Mod A: Mrs Dalloway / The Hours

Question 1

Thesis statement:

Answer 1

The resonances and dissonances between texts shaped by different contexts demonstrate the progression and stagnation of universal values over different time periods. The textual conversation established between Stephen Daldry’s postmodern pastiche of Virginia Woolf’s seminal novel “Mrs Dalloway “ (1923) within “The Hours” (2002), explores how the adherence to prescribed societal roles constrains the formation of an authentic self, and confines individuals to perceive death as a form of liberation.

Question 2

The Hours Evidence:

Answer 2

“I seem to be unravelling…Bad hostess.”

“My life has been stolen from me.”

Laura Brown almost attempts suicide.

Question 2

Mrs Dalloway Quotes:

Answer 2

“She had the oddest sense of being herself invisible; unseen; unknown;…This being Mrs. Richard Dalloway.”

“Collecting the whole of her at one point…who was that very night to give a party; of Clarissa Dalloway; of herself”.

“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate, people feeling the impossibility of reaching the centre.”

“Fear no more the heat of the sun. She must go back to them…She felt somehow very like him…She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away while they went on living.”

Question 2

Loss of identity in Mrs Dalloway- Topic Sentence:

Answer 2

In her modernist novel, Woolf uses free indirect discourse to critique a heteronormative society that constrains the formation of an authentic self, resulting in a loss of identity.

Question 3

Loss of Identity in Mrs Dalloway Quotes:

Answer 3

“She had the oddest sense of being herself invisible; unseen; unknown;…This being Mrs. Richard Dalloway.”

“Collecting the whole of her at one point…who was that very night to give a party; of Clarissa Dalloway; of herself”.

Question 4

Loss of Identity in The hours evidence/quotes:

Answer 4

“I seem to be unravelling…Bad hostess.”

The climactic argument between Virginia and Leonard.
“My life has been stolen from me.”

Question 5

Loss of identity in the hours- topic sentence:

Answer 5

While Daldry’s, “The Hours”, mirrors Woolf’s idea that conformity results in a loss of identity, he utilises a triptych structure and, influenced by his postmodern context, extends this idea, highlighting how this universal dilemma transcends generations.

Question 5

Death as liberation in Mrs Dalloway Quotes:

Answer 5

“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate, people feeling the impossibility of reaching the centre.”

“Fear no more the heat of the sun. She must go back to them…She felt somehow very like him…She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away while they went on living.”

Question 6

Death as liberation in both texts- topic sentence:

Answer 6

Additionally, Woolf and Daldry explore how society’s constraining nature leads individuals to perceive death as a form of liberation from roles.

Question 7

Death as liberation in the hours- topic sentence:

Answer 7

Daldry mirrors this idea in his portrayal of Laura Brown, who views death as an escape from the confining roles and societal expectations of the 1950s, where women were expected to be solely devoted to domestic duties and motherhood.

Question 8

Analyse this quote:

“She had the oddest sense of being herself invisible; unseen; unknown;…This being Mrs. Richard Dalloway.”

Answer 8

The elongated syntax foregrounds Clarissa’s central crisis; the sense of her life as engulfed in a glaring shock of meaninglessness. The contextual allusion to the position of women in marriage as subsuming the identity of their spouse reinforces notions of confinement as Woolf, through nomenclature, suggests that Clarissa’s domestic role, described as “The perfect hostess”, serves to suppress her identity becoming, Mrs. Richard Dalloway. Thus, Clarissa’s obligation to conform has led to her loss of identity.

Question 9

Analyse this quote:

“Collecting the whole of her at one point…who was that very night to give a party; of Clarissa Dalloway; of herself”.

Answer 9

The metaphor suggests Clarissa’s fragmented identity defined by her social roles as a hostess and public figure. This fragmentation, emphasised by free indirect discourse, illustrates how societal expectations force Clarissa into a limited, superficial identity. In Woolf’s post-WWI context, such societal pressures constrained women’s self exploration, amplifying their sense of identity loss.

