Mrs Dalloway is a novel by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1925. It follows the story of Clarissa Dalloway, a high-society woman in post-World War I England, as she prepares for a party she is hosting in the evening. Throughout the day, Clarissa reflects on her past and present life, and the choices she has made. The novel is set in a single day, and follows Clarissa as she goes about her day, from the morning when she wakes up to the evening when the party begins. Along the way, she interacts with a variety of people, including her husband Richard, her old friend Sally Seton, and her former suitor Peter Walsh. As the day progresses, Clarissa's thoughts and memories become increasingly intertwined with those of Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked veteran of the war. The novel is a meditation on the nature of time, memory, and identity, and explores themes of love, loss, and the effects of war. It is considered a modernist classic, and is widely regarded as one of Woolf's greatest works.
By Virginia Woolf · First published 1925 · Genre: Modernist Literature, Fiction, Psychological Fiction