenes, using Peter getting rejected by Clarissa as my main scene. My main theme is "major let downs". Thus using Peter's rejection, then Richard's inability to say "I love you" and then Septimus finally being happy and wanting to live before dying. I'm using the scene of Peter's rejection as an anchor because it seems to affect a lot of the characters later on (hence the flower/can't say I love you scene with Richard). At this point I'm thinking I might retract the septimus scene and instead focus on how the scene of Peter's rejection and Richard's I love you because they are similar. And then I will talk about how love can be a momentary event and how just the split seconds you feel in love...could forever change you life! My mind is running rampant and I can NO LONGER look at a screen. Gu-bye

Septimus

For my Mrs. Dalloway essay I have decided to write on Septimus' suicide. While writing on this passage I was going to try to bring in the similarities between his suicide and Socrates' suicide, and how Virginia Woolf herself committed suicide. For now, however, I am just going to focus on really dealing with the passage itself and the uniqueness of Septimus' suicide compared to how people would normally react.

Labels

For my analysis of Mrs. Dalloway I'm going to talk about labels. On page eight Woolf starts to talk about how a label doesn't define you. Woolf starts to talk about how Clarrisa is a upper class, party throwing, socialite, but she also starts to get into how Clarrisa is so much more than a socialite, the experiences she had as a young woman with Sally Seaton, and the fact that she decides to mend her own dress, so on and so forth. Also with Septimus, although he is a war vetran so much has happened to him that cannot be labled and yet the Doctor labels him as crazy. Basically Woolf talks about how everyone in the book has some sort of a label and yet they are so much more than that label.

Lobo's dalloway essay idea

I was thinking of primarily using Septimus's revelations (67-69) to look at the ego-centric predicament by exploring the nature of subjectivity. I would look at the vast differances between the world that Septimus (who is insane) sees and understands as opposed to what "sane" people (like Clarissa) see and understand of the world, and tie that into the ego-centric predicament as proof that everyone has the capacity to see the world in vastly different ways, and as such it is impossible to connect with another person (this being the prevelant theme I argue). I will probably also look briefly at Septimus's suicide (139-149), and the ideas that lead him to jump, as well as what he thinks right before jumping, I will probably also look at Septimus's musings (88-89).

Passage

For my passage I plan to center on the scene in which Mr Bradshaw brings death to the party, and in that moment, when Clarissa and Septimus, though they never encounter in life, seem to make a connection. I will also draw from the passages in which Richard and Clarissa share their unspoken communication, and additionally Septiumus' suicide as well as his being "alone together" with Rezia. However "death stalking the party" will be my main focus. I will also devote some of my analysis to the fact that even though people search for connections and a breaking of the ego-centric bubble, and how, as with Clarissa and Septimus, the breaking of this bubble is not always a good thing.

Dalloway Paper

Ok well I was sold on the topic of the ego-centric predicament from the moment we were assigned this essay, but picking a scene was the most important part of this essay. I decided that the Solitary Traveler passage would be the most intriguing scene to analyze this predicament, but in doing so I can still roam around the novel to passages like Septimus' suicide (and his connection to Reiza just moments before) and the moment when Richard and Clarissa connect, to demonstrate the "compromises" that are possible even in this predicament. I also can pull in references to the scene where Peter breaks down into tears by Clarissa's side. One passage that I really want to reference but cannot seem to find is where Peter is talking about how "Clarissa had a theory in those days..."

As for more abstract references, I was hoping to pull in the shared aesthetic experience music brings and how this is a perfect demonstration of the compromise that Modernists propose for transcending the ego-centric predicament.

Dalloway Discussion

For my essay i am going to write about the intersection of subjective and objective time. the scene i plan to render is the first few pages of the book when Calrissa is transported back to bourton by the squeak of a door hinge. The subjective form of time is a key element in the ecocentric prediciment, we are all inside out own worlds on our own time, but BIG BEN will always strike when hours have passed.

Septimus musing

"It might be possible that the world is without meaning." Septimus shows his feelings toward the world. The world is without meaning, this could be that the world is not important to septimus. War surrounds him, shell shock, and this could lead to his feelings. Septimus is like Shakespeare in many manners like the way he feels about love, and the way he feels about humanity.

mrs dalloway

Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway is a novel that is prevalent with themes and different scenes that further portray them. Themes that are commonly go noticed in the pages of this novel are love and religion, madness versus proportion, and subjective versus objective experience of time. The theme of “death” was best exemplified in the scene in which Septimus commits suicide. This scene in which has been chosen to be examined is one filled with shadowy and gloom traits. It starts with him and his wife enjoying a day at the park and later goes on to have a horrible event happen, Septimus throwing himself from a window.

