"She had been there...three Viceroys...the state of India!" (180).
Viceroys are men who rule a country or large region as a representative of a king. For Virginia Woolf to claim that Lady Bruton had stayed with such men is really allowing the reader to grasp the understanding of the Dalloway's and their friends. They all have their images and pronounce them to everyone. People are aware of everyone else's business throughout the story. Virginia includes the Viceroys and Lady Bruton's connection to them to also show Clarissa's personality in the sense that when she explains them, she does not really seem phased by the fact that there are people of upper class there. She does not care about social ranking, but about the people and how they behave. That is the point Virginia Woolf is trying to make as she uses references throughout her novel of famous figures and places.
"Viceroy." Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml
Saturday, October 24, 2009
13. Mrs. Dalloway
"She could not resist recalling what Charles Darwin...orchids of Burma" (179).
Charles Darwin lived from 1809 till 1882. He was a British scientist who assisted wit
h gaining the knowledge of the Theory of Evolution and the process of natural selection. Virginia Woolf includes Darwin as a reference to allow the reader to comprehend how important Aunt Helena is. She knew such famous scientists and probably viewed herself as an upper class woman. Many of the people Virginia Woolf mentions is to emphasize to the reader the society in which the Dalloway's live and try to fit into.
"Charles Darwin." BBC. 27 September 2009.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml
Photo Credit: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01238/charles-darwin_1238293c.jpg
Charles Darwin lived from 1809 till 1882. He was a British scientist who assisted wit
h gaining the knowledge of the Theory of Evolution and the process of natural selection. Virginia Woolf includes Darwin as a reference to allow the reader to comprehend how important Aunt Helena is. She knew such famous scientists and probably viewed herself as an upper class woman. Many of the people Virginia Woolf mentions is to emphasize to the reader the society in which the Dalloway's live and try to fit into."Charles Darwin." BBC. 27 September 2009.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml
Photo Credit: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01238/charles-darwin_1238293c.jpg
12. Mrs. Dalloway
"For the mention of India, or even Ceylon...became blue...but here was Peter" (178).
Virginia Woolf describes Aunt Helena as having an eye that turns blue whenever "India, or even Ceylon" is mentioned. Blue is a color that beholds many meanings. Each shade of blue represents a different definition, like indigo blue stands for wisdom or spiritual realization. Because Virginia Woolf describes this lady's eye as blue, she could either be implying to the reader that this lady was saddened upon hearing about India, or she had learned a lot and was full of knowledge. Either way, the color blue is apparent and Virginia Woolf used that color to portray the lady as having some higher emotion.
"Color: Meaning, Symbolism, Psychology." Squidoo. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.squidoo.com/colorexpert
Virginia Woolf describes Aunt Helena as having an eye that turns blue whenever "India, or even Ceylon" is mentioned. Blue is a color that beholds many meanings. Each shade of blue represents a different definition, like indigo blue stands for wisdom or spiritual realization. Because Virginia Woolf describes this lady's eye as blue, she could either be implying to the reader that this lady was saddened upon hearing about India, or she had learned a lot and was full of knowledge. Either way, the color blue is apparent and Virginia Woolf used that color to portray the lady as having some higher emotion.
"Color: Meaning, Symbolism, Psychology." Squidoo. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.squidoo.com/colorexpert
11. Mrs. Dalloway
"Mr. Dalloway had sent...the Imperial Tokay" (166).
Tokay is a famous Hungarian wine made out of grapes that are almost ripened to raisins. The quantity produced of Imperial Tokay is so small that very little of it ever reaches the market to be sold. From Virginia Woolf including Imperial Tokay in her book, it implies that the Dalloway's had the privilege and enough importance within their community to get their hands on the scarce wine. Virginia uses the wine to reveal the Dalloway's ranking among their conrads.
"Tokay." Factopia. 27 September 2009. 2007.
http://www.factopia.com/t/tokay_grocer.html
Tokay is a famous Hungarian wine made out of grapes that are almost ripened to raisins. The quantity produced of Imperial Tokay is so small that very little of it ever reaches the market to be sold. From Virginia Woolf including Imperial Tokay in her book, it implies that the Dalloway's had the privilege and enough importance within their community to get their hands on the scarce wine. Virginia uses the wine to reveal the Dalloway's ranking among their conrads.
"Tokay." Factopia. 27 September 2009. 2007.
http://www.factopia.com/t/tokay_grocer.html
10. Mrs. Dalloway
"He would go to Oxford...in the Bodleian" (157).
Bodleian is a library located in Oxford that was built in 1602. Two-thousand books were added to it by Thomas Bodley. This library is known as a masterpiece of English Gothic architecture for its time. Virginia Woolf included this library because it fits into the high-class category of the characters within the text. This library is also very old and holds so many books. It is a very historic sight, which adds class to the book. She also included this library to let the reader get an image of a realistic place. It lets the book come to life when Virginia Woolf uses an actual building and location.
