Clever Use of The Third Person in Mrs. Dalloway
Novels are generally written in first-person mode. This is so that when you're reading the book, you are in the same shoes as the main character, or rather, a character who is important, but is not actually the main character. There are books that exist in which the main character isn't actually the person telling the story, but is another character that is very close to the main character, such as in The Great Brain series, in which the person narrating the book is the younger brother to the person that is the actual star of the book. But first person is used so that you can better relate to the character's thoughts and emotions, and understand why the character acts the way they do. You'll understand their personality better, too.
Instead of using the first-person, Virginia Woolf writes this novel in the third person in such a way in which you can directly relate to the characters within the novel. We have Clarissa Dalloway, who the book is named after, and she has a husband named Richard Dalloway. With the first person, the novel is told only from the perspective of the character that is telling the story and nothing else. So that can mean that the person telling the story is missing out on some knowledge that is either unimportant to the story, or the character simply does not know. First person writers would not tell you anything that this character would not know. But third person writers/narrators are almost omniscient in terms of what's going on in the story and what the characters are thinking and feeling. The latter is especially important in this story.
In Mrs. Dalloway, we don't just see what Clarissa thinks about herself, we also get to see what other people think about her. As the saying says: "A different version of you exists in the minds of everyone who knows you," we see other people's perspectives on Clarissa, and we get to know her through the lens of Virginia Woolf, who is the one showing/depicting other people's perspectives on Clarissa. For example, her husband, Richard, thinks that Clarissa knows very well that he truly loves her, even though he never expresses that verbally. Richard thinks that Clarissa is happy and content with her life, but if you look at the exact same relationship from Clarissa's perspective, we see that she does not feel happy or content with her life, or with her husband.
I find it to be an interesting literary design. This book is never told from pure first-person mode; however, you can read their thoughts. But the way that this book is designed to jump from one character's perspective to another character's perspective makes the story move rather slow. But it's very unique how Woolf uses third-person mode to reveal information about the characters, or rather show a "different version" of that character in the mind of someone else.
I think that that third person is also necessary for more than just viewing characters from different angles, but also to tell multiple stories. Such as Septimus, if we were viewing everything from Clarissa we wouldn't be able to tell Septimus' story well.
ReplyDeleteI think I have to disagree with this post. I always thought Virginia Woolf's narration was multiple first person perspectives from various characters. I say this because I remember especially in the interaction between Mrs. Kilmann and Clarissa that they both hated each other but neither of them knew each other's emotions. However, I do think that this unique narration of stream of consciousness is very interesting and it not only expanded the story but made it more intriguing. Overall good post!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think it's interesting how Virginia Woolf uses an omniscient narrator to give us more insight into how each of the characters see each other. It gives us a more full picture than a first-person narration would. You do a good job highlighting why this is significant to the story of Mrs. Dalloway.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's interesting how Woolf uses third person to define her characters in other characters' terms, and along that path it's cool to see how the third person sometimes verges on becoming first person in the depth at which Woolf captures each character's thoughts. Great post!
ReplyDeletePersonally I agree that Woolf's use of third person from the perspective of other characters view points definitely deepens the characters. This writing technique paired with Woolf's introspective lens into the main characters themselves gives the reader an amazing understand of the characters. You did a really good job showing how important this is to the novel.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the usage of an ambiguous narrator who blurs the line between first and third person is perhaps the most fascinating element of the novel. Often times while reading, I would find myself forgetting that characters' thoughts were not being communicated directly, but rather indirectly through a proxy narrator. It almost felt as if characters' thoughts were being transmitted to some unknown omniscient figure who then passively relayed the thoughts to readers.
ReplyDeleteHi Blessing, I agree with this post! Having a narrator who exists outside the realm of the characters really helps to define them better. Combining this with the scrutiny of Woolf's dissection of the characters and you end up with a fantastic work that highlights all the most fascinating aspects of Woolf's modernist writing style.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Woolfs narrations is amazing, it not only gives us more understanding about the characters, but also blurs the lines between first and third person at times. Creating a deep psychological intimacy with the characters.
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