Mrs. Dalloway
by Virginia Woolf
I’d never read a Virginia Woolf novel, and Mrs. Dalloway was required reading for a college course I ended up dropping. I didn’t end up liking the book, but then again, it’s hard to actually “like” a Virginia Woolf novel. She is awfully depressive.
That said, this really is a classic that deserves its place on the required reading list. Despite the facts that the author is a known depressant, and I was forced to read it by an absurd professor, and it was told in a fashion I don’t generally like, I recommend this novel to those who haven’t yet experienced it.
Woolf’s title character is preparing for a party, and as she goes about her day, memories from the past invade her mind. The beauty of the language makes the novel, whether you end up liking it or not, worth it. Woolf seamlessly transitions from the present to the past, unlike many modern novels that have adapted this style, only with a jerky, disorienting flair. It’s a period piece with a central event most people today can’t relate to, but it’s incredibly realistic at the same time. Show me someone whose daily events aren’t continuously interrupted by reminders and trips to the past, and I’ll take back my recommendation. The older you get, the more you’ll appreciate this story, so if you’re still in your teens, you might want to wait a while. Twenty-somethings and above—in other words, those old enough to have regrets—should pick this up at the bookstore.
That said, this really is a classic that deserves its place on the required reading list. Despite the facts that the author is a known depressant, and I was forced to read it by an absurd professor, and it was told in a fashion I don’t generally like, I recommend this novel to those who haven’t yet experienced it.
Woolf’s title character is preparing for a party, and as she goes about her day, memories from the past invade her mind. The beauty of the language makes the novel, whether you end up liking it or not, worth it. Woolf seamlessly transitions from the present to the past, unlike many modern novels that have adapted this style, only with a jerky, disorienting flair. It’s a period piece with a central event most people today can’t relate to, but it’s incredibly realistic at the same time. Show me someone whose daily events aren’t continuously interrupted by reminders and trips to the past, and I’ll take back my recommendation. The older you get, the more you’ll appreciate this story, so if you’re still in your teens, you might want to wait a while. Twenty-somethings and above—in other words, those old enough to have regrets—should pick this up at the bookstore.