Virginia Woolf

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holding later in the day. • She returns home and is preparing for the party, when an old suitor, Peter Walsh, calls to see her. After the talk, Clarissa returns home after lunch. At the party she is conscious of her old suitor's critical eye. ● • She leaves the party and in private she considers life, human relations, death and her role in society. Writing this novel, she was influenced and affected by WW1 and its aftermath → this is evident in the character of Septum's Warren Smith, who is a shell-shocked veteran of this war and in the end he commits suicide as a result of this post-traumatic stress. Virginia did not believe in the supremacy of European culture and colonialism, but she empathised with the countries of the empire which began to demand independence → this attitude is embodied by Peter Walsh who, despite working in the Indian civil service, does not like the Empire. • Richard and Clarissa Dalloway seem to represent the establishment, which Virginia did not believe in. ● Narrative technique: • She focused on perceptions, thoughts, feelings and memories expressed through the use of the stream of consciousness and particularly trough the use of the indirect interior monologue. • Even if there are similarities with Joyce's Ulysses, Woolf's thought patterns are coherent and logical and her grammar and punctuation are conventional. There is also an omniscient narrator who acts as a link between the characters to guide the reader. However, no judgment is given and the reader is left to make up his/her mind about characters and events. Structure: Despite the simple plot, Woolf made a complex analysis of her characters. The reader is aware of the passing of time but through the use of flashbacks this real time is extended and illustrates the link between the characters. ● • London provides a frame for the setting of the novel since all the actions take place here: the characters sometimes observe the same scene from a different perspective in the city and this enables Virginia to present a variety of points of view.