"Bodleian Library, Oxford." Sacred Destinations. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/oxford-bodleian-library.htm
Bodleian is a library located in Oxford that was built in 1602. Two-thousand books were added to it by Thomas Bodley. This library is known as a masterpiece of English Gothic architecture for its time. Virginia Woolf included this library because it fits into the high-class category of the characters within the text. This library is also very old and holds so many books. It is a very historic sight, which adds class to the book. She also included this library to let the reader get an image of a realistic place. It lets the book come to life when Virginia Woolf uses an actual building and location.
"Bodleian Library, Oxford." Sacred Destinations. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/oxford-bodleian-library.htm
9. Mrs. Dalloway
"As a child...like a hyacinth...which has had no sun" (123).
A hyacinth is type of flower which symbolizes sport or play. It can represent sincerity or constancy. Virginia Woolf includes this beautiful plant into her writing when she describes Elizabeth from her mother, Clarissa's point of view. Woolf compares Elizabeth to a hyacinth in the respect that she was once a child filled with laughter and merriment, but now she has turned so serious and withdrawn. A hyacinth stands for stability and unchanging; which is now how Elizabeth behaves at her young age of seventeen. Woolf includes this allusion that Elizabeth is "like a hyacinth which has had no sun" so that the reader grasps the concept that she has lost her spark she used to have and now seems to be dying. Elizabeth is no longer a kid and Virginia Woolf may have been expressing a repeated theme of realization through her writing. Woolf grasps the understanding that reality takes away youth, which is what has happened with Elizabeth.
"Hyacinth." Teleflora. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.teleflora.com/about-flowers/hyacinth.asp
A hyacinth is type of flower which symbolizes sport or play. It can represent sincerity or constancy. Virginia Woolf includes this beautiful plant into her writing when she describes Elizabeth from her mother, Clarissa's point of view. Woolf compares Elizabeth to a hyacinth in the respect that she was once a child filled with laughter and merriment, but now she has turned so serious and withdrawn. A hyacinth stands for stability and unchanging; which is now how Elizabeth behaves at her young age of seventeen. Woolf includes this allusion that Elizabeth is "like a hyacinth which has had no sun" so that the reader grasps the concept that she has lost her spark she used to have and now seems to be dying. Elizabeth is no longer a kid and Virginia Woolf may have been expressing a repeated theme of realization through her writing. Woolf grasps the understanding that reality takes away youth, which is what has happened with Elizabeth.
"Hyacinth." Teleflora. 27 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.teleflora.com/about-flowers/hyacinth.asp
8. Mrs. Dalloway
"He could reason...Dante for example...gently shutting the Inferno... that he could not feel" (88).
In Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Septimus is said to be reading the Inferno by Dante. This book gives Dante's impression of Hell and what he believes it will be like. It is actually considered a tour of Hell, for Dante goes into great detail and creates horrifying images inside the reader's mind. Septimus is not himself when he arrives back home from the war and he starts to read this book about Hell. By Viriginia Woolf including this book in her writing, it portrays the harsh reality of how one person can get down on themselves. The book also foreshadows how Septimus reacts to his depressed state. Because he is reading about Hell, the reader assumes that he is not doing too well and can expect a negative event to occur. In addition to Dante's Inferno, this quote also holds the impression that the world has made Septimus become emotionless. From Virginia Woolf including the world into her quote, one can think that maybe she notices how the world is corrupting people and making them emotionless. The war ruined Septimus, and in everyday life people are changed by society and more often than not people turn cold rather than pleasant to be around. Virginia Woolf in wording this quote the way she chose to could be expressing her views on how the world has affected her, or she could be talking about her general observations.
"Inferno." Sparknotes. 26 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/context.html
In Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Septimus is said to be reading the Inferno by Dante. This book gives Dante's impression of Hell and what he believes it will be like. It is actually considered a tour of Hell, for Dante goes into great detail and creates horrifying images inside the reader's mind. Septimus is not himself when he arrives back home from the war and he starts to read this book about Hell. By Viriginia Woolf including this book in her writing, it portrays the harsh reality of how one person can get down on themselves. The book also foreshadows how Septimus reacts to his depressed state. Because he is reading about Hell, the reader assumes that he is not doing too well and can expect a negative event to occur. In addition to Dante's Inferno, this quote also holds the impression that the world has made Septimus become emotionless. From Virginia Woolf including the world into her quote, one can think that maybe she notices how the world is corrupting people and making them emotionless. The war ruined Septimus, and in everyday life people are changed by society and more often than not people turn cold rather than pleasant to be around. Virginia Woolf in wording this quote the way she chose to could be expressing her views on how the world has affected her, or she could be talking about her general observations.
"Inferno." Sparknotes. 26 September 2009. 2009.
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/context.html
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