B2 UNITS 9 and 10 Literature

Literature B2 Units
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

ABOUT THE STORY
Mrs Dalloway was published in 1925. It tells the story of a single day in the life of Clarissa
Dalloway, a middle-class London housewife, as she prepares for an important party that
she is hosting that evening. Alongside the story of Clarissa, the novel also tells the story of
Septimus, a World War 1 veteran. Although the characters don’t know each other, we learn
later that their stories are connected. In the excerpt below, told through her thoughts,
Clarissa is shopping. She has been thinking about Peter Walsh, an old friend. Virginia Woolf
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Virginia Woolf was born in 1882 into a prominent upper-middle-class family. She was educated by her parents at home,
where the family was visited by many famous intellectuals of the time. Her mother’s sudden death in 1895 affected
Woolf badly and influenced the themes of her writing. Later, Woolf became part of a famous literary group known as
‘the Bloomsbury circle’ and published several novels, to critical acclaim. She is one of the key figures in the modernist
movement of English Literature, and championed a new creative intellect and style of writing. In Mrs Dalloway, Woolf
focuses on everyday events, using them to explore larger themes.
4G 9:20 56%
She had reached the Park gates. She stood for a china cockatoo, she had seen them all lit up once;
moment, looking at the omnibuses in Piccadilly. and remembered Sylvia, Fred, Sally Seton--such hosts
25 of people; and dancing all night; and the waggons
She would not say of any one in the world now that
plodding past to market; and driving home across
they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the
the Park. She remembered once throwing a shilling
5 same time unspeakably aged. She sliced like a knife
into the Serpentine. But every one remembered; what
through everything; at the same time was outside,
she loved was this, here, now, in front of her; the fat
looking on. She had a perpetual sense, as she watched
30 lady in the cab. Did it matter then, she asked herself,
the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and
walking towards Bond Street, did it matter that she
alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very
must inevitably cease completely; all this must go on
10 dangerous to live even one day. Not that she thought
without her; did she resent it; or did it not become
herself clever, or much out of the ordinary. How she had
consoling to believe that death ended absolutely? but
got through life on the few twigs of knowledge Fräulein
35 that somehow in the streets of London, on the ebb and
Daniels gave them she could not think. She knew
flow of things, here, there, she survived, Peter survived,
nothing; no language, no history; she scarcely read a
lived in each other, she being part, she was positive, of
15 book now, except memoirs in bed; and yet to her it was
the trees at home; of the house there, ugly, rambling
absolutely absorbing; all this; the cabs passing; and she
all to bits and pieces as it was; part of people she had
would not say of Peter, she would not say of herself, I
40 never met; being laid out like a mist between the
am this, I am that.
people she knew best, who lifted her on their branches
Her only gift was knowing people almost by instinct, as she had seen the trees lift the mist, but it spread
20 she thought, walking on. If you put her in a room with ever so far, her life, herself. But what was she dreaming
some one, up went her back like a cat’s; or she purred. as she looked into Hatchards’ shop window? What was
Devonshire House, Bath House, the house with the 45 she trying to recover?
A VOCABULARY FOCUS
omnibus (line 2): an old word for ‘bus’ waggon (line 25): a cart
Piccadilly (line 2): a busy street in central London plod (line 26): to walk with slow heavy steps
unspeakably (line 5): very, extremely shilling (line 27): a small unit of money
perpetual (line 7): constant, without stopping the Serpentine (line 28): a lake in London’s Hyde Park
cab (line 8): taxi ebb and flow (line 35-36): the flow of water, like the
twig (line 12): a very small thin branch of a tree tide in the sea
memoir (line 15): an account of someone’s experiences rambling (line 38): large and untidy
written by that person mist (line 40): a mass of small drops of water in the air
purr (line 21): the sound a cat makes when it is happy branch (line 41): a part of a tree that grows out of the
cockatoo (line 23): a large bird like a parrot trunk and has leaves growing on it
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Literature B2 Units
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Before reading 3 Virginia Woolf uses a ‘stream of consciousness’
style in Mrs Dalloway, focusing on her character's
1 You are going to read an excerpt from a novel inner thoughts with no pauses or explanation.
called Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Read Look again at the excerpt and find the following:
About the story and About the author. In pairs, 1 memories from the past
try to imagine what sort of person Clarissa
Dalloway is. Think about these questions. Then
write a short description of her.
■ How old is she? 2 the people she thinks about while she is walking
■ What does she look like?
■ What is her background?
■ Where does she live? 3 things she sees while she is walking.
2 Mrs Dalloway is a novel told through the main

character’s thoughts. Read About the story and
About the author again. In pairs, discuss the After reading
questions.
1 What does Mrs Dalloway do on a typical day? 1 What effect does the use of the stream of
2 What kinds of things might she be thinking about? consciousness narrative have in the excerpt?
3 What themes do you think the novel might explore? Think about the following:
■ the characters
While reading ■ time
■ emotions
1 Read the excerpt and answer the questions. ■ memories.
a Where is Mrs Dalloway?
2 Work in small groups. Ask and answer the
b What is she doing? questions.
1 How do you think Mrs Dalloway is feeling on the day
c What does she think is her ‘only gift’? of the party?
2 Where do you think she goes next?
d What are Devonshire House and Bath House? 3 What do you think will happen as Mrs Dalloway’s day
unfolds?
Now write another paragraph, told through
2 Read the excerpt again and number Mrs Mrs Dalloway’s thoughts, as she continues her
Dalloway’s thoughts in the order in which they shopping trip.
occur.
a She remembers an ornament in someone’s 3 In pairs, discuss if you like the stream of
house. consciousness style of the excerpt. If so, why? If
b She thinks about a time when she won’t be here. not, what style of writing do you enjoy?
c She thinks about her poor education.
d She remembers going home after a party.
e She thinks about her house.
f She feels isolated and alone.
g She thinks about Peter.
h She remembers a visit to a lake.
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Literature B2 Units

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillangateway2.com

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

2 Mrs Dalloway is a novel told through the main

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillangateway2.com

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