Exploring Context in Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

Dec 4, 2024

Lecture Notes: Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" and Contextual Analysis

Introduction

  • Speaker: Leila from Ignite
  • Focus: Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway"
  • Context: Relevant for HSC Module A 'Textual Conversations'
  • Importance of context (personal, social, cultural, historical) to understand the text deeply

Key Contextual Features

  1. World War I (1914-1919)

    • Published in 1925, crafted during/post-war period
    • Reflected in the text, especially in the character Septimus Warren Smith, a war veteran
    • Impact of war: multiplicity of deaths, societal changes (women's roles), trauma from war experience
    • Veterans struggled to reintegrate into society post-war
    • Mrs. Dalloway: explores triviality of life post-war
    • Septimus: war trauma leads to madness and suicide

  2. Psychoanalysis

    • Emerged in early 20th century
    • Sigmund Freud: "The Interpretation of Dreams" (1901)
    • Study of subconscious mind and its implications
    • Relevant to post-war trauma and PTSD
    • Lack of understanding in clinical psychology at the time
    • Septimus: struggles with institutionalization; reflects lack of psychological understanding
    • Mrs. Dalloway: reflects suppressed desires (libidinal - sexual)

Analysis of Key Themes

  • Mortality and Trauma

    • Septimus’ experiences and suicidal thoughts reflect post-war trauma
    • Mrs. Dalloway’s triviality of existence after witnessing war's impact
    • Example Quote: Septimus’ suicidal thoughts

  • Suppressed Desires

    • Freud’s concept of suppressed libidinal (sexual) and mortidinal (death) desires
    • Mrs. Dalloway’s suppressed lesbian desire for Sally Seaton
    • Example Quote: "brutal monster" within Mrs. Dalloway

Comparative Study

  • Contextual comparisons: Mrs. Dalloway vs. Stephen Daldry's "The Hours"
  • Mortality and sexuality in both texts
  • Importance of historical context in shaping themes and character portrayals

Conclusion

  • Context provides a deeper understanding of "Mrs. Dalloway"
  • Subscribers encouraged to engage with further resources and content for deeper exploration
  • Visit ignitehsc.com.au for state-ranked practical guides

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Full transcript