Question 10

Analyse this quote:

“I seem to be unravelling…Bad hostess.”

Answer 10

The symbolic kitchen setting emphasises her meaningless role in an upper class society where trivial tasks such as buying flowers or hosting a party gives her purpose, and failing this causes a detachment from self. Thus, Daldry’s postmodern piece shows despite progress, conformity persists, reflecting struggles for an authentic identity in a changing world.

Question 11

Analyse this scene:

The climactic argument between Virginia and Leonard.

“My life has been stolen from me.”

Answer 11

The wide shot depicting the distance between them underscores her alienation from norms, reinforcing her loss of identity by conforming to them. The train station setting symbolises the tension between escape and confinement, mirroring Virginia’s desire to break free from obligations, however, Daldry reveals the contextual lack of understanding of mental health, as Virginia is confined as a method of ‘treatment’. Virginia’s loss of identity is evident in the dialogue, “My life has been stolen from me.” Therefore, Daldry’s film extends Woolf’s exploration of conformity’s impact on identity loss, highlighting its enduring relevance amidst a rapidly evolving society.

Question 12

Analyse this quote:

“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate, people feeling the impossibility of reaching the centre.”

Answer 12

The metaphors to define death signify the individual’s innate quest for purpose. Woolf’s anaphora of ‘death’, shakes the reader to be aware of the omnipresence of this theme within the novel. The exploration of Septimus’ acceptance of mortality as a way for solitude, further, invites the reader to consider the notion of mortality stemming from confinement and repression of identity.

Question 13

Analyse this quote:

“Fear no more the heat of the sun. She must go back to them…She felt somehow very like him…She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away while they went on living.”

Answer 13

The intertextual reference to Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline”, which portrays death as a release from the struggles and confines of life, draws a parallel between Clarissa’s and Septimus’ views. Septimus’ suicide represents a final escape from the traumatic and oppressive impact of WWI and Clarissa, empathising with his decision, demonstrates an understanding. This connection underscores how both characters perceive death as a means to transcend societal roles, even as Clarissa ultimately navigates her own path within those confines. Through the similar perceptions of death between Clarissa and Septimus, Woolf highlights how society’s roles confines individuals to view death as a liberation.

Question 14

Analyse this scene:

Laura Brown almost attempts suicide.

Answer 14

Protagonist Laura’s struggle with these roles highlights how the oppressive nature of these expectations, leads her to contemplate suicide as a means of liberation. When she almost attempts suicide, the match-cut from Laura to the cake, symbolises her feelings of inadequacy in her role. Trapped as a nuclear family housewife, she sees suicide as liberation, but retreats because of her unborn child, highlighting her familial duty which contextually, was central to fulfilment. The bird’s-eye view shot of Laura lying, defeated, with the room filling with water around her, alludes to Virginia Woolf’s death, shown at the beginning of the film. This visual link suggests their shared experiences of social confinement. While they differ in their choice between life and death, it is evident that they see death as relief from their suffering. The triptych form of the film is able to extend beyond Woolf’s portrayal of this idea, contrasting Laura’s oppressive domestic expectations with the judgement and restrictions placed on Woolf. This connection suggests that societal confinement transcends generations in different forms, but with similar effects, where death becomes liberation from struggles in society.

Question 15

Context in introduction:

Answer 15

Post-world war one (WWI), Woolf critiques the English patriarchal conservatism impeding female formation of self. Within Daldry’s triptych film, he extends the limits of Woolf’s modernist context and explores a more pluralistic, postmodern image of selfhood.

Question 16

Conclusion:

Answer 16

Ultimately, the intertextual study encourages appreciation of the textual components and ideas that illuminate dissipating values across contextual divides. Both texts portray the constraining roles within a society devoured by patriarchal values, inhibiting the formation of an authentic self, and confining individuals to perceive death as a means of liberation, freedom and relief from suffering.