7.

This chapter offers a synopsis and discussion of the events that take place in the seventh section of Mrs. Dalloway. Hoff explores the many layers within the section, paying close attention to the thematic links present throughout the novel, including birth imagery and references to the Underworld. The discussion also looks at the novel’s structure and literary devices used, whilst making reference to Greek and Latin elegy as well as renowned authors and philosophers.

10.

Chapter ten begins with detailed annotations on the ways in which death is portrayed in the tenth section of Mrs. Dalloway. It provides a thorough analysis of the plot whilst foregrounding repeating motifs such as crossings, marriage and divorce. To support many of her arguments and interpretations, Hoff makes reference to Roman, Greek and Latin literature and also to the Trojan War.

4.

This chapter provides a synopsis and breakdown of the fourth section of Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. In this critical reading, Hoff unpacks Woolf’s subtle references and brings them out into the open. The chapter explores the origin of particular words in order to aid a better understanding of their intended meaning, and addresses the exploited poetic conventions from Classical and modern literature. Hoff enriches her analysis with reference to Greek myth and Homeric parallels, and concludes with a reflection on the novel’s allusions to the Underworld.

2.

Chapter two offers a synopsis and analysis of the second section of Mrs. Dalloway. It focuses on the novel’s introduction to new characters and examines Woolf’s thinking behind her decision to use descriptions of appearance as a mode of characterisation. The chapter also provides a useful offering of context surrounding the First World War, royalty, and the city of London in the 1920s, as well as referencing various scholars, including Mary Shelley, William Shakespeare and Henri Poincaré.

Afterword

In this afterword, Hoff reinforces Mrs. Dalloway’s capacity for interpretation and analysis. The author foregrounds the book’s status as a textual labyrinth that draws parallels between the immortals of Greek myth and the inhabitants of London high-society, and notes the book’s linguistic and narrative style.

11.

This penultimate chapter provides a critical reading of the eleventh section of Mrs. Dalloway. Its discussion covers the effect and significance of the novel’s use of metaphor and self-reference. The chapter also explores the value of repeating motifs, and in particular pays close attention to the motif of fire alongside the character of Clarissa. Throughout Hoff’s study, she provides a useful insight on British colloquialism and idiom, in order to best portray Woolf’s intended humour, meaning, and characterisation.

Introduction

This introductory chapter offers a praising study of the seductiveness of Virginia Woolf’s literature. Molly Hoff foregrounds Woolf’s literary talent and skill by analysing Mrs. Dalloway’s unique distinctions in terms of its philosophical influence, Alexandrian poetic expression and use of social satire, whilst drawing upon both the novel’s surrounding inspirations and the intertextual references contained within it.

8.

Chapter eight follows the action that takes place in the eighth section of Mrs. Dalloway. In Hoff’s discussion of the plot she provides useful, factual context as well as her own personal interpretation of the novel which is greatly inspired by conventions of Roman and Greek myth. Also included in Hoff’s analysis is a broad understanding of ancient and modern literature which often provokes comparison to the whole of Woolf’s literary works. This chapter in particular focuses on the concept of rooms as a motif, and discusses the areas of Woolf’s writing that allude to the work of Socrates, Plato, Shakespeare and Dante.

12.

The final chapter concludes with a synopsis and analysis of the twelfth section of Mrs. Dalloway. Hoff supports her discussion of the action by unpacking the passage’s dialogue and linking key themes and symbols present in the novel to those found in Greek literature. The chapter ends with a mystical reading of Clarissa’s “rebirth”. Like the entirety of the text, the chapter recognises the presence of literary fragments scattered throughout the novel, and attempts to combine them all in order to produce a detailed discussion that is supplemented with Hoff’s own understanding of Greek literature.

6.

Chapter six provides an interpretation of specific lines and words in the sixth section of Mrs. Dalloway. In this chapter, Hoff discusses the repeating themes present across the whole of Woolf’s literature, and refrains from limiting her discussion to the motifs only contained in Mrs. Dalloway. Also explored is the novel’s use of allegory, preformed language, rhetoric and irony, as well as Greek and Latin influence.