In my experience the strongest papers on literary texts usually feature close readings of individual passages. Thus for your independent assignment today, I would like you to find one short passage that is relevant to the paper you are writing from the novel you are analyzing. It can be as short as a paragraph. It shouldn’t be more than a couple pages long. Read the passage as slowly and attentively as you can, writing down anything you notice, any thoughts you have. After you’ve done this, read it again several times. Try to read the passage slowly at least 5 times. Each time you do, write down your thoughts, and try to notice new things. Keep in mind whose point of view you are getting. Consider whether the author seems to be affirming that point of view or calling it into question. Pay attention to any phrases or words that seem strange or striking, and ask yourself why the author has chosen to use those phrases and words. Imagine replacing those words with other words. What gets lost? How does the particular language the author uses influence your understanding or experience of the passage? After you’ve read the passage at least 5 times and taken notes, look through what you’ve written down and identify any insights that you want to include in your paper. In the comment section, please write down one new idea you had about your topic as a result of this exercise.
16 thoughts on “Independent Assignment #6, 7/28/22”
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As a result of this exercise, the new idea that I had about my topic was that Perry Meisel wanted his audience to consider the notion that Septimus Smith and Clarissa Dalloway are characters who are very similar to one another in the sense that they are each other’s parallels. Septimus and Clarissa Dalloway both share different realities of the world around them due to the circumstances in their lives: Septimus with his PTSD and Clarissa with her two identities.
The idea that Septimus and Clarissa are mirrors of each other is a great insight. For this assignment you were supposed to read a passage from the novel, not from one of the critical articles. Nevertheless, it still looks like the exercise was useful for you.
During this exercise, the thing that Woolf was carrying out when she was writing Mrs. Dalloway, she centered the story around Clarissa Dalloway in order to show that daily distresses that she has to encounter, due to the circumstances that she has had to come across as a woman in high British Society. that is crumbling down, and she is in the midst of it all. The particular passage that I read over and over is the part about Clarissa’s marriage to Richard, in which Woolf writes, “Much rather would she have been those of those people like Richard who did things for themselves; but to make people think this or that; perfect idiocy she knew (and now the policeman held up his hand) for no one was ever for a second taken in. Oh if she could have had her life over again!” (Woolf 10). In which there is an emphasis on the independence that is carried out through both partners.
Interesting passage. What I notices is that Clarissa is not satisfied with how she has led her life. She wishes she could live it over again. Why? Perhaps she is not as independent as she might like to be. And what do you think the policeman is doing in that passage? Might he represent something?
During this exercise l, I realized that Mrs. Dalloway characteristic that stands out is that she is a woman not her social class or wealth which is different from men in the novel because the things that may stand out for them is there wealth or social rank. Clarissa seems to be the focal point of the narrative throughout the novel. It shows her experiences and the differences between the characters because she is a woman.
Are you suggesting that Woolf emphasizes Clarissa’s gender rather than her class position? This is an interesting claim. Why do you think Woolf does this? Does this allow us to feel greater sympathy for Clarissa? Does Clarissa’s class position play a role in the narrative? If so, what role does it play? How is Clarissa’s experience different from Miss Kilman’s?
Septimus, a victim of war, and he was suffering, painful and despair… the familiar feeling living in Clarissa’ soul. She can understand what his Death means. “She felt somehow very like him—the young man who had killed himself. She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away” (woolf,169). In Mrs. Dalloway, the author Virginia Woolf used various streams of consciousness to describe various psychological illness of the characters, and a wide variety of metaphors to reflect social tragedies, an individual’s fate represents a group people hiding in the social surface, they were all unhappy, suffering…facing this hopeless world, maybe death is death is a best way to relief the pain (this is the point i try to feel what author wants to say, anyway, i hate the action of suicide to escape the pain, it is such selfish to do that hurt people around them)
Interesting analysis here of why Septimus commits suicide. Clarissa also suggests it’s an act of communication. What do you think she means by this?
Also, I noted that your last independent exercise was on Forster and this one is on Woolf. Both were designed to help you get started on your first major paper. Keep in mind that you should be writing about only one novel for that paper.
“…for in all the hat shops and tailors’ shops strangers looked at each other and thought of the dead; of the flag; of Empire.” (p. 14)
After reading this line multiple times, I realized that the word “Empire” here is capitalized. This is significant because it means that the strangers in the shops were not just thinking about the concept of empire, but were thinking specifically of the British Empire. This specificity is juxtaposed with “the dead,” a general term. This perhaps signifies the importance placed on the uniqueness of the Empire and the lack of recognition of the individuality of those who died to preserve it.
Really smart careful reading of the two terms in this section. Interestingly enough this valorization of empire and dehumanization of the soldiers is characteristic of regular British people and not just the leaders. Why do think this is the case?
The thing that really caught my attention while conducting my close reading of a specific passage from A Room with A View, was that Charlotte can claim the identities of both the oppressed and the oppressor. Talking to Mr. Beebe, she says, “‘I am, as it were,’ she concluded, ‘the chaperone of my young cousin, Lucy, and it would be a serious thing if I put her under an obligation to people of whom we know nothing. His manner was somewhat unfortunate. I hope I acted best.” She is aware of her place but she asks for validation. Charlotte believes it to be a “serious thing” that she should leave Lucy with someone they don’t know, only because of the Emerson’s class status. This feels significant because this exchange is typically how a marriage would take place, a guardian given away a young girl to a man they know nothing about other than his social status. Charlotte is judging the Emersons’ while also considering whether or not her actions are correct. She seems at odds with herself, unsure if she is acting accordingly to social conventions.
Really smart to suggest that Charlotte is both an oppressor and a victim in this novel. But in many situations the family does try to learn more about the potential suitor before allowing their daughter to marry him.
There is a passage where Mrs. Dalloway gathers all of the aristocratic friends, and she organizes a party to introduce Cecil as Lucia Fiancé. As I was reading my point of view toward Forster changed a little. I really thought he was promoting antifeminism, but I am wrong. He is just following social construct and tradition of the aristocratic world. There is a text where Cecil disagrees with the tradition of showing off the fiancé to the world, he says “to me it seemed perfectly appalling, disastrous and portentous. It is so disgusting the way an engagement is regarded as public property” (82). It makes me think Forster disagrees with this traditional. However, he is guilty of not pushing the boundaries of tradition and of social construct, regarding this topic my opinion has not changed.
Very interesting reading of this situation. But this is about A Room with a View, not Mrs. Dalloway. I agree that Forster does not push the boundaries as far as he could.
A few points that I have found interesting while doing this exercise is that Clarrisa is not very content with the way her life is as she portrays. There are certain regrets she has in life weather it was choosing Richard over Peter to have a more stable life or just being known as Mrs. Dalloway and not being able to fulfill her own wants or dreams. This also hints towards relationships that would not be accepted by society during that time.
Your initial thoughts are promising, but tt would be useful to indicate which passage sparked these thoughts. And you could say more about the relationships that would not be accepted during this time and what the passage suggests about these relationships.