clarissas theory

For my essay I decided to analyze clarissas theory(pg. 8 & 9) by bringing out how she sees everything as connected. The fat lady in the cab, Bond Street, death ending absolutely. Clarissa ties everything together. "Devonshire House, Bath House, the house with the china cockatoo, she had seen them all lit up once; and remembered Sylvia, Fred, Sally Seton—such hosts of people; and dancing all night; and the waggons plodding past to market; and driving home across the Park." The houses are lit up together, the hosts of people dancing together, the wagons plodding past to market. She can't seem to grasp how she can die, or cease to be, yet still be tied to everything.
At one point, near the end of the second paragraph of her theory, she says, "...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..." Yet, in the first paragraph, she says, "She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone..." If she is so connected with everything why is she still so alone? This theory seems to contradict itself. The first paragraph states how she is alone and will never say something is this or that. But in the second paragraph she says that she, Peter, and everyone/everything else is connected.

An Indictment of Wealth

In the book Mrs. Dalloway Wolf paints the picture of a rather pathetic and mundane group of central characters. Clarrisa, Peter Walsh, Hugh Whitbread, these area ll people creating a egocentric and falsified world for themselves. Hugh shuns reality by deluding himself with his letters, believing himself an involved philanthropist when he is, in actuality a lame gesture of British supremacy. Clarrisa fools herself into thinking than she is a prominent member of society, while she cant even got a lunch invitation with Lady Burton. Even the likable Sally Seton becomes yet another member of the boring aristocracy, forsaking the individuality that brought her immortality in the minds of her friends. I found Septimus the most likable of the characters because he actually has a reason for his pathetic state, and one that one person should deny him. Mrs. Killman delivers a tyrade against the wealth of the British aristocracy, going so far to say that Clarrissa's life was a "tissue of lies and deceit". She offers what I believe is Woolf's perspective on the whole thing, an indictment of the lives that wealth has brought so many.

Lav-Dawg,

Lav-Dawg,
I will use this opportunity to inquire of you about Peter's knife. FOr my essay, I wrote about the scene where Peter surprises Clarissa with a visit, and I need some verification about the knife. For one, I feel that the knife symbolizes myriad aspects of the novel. For one, because he has had the knife since Biourton (I think), it showcases the fact that he cannot/will not/refuses to relinquish the past. IN addition, because he is perpetually fidgeting with his knife, I feel that it is indictive of his uneasiness around Clarissa and the contemporary English society. Finally, the way that he is continually opening and closing the knife portrays the ambiguity in the novel. An open and closed knife equates to 50:50 or ambiguity. Peter is ambiguous towards Clarissa, Daisy, English society, etc. etc. I'm not sure if any of the aforementioned motifs and symbols actually hold any validity, but I'd appreciate your input.

GREEN

Is the reason the color green shows up so much because its suppose to symbolise envy? It seems that Peter is jealous of Richard, Richard is jealous of Peter. Clarissa is jealous of Sally Seton and Peters relationship. It seems Septimus is jealous of all happiness he is lacking in his life. And Rezia is jealous of Evens even though he is dead. In every scene we see the color green is it because most of the characters have a little green monster on their backs? Is the reason that Clarissa didn't marry Peter have to do with her fathers great disapproval of him?

Sally and Clarissa

For my paper, I am thinking of writing about the relationship between Sally Seton and Clarissa Dalloway. My main passage will be the one on pg. 35 where Clarissa explains the kiss between her and Sally. She describes it as exquisite, and says that "the whole world might have turned upside down". The kiss was like a freeing moment for Clarissa; she feels supressed by society, and therefore, Sally was something different from the norm. Mrs. Dalloway constantly is trying to be the perfect hostess, and she is often referred to as that. Also, on pg. 33, Clarissa says that she has always envied "a sort of abandonment, as if she could say anything, do anything; a quality much commoner in foreigners than in an Englishwoman". Again, this shows how Sally is different and out of the ordinary. Sally opened Clarissa's eyes to how sheltered life was in Bourton. Then, when Sally arrives as Lady Rosseter at Clarissa's party, Clarissa sees that she has conformed. Sally is now married has 5 strong children. This is a disappointment to Mrs. Dalloway because now even Sally is part of the routine, stiff world that Clarissa has been a part of.

