Mrs Dalloway

Synopsis

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'Fear no more the heat of the sun.'

Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf's fourth novel, offers the reader an impression of a single June day in London in 1923. Clarissa Dalloway, the wife of a Conservative member of parliament, is preparing to give an evening party, while the shell-shocked Septimus Warren Smith hears the birds in Regent's Park chattering in Greek. There seems to be nothing, except perhaps London, to link Clarissa and Septimus. She is middle-aged and prosperous, with a sheltered happy life behind her; Smith is
young, poor, and driven to hatred of himself and the whole human race. Yet both share a terror of existence, and sense the pull of death.

The world of Mrs Dalloway is evoked in Woolf's famous stream of consciousness style, in a lyrical and haunting language which has made this, from its publication in 1925, one of her most popular novels.

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Summary

Chapter 1

Clarissa Dalloway, a fashionable middle-aged woman, prepares for a party that evening at her home in Westminster. As she purchases flowers at Bourton's shop, she overhears a young couple discussing the death of Septimus Smith, a shell-shocked war veteran. This news triggers painful memories of Clarissa's past relationship with Peter Walsh, whom she had loved and lost during the war.

Chapter 2

Septimus Smith and his Italian wife, Lucrezia, visit the doctor, Dr. Holmes. Septimus suffers from severe psychological trauma and delusions. He believes that the world is about to end and that he is a walking corpse. Dr. Holmes fails to provide effective treatment, and Septimus's condition worsens.

Chapter 3

Clarissa's daughter, Elizabeth, a bright and independent young woman, returns home and confides in her mother that she is engaged to Doris Kilman. Clarissa is initially surprised and somewhat disappointed, but she eventually accepts her daughter's decision.

Chapter 4

Peter Walsh, now a middle-aged writer, returns to London and visits Clarissa at her party. They reminisce about their past, and Clarissa reveals that she has always loved him. However, she also acknowledges that their relationship is no longer possible.

Chapter 5

Septimus wanders the streets of London, increasingly agitated and delusional. He encounters various people, including a crowd of people gossiping about Clarissa's party, and a prostitute who offers him comfort. Eventually, he decides to commit suicide by jumping from a window.

Chapter 6

Clarissa's party is a social success, but she remains preoccupied with Septimus's death. She learns from Sally Seton, an old friend, that Septimus was a war veteran who had suffered from shell shock. Clarissa feels a sense of connection to Septimus, recognizing that he was a victim of the same war that had taken Peter's life.

Chapter 7

The novel concludes with a meditation on life and death. Clarissa reflects on her past and the loss of her loved ones. She finds solace in the beauty of the world and the resilience of human spirit.