Allusion in The Wasteland

For my allusion from The Wasteland, I choose to research "Belladonna, the Lady of the Rocks." Belladonna, which means beautiful lady in Italian alludes to the Virgin Mary. This allusion is confirmed by "the Lady of the Rocks" which sounds similar to the da Vinci painting, Virgin of the Rocks, which depicts Mary. In the painting, Mary appears to be calm, kind, and tranquil as shown through her facial expressions. This depiction is used to characterize the female character in The Wasteland. However, Belladonna is also a type of poisonous flower, which was used by women as a form of facial enhancement. Thus the allusion combines two different perspectives which are juxtaposed. On one hand the female character looks kind and pure but she is really poisonous, vain, and dangerous.

Metaphor and Symbol in "The Dead"

Metaphor in "The Dead"

"I didn't think you were a West Briton."

Tenor: Gabriel

Vehicle: a West Briton

The tenor and vehicle are related because they help further Miss Ivor's argument that Gabriel is an anglophilic or too admiring of England.

The effect of the metaphor on Gabriel is that it causes him to become confused and to wonder how his literary reviews are coming across. The effect on the reader is that, if they are familiar with the term "West Briton", they will understand the strength of the comparison that Miss Ivor is making and how it could be taken to be derogatory in fashion.


Symbol in "The Dead"

Music

"He asked himself what is a woman standing on the stairs in the shadow, listening to distant music, a symbol of. If he were a painter he would paint her in that attitude. Her blue felt hat would show off the bronze of her hair against the darkness and the dark panels of her skirt would show off the light ones. Distant Music he would call the picture if he were a painter."

Tenor: Music

Vehicle: light and dark imagery, attitude, emotion

The vehicle and tenor are related because they help Gabriel use music as a mode of comparison to show the many coloring effects which music can bring to a description.

The effect of the symbol on the reader is that it helps to show the reader how music can represent many different aspects of life such as the lightness and darkness of life, and how music, although auditory in nature, can be used to create a visual image.

Reflections on Dalloway

After finishing Mrs. Dalloway, I have really begun to appreciate the literary genius and revolutionary that Virginia Woolf really was. Although the novel was difficult to read, on reflection, it does make sense, life is not easy to understand so why should a book, if it is trying to be as accurate to the human experience as possible, be easy to read. Another unique aspect of Mrs. Dalloway that I appreciate after the completion of the novel is the emphasis on character point of view rather than on the plot. Although not an appropriate means of telling all stories, in this particular case, I feel that the stream of consciousness narration played a major role in determining the novels effectiveness as it allowed for a focus on character development and helped to make sense of the complexities of human life around us. Overall, Mrs. Dalloway, was a unique book which was difficult to enjoy while reading, but that is satisfying to have read on reflection because of its fresh method of storytelling and a unique focus on character development as opposed to a forwarding of the plot.

A Loss of Emotion

After reading Mrs. Dalloway, I feel that I am in a better position to understand the mindset of Septimus and am able to use Septimus as an example to compare to the real world. Because of the war, Septimius had lost his ability to feel, not literally, but emotionally. This struck a huge blow to him and caused him to question all that he saw around him. A direct parallel exists between Septimus and a person that I personally know. This person is one of the least emotional people that I know. Although they are extremely sarcastic, they lack any expression of emotion at all. As a person who recognizes emotions well, it is extremely unnerving for me to be around this particular person because I feel like something is missing. It has almost come to the point that I hate this particular person because I cannot understand them, and I cannot connect with them. This scenario from my life creates a direct parallel to Septimus in the novel. Septimus is alone, isolated, and trapped in his own mind. The world is looking and darker every time he looks upon it and, thus he really begins to question human nature. A loss of touch with one's emotions creates a major void that if not filled will be consuming and that is sadly what happened to Septimus.

One Word

Whimsical

One Question

How was stream of consciousness narration viewed during the time that the novel Mrs. Dalloway was published?

Virginia Woolf's Struggles in Writing Mrs. Dalloway

Throughout my reading of Mrs. Dalloway, I have been struggling to get through the difficult to read text. However, if I am struggling as a reader, I can only imagine the difficulties associated with writing a novel in this particular way. The first difficulty that a believe Woolf must have faced in writing Mrs. Dalloway, is when to switch perspectives. Although the novel is written in a way that is supposed to emulate human thought, I believe that it must be incredibly awkward to write in this particular style as is goes against the classic writing style taught by most teachers which is to pick a point of view, try to be as clear in your writing as possible, and provide adequate support for any examples used in the text. Thus although the writing style is supposed to appear natural, I believe that it is most unnatural to write. The second difficulty that I believe Woolf faced was how to keep a reader engaged. Although readers were much more attentive back when the novel was published, and were more able to get through difficult to read sections than readers are today, I still believe that most readers of Mrs. Dalloway have some difficulty progressing through the novel. Finally, I believe that the third difficulty that Virginia Woolf faced was how to weave a story together that made sense even through the constant change in perspectives. I can imagine that it must have taken considerable time to craft a plot for Mrs. Dalloway that maintained cohesion through all the changes in perspective that are created through the stream of consciousness narration. As a reader, I may complain about having to read Mrs. Dalloway. However, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write and that has given me much appreciation for the work as a whole. 

Books as Education

In class I recall talking about how Mrs. Dalloway lacked an education, and that in a way she wished that she was more like the lady that Virginia Woolf was, educated and scholarly. However, after re-reading sections of the novel, I believe that although she lacks a formal education, the knowledge that she has about life in general and the knowledge that she has gained through the reading of books has allowed her to become educated in a different sense. When the narrator says, “The candle was half burnt down and she had read deep in Baron Marbot’s Memoirs. She had read late at night of the retreat from Moscow” (Woolf 31), it becomes clear that Clarissa Dalloway is an individual who reads often and enjoys reading. I believe that if a person wishes to become educated, that they do not need to have it done in the formal sense. Rather, a person who does not have access to the tools of education, such as a school, either due to gender restrictions or economic restriction, can still become educated through self-learning. In this way, although Clarissa Dalloway did not receive any formal education, she still was able to educate herself through the books that she read and the lessons that she learned about history and herself through her readings.