Windows to our Souls

For my paper, I would really like to further investigate the metaphor between windows (and ultimately rooms as well) and our souls. I feel that Virginia Woolf consciously made the effort to depict our homes as our souls; that as we retreat into our rooms (as the old woman does at the end of the book) we are also retreating into our souls.
I'll start with Septimus' suicide--it seems to be the perfect example of this metaphor. With Septimus, a man who feels as though he is being torn apart by the strict norms of society, I found it rather odd (and fitting) that he would jump out of his window (thus leaving his "soul") and impale himself on a railing--literally a barrier between the home and society. I'd also like to see if Septimus' suicide is really a rejection or acceptance of society; by committing suicide he is rejecting society but the symbolism behind the window and the railing could mean that he is trying to accept society in his last moments. Or perhaps it was some cruel joke Woolf plays on him (how fitting that he just happens to land on a railing, of all things).
So this is what I'd like to write about, but knowing me I'll probably go off on a tangent somewhere in my paper about trees being a metaphor for souls as well :)

Essay Prospective

In my essay i want to explore why Woolfe approaches the concept of death in so many different ways through all of her characters. Also what the significance of using death or suicide in her novel to tie everyone together. I also want to point out what i think Woolfe is trying to say about human nature and how we all must die the difference is how we approach the act of it. Im thinking i might use Septimus's suicide scene as the central point and then also expand on Clarissa's first mention of suicide and her last mention of death, and comparing Dr. Holmes watching Septimus die to Clarissa watching the old woman go to sleep in the end.

Cursing Society?

Yes, I understand that if I am to curse society, I should yell it out with pure confidence instead of questioning if I actually curse it or not. It makes my statement weak. But, the reason for my question mark is confusion.
First of all, I love Mrs. Dalloway. Nothing really happens for a good 2/3Rd's of the book, but throughout all of those pages, so much is going on. I feel connection to this modernist style, because I've often felt that many people could miss out on a considerable part of life if they loose connection with other people; especially a large, diverse group of people. Yet, how do we connect with these people? How do we get inside other people's thoughts and begin to understand differences and similarities?
I refuse to believe that everyone reacts to art in the same way. My uncle and I live for poetry, yet my mother looks down upon the art form. And Erik and I don't perceive poetry in the same way whatsoever. Have you ever gone to a movie with someone? That right there on the big screen is a giant piece of many frameworks of art, and whoever is sitting next to you is not going to like every moment that you do.... You are both going to disagree on a number of things such as a) actors, b) music, c) script or plot in general.... Art may give us something like a common denominator a.k.a. a similar foundation, but, in the none Modernist view, doesn't the notion of God actually give us all a true string that can connect us all? However, even in the Modernist rejection of God, what of love? Is there such a thing as Universal love? Or can love only be between two people?
I also disagree that sex is the only other way to connect with a person. If sexual intimacy leads to connection, shouldn't there be a fundamental love between the two people before making love? I just don't believe that if you were to make love to somebody without the essential bond of love between that person it would 'expand this luminous halo' that we belong in.
So, we must establish some form of, some way, to communicate, and 'share the burden of your mind'. (I think that's from a song....) And it is true, as we go through life, we will find those who can go 'in and out of each other's minds,' and we don't actually need to speak before we are understood. "Happiness is this" because this alienation seems to disappear when our own confusing thoughts actually makes sense to someone who is outside of our own personal worlds. -At the beginning of this book, I was sincerely convinced that every person on the face of the planet was potentially insane to different degrees. My reasoning: because we are all confined to what is in our heads and our own perceptions, and we are living the lie of relative truths, we can never clue anybody else in on what we are going through, what we experience, and how we deal with everything.
But please enter in the word experience. Isn't it is our experiences that we are able to share that somehow connect us? Clarissa and Septimus never share the same experiences, but they do think in the same way, and because their thought processes are so alike. Because of this, do they automatically share a connection? Of course I cannot ask this question and avoid the crazy questioning of loosing a sense of self, and keeping. Egocentrecism. Which would be worse, the death of the soul, or death of companionship? Or can we have balance? And how do we communicate? With words, or with body language? How exactly do we execute the souls, or our friendships? Alienation? Individualism? How can we protect these equally important aspects of life????
But to finally reach my main point: Civilization has ingrained in all of us, to some extent, that alienation is the death of humanity. Therefore, in trying to maintain humanity, people loose their individuality. Yet, when people deny themselves, how are they to see in order to understand? (In less confusing wording: How are we as people expected to make any connection with anyone else if we have been taught to deny our individualism and become one with the masses?) Look at Clarissa, who is so concerned with keeping her own soul in tact. She loves and absolutely lives for parties! Well, what is wrong with this? She just loves the life that a party invokes in each person. One cannot be at a party and simply mope about with no uplifting life in them. And all this while, people look down at her for giving parties. Neighboring thoughts give way to the 'materialistic' and 'lazy' stereotypes associated with her. And here she is stuck between what she loves and what others may think of her. Her sense of self, of alienation, is ironically the exact opposite: She loves bringing people together. What would make her give this up? Simply: What others think poorly of her. So, another's alienation, or sense of egocentricism, forces her individual personality to be alienated.
And now we look at Septimus. (Who I absolutely love!) Anyways, poor Septimus is loosing his very soul. "The Death of the Soul!" Actually, I take this back. He is loosing his sense of alienation, while gaining this sense that his doctors wish to take away his Egocentricism. (I'm really sorry I've spelled this wrong just about three times.... and is it simply egotism?) By reaping Septimus of his Egotism, civilization is bearing down on his individuality saying this is completely wrong. I think Septimus represents God. Whoever is ruler of the entire universe knows EVERYTHING. Yet He has experienced OUR pains through his son, Christ. Anyways, Septimus has these moments when he is connected to the very roots of the trees and the wind blowing through the leaves all at the same time, and HE has 'understood things' (after the war of course) only through his prolonged invention of Evans. Evans tells him things that he must carry out. Maybe this connection is a little crazy. Maybe a lot crazy. Maybe even ridiculous. Unfortunately, Septimus did not want to die. But he has to escape somehow! Becoming one with the universe...is this really the worst fate? No, the worse fate was what Septimus was already living. Now he is an actual part of everything in the universe (according the Modernists, and I don't know how many agree with this...) and there is NOTHING out there to say to him "you cannot be this!" This death was not/ is not the worst Septimus and anyone can experience. I know Clarissa is wondering and perhaps even fearing death because 'will all of this even matter?' Well, we can go into this giant discussion about existentialism, but I'd rather not. Just to ponder though: Does our life only matter if we influence another's life? If we bring about change for the world, is our life better than someone who didn't do anything to invoke change? Finally, how do we grasp individualism without conforming to societies wish that we are never alienated?

