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The Misunderstood Artists: How Septimus and Clarissa Overlap in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

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In Mrs. Dalloway , Septimus and Lucrezia appear in a secondary storyline woven throughout the greater narra tive centered by Clarissa. For much of the novel, the two arcs are concurrent, unrelated plotlines; however, they overlap in its finale when, at her party, Clarissa overhears Sir William Bradshaw mention a local suicide to Richard. As a result, Clarissa removes herself from the crowd, contemplating Septimus’ death privately, feeling an unusual connection to him. “Somehow it was her disaster—her disgrace. It was her punishment to see sink and disappear here a man, there a woman, in this profound darkness, and she forced to stand here in her evening dress.” She imagines his death with near perfect accuracy, adding that “she felt somehow very like him”  and “she felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away." She feels “glad” because she sympathizes with how he rejected control (from Bradshaw and Holmes, most notably) and secondly, because his death made her feel an appreciatio...
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The Mezzanine: Making the Insignificant Significant

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The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker follows a unique narrative style, zooming in on its main character’s internal monologue during his journey up his office’s escalator. On page 8-9, Baker expresses an interesting idea that speaks to the novel’s greater concept:  “Under microscopy, even insignificant perceptions like this one are almost always revealed to be more incremental than you later are tempted to present them as being.” The book immerses readers in Howie’s mind in obsessive detail (microscopically) and in turn, forces us to slow down to understand his insights. For instance, the novel uses metaphors frequently to depict everyday observations, connecting multiple, seemingly unrelated things unexpectedly. Using these metaphors, Baker defamiliarizes everyday things, forcing readers to take time in order to understand the connections Howie makes. This aspect of Baker's writing forces readers to deeply contemplate everyday things despite the mundaneness they may expect. Examples of...
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