Ego-Centric Universe

I feel like there's so much to focus on in this novel, choosing one passage when every one is so detailed and rich with clues and emotions is hard, but i find the idea of trying to escape our natural ego-centric universe fascinating. I've always thought about exactly what we've talked about in class for weeks, just how do you get to REALLY know someone else without losing yourself? It seems impossible until you enter a world such as literature where authors such as Wolf allow multiple points of view and the true "delving into" of multiple persons brains. Any person who walks by on the street Wolf will follow with her writing. Is this to know more about yourself (clarissa) or to really know more about that person. Clarissa claims to have a connection with people, as she does with Peter. Is she someone who can really complete that defeated cycle of REALLY getting to know someone or is she jsut like the rest of us, puzzled by the frustrating reality that we can NEVER get past that point? This brings me to the point of is Clarissa normal? Are the events happening in this day of her life simply normal for her or everyone else going on around her or is this special? Is the small fraction of her life we get to witness not available at any other time? Does this allow us to better get to see who Clarissa really is and perhaps go beyond that point? Honestly, I dont know. I dont know what to think because my own urge to truly know someone else as well as they know themselves is so great, but can never be achieved. It makes me doubt our knowledge of ourselves? Arent we a part of everything/everyone? Without really knowing them can we really know ourselves? Or is this all we ever get? this frustration of never knowing what we dont know?

Dalloway Dalloway Dalloway

Personally, and although I may be one of few, I actually have come to realize how much I appreciate this book. The indirect tone shifts make it a challenging read, that you really have to get into, in order to understand fully. I really like how the reader is able to get inside the characters minds and I feel like Virginia Woolf does a really good job of realistically portraying a person’s thoughts. Woolf elaborates on how we all can view the same things, but it is our initial reactions and personal revelations that make the thought process so unique. We as the reader have the opportunity to experience the elasticity of time, and the characters reveal the past, present, and future are all inside their heads.
Woolf also distinguishes certain objects/things throughout the novel. The relationship with god and nature is continuously contemplated; Big Ben demonstrates a time change, flowers, waves and the color green are repeatedly brought up in different contexts during the story; as well as the direct correlation between Septimus and Clarissa.
The overall theme of the book that I really focused on was the “connectiveness”. There was the connection between people mind, the deliberate attempt of Clarissa to connect to people with her parties and the ultimate connection that Septimus had with nature. I think that this could be a possible center for my essay. I want to go off of the “most exquisite moment of her whole life” with Sally’s kiss and describe how this scene “sheds light” for the entire novel about the modernist perception of how other relate to each other and themselves. Modernists are dedicated to the individual mind, but at the same the same time there is a desire to connect with others. Clarissa is described as the “perfect hostess” because she is always wanting to relive her past “exquisite moment” and relate to people on that separate level. Septimus is on this level that Clarissa longs and searches for, but is portrayed as “mad.” The entirety of the novel is in this strange tone changing perception that further invokes images of connecting things from that initial reaction to your own life. Each experience is unique, but we all relate to it differently based on our own past experiences. It is the connection to each other that binds us, but are realization of individual perception that separates us too.