Modernism marks a distinctive break with Victorian bourgeois morality; rejecting

nineteenth-century optimism, they presented a profoundly pessimistic picture of a culture

in disarray. This despair often results in an apparent apathy and moral relativism.
laborate this through the works of the novelists studied throught the course. !"ames
"ouyce, #.$awrence, %eorge &rwell, 'illiam %olding, V.(. )aipaul, *atrick 'hite,
(alman +ushdie, )adine %ordimer
,. Victorian ra and Modernism
The Victorian period started in 1837 and lasted until the year 1901 during which Queen Victoria
led Great Britain in the monarchy. The ruling o Queen Victoria was distinct or its !elie in
tradition. "n the Victorian period men and women were e#pected to adhere to certain gender
rules. $or %#ample& men were e#pected to !e the pro'iders. ( Victorian man had to !e strong and
independent !ecause it relected the ideals o British society. )omen& on the other hand& were
e#pected to !e homema*ers and to raise the amily. )omen or much o the Victorian era ought
or surage !ut had ma+or shortcomings in doing so. These ideals were one o the dri'ing orces
!ehind the Victorian %ra and they were the inspiration !ehind one o the most amous no'els
written during this time, -ane (usten.s /0ride and 0re+udice1. )hen it comes to the 2odernist
era howe'er& tradition was not thought o highly. 3tarting to orm in the 1890s& the cornerstone o
the 2odernist mo'ement was progression. 4nli*e the Victorian %ra& the 2odernist era consisted
o trying new things and indi'idualism was also em!raced. The second contradiction !etween
these two eras is nationalism and 5uestioning o authority. 6uring the Victorian %ra& there was a
great sense o nationalism. 2any in Great Britain were proud o its nation due to its status as a
world power. The 2odernist %ra gained steam due to a change in pu!lic opinion on social issues
and cultural norms. 2any people were tired o the /3ame old same old1 mentality that British
culture had !ecome. The inal comparison !etween Victorianism and 2odernism is the
dierence !etween nature and science. 6uring the Victorian %ra& the main ocus o writing was
the idea o relating people to nature. ( perect e#ample o this is in the !oo* /0ride and
0re+udice1 )hen %li7a!eth tal*s a!out 0em!erly as a !eautiul setting perect to li'e in. That
was one o the main points o Victorian literature& relating it to nature. The modernist %ra
howe'er had no interest in e#pressing literature through nature. 8owe'er the !iggest moti'ator
to the 2odernist %ra was the a!rupt cultural changes that occurred& most nota!ly )orld )ar "&
also *nown as /The war to end all wars1. This e'ent led many writers to 5uestion all they *now
a!out humanity and lie. 6uring the 2odernist %ra& The eelings o nationalism aded away.
2any 2odernist literates 5uestioned go'ernment and authority in general. 2odernists in Great
Britain !elie'ed that the go'ernment was imperialist and responsi!le or wrong doing across the
world. 2odernist preerred to e#press literature through science and logic. 9ne o the greatest
scientists to come out o the 2odernist era was 3igmund $reud. Born in (ustria& $reud was a
psychologist who de'eloped the theory o psychoanalysis which represented the progression o
disco'ery that was common in the 2odernist %ra. a central preoccupation o 2odernism is with
the inner sel and consciousness. "n contrast to the :omantic world 'iew& the 2odernist cares
rather little or ;ature& Being& or the o'erarching structures o history. "nstead o progress and
growth& the 2odernist intelligentsia sees decay and a growing alienation o the indi'idual.
<. =iterature>iction
=iterature in the period 1870?19@A relects a world in transition& !ut literary writing itsel !ecame
a orce in changing the way that world could !e represented& 'alued and relected on the period
was mar*ed !y sudden and une#pected !rea*s with traditional ways o 'iewing and interacting
with the world. This was also an era in which artists re'olutioni7ed the orms o their art and its
relations to society& tradition and reality. Then& issues which continue to deine our times ? access
to education& the 5uestions o democracy& gender?e5uality& race and imperialism& se#uality&
indi'idualism ? were at the core o irre'ersi!le social uphea'al. (nd at this time& ideas which
ha'e dominated twentieth?century intellectual lie ? including the thought o 6arwin& 2ar#&
;iet7sche and $reud ? irst entered wider cultural and political arenas. their main dierences
which are tradition 's. progression& nationalism 's. re'isionism& and nature 's. science
( short list o some o amous 2odernist writers includes 3amuel Bec*ett& -ames -oyce& -oseph
Bonrad& T.3. %liot& )illiam $aul*ner& -ohn 3tein!ec*& %.%. Bummings& 3yl'ia 0lath& $. 3cott
$it7gerald& )illiam Butler Ceats& %7ra 0ound& %rnest 8emingway& Virginia )ool& 6.8.
=awrence& and Gertrude 3tein whose !ody o writing pro'ides us with e'idence or the proound
changes in the orm& unction& and content o literature rom Victorianism to 2odernism. The
no'el was !y no means immune rom the sel?conscious& relecti'e impulses o the new century.
2odernism introduced a new *ind o narration to the no'el& one that would undamentally
change the entire essence o no'el writing. The /unrelia!le1 narrator supplanted the omniscient&
trustworthy narrator o preceding centuries& and readers were orced to 5uestion e'en the most
!asic assumptions a!out how the no'el should operate.
;ew technology and the horriying e'ents o !oth )orld )ars D!ut speciically )orld )ar "E
made many people 5uestion the uture o humanityF )hat was !ecoming o the worldG )riters
reacted to this 5uestion !y turning toward 2odernist sentiments. Gone was the :omantic period
that ocused on nature and !eing. 2odernist iction spo*e o the inner sel and consciousness.
"nstead o progress& the 2odernist writer saw a decline o ci'ili7ation. "nstead o new
technology& the 2odernist writer saw cold machinery and increased capitalism& which alienated
the indi'idual and led to loneliness. To achie'e the emotions descri!ed a!o'e& most 2odernist
iction was cast in irst person. )hereas earlier& most literature had a clear !eginning& middle&
and end Dor introduction& conlict& and resolutionE& the 2odernist story was oten more o a
stream o consciousness. "rony& satire& and comparisons were oten employed to point out
societyHs ills. $or the irst?time 2odernist reader& this can all add up to eel li*e the story is going
nowhere.
"n the early twentieth century the modernist no'el e#ploded literary con'entions and
e#pectations& challenging representations o reality& consciousness and identity. These no'els
were not simply creati'e masterpieces !ut also crucial articulations o re'olutionary
de'elopments in critical thought.
3. -ames -oyce
-ames -oyce.s 4lysses is the prime e#ample o a no'el whose e'ents are really the happenings o
the mind& the goal o which is to translate as well as possi!le the strange pathways o human
consciousness. ( whole new perspecti'e came into !eing *nown as /stream o consciousness.1
:ather than loo*ing out into the world& the great no'elists o the early twentieth century sur'eyed
the inner space o the human mind. (t the same time& the psychoanalytic theories o 3igmund
$reud had come into mainstream acceptance. These two orces wor*ed together to alter people.s
!asic understanding o what constituted truth and reality. Ulysses is a modernist no'el in that it
ocuses on something seemingly ordinary I a day in the lie o =eopold Bloom I and then
portrays it as i it were unamiliar& e#tremely strange and special and !i7arre. -oyce summons his
immense erudition on su!+ects literary& philosophical& historical& linguistic& religious& scientiic&
etc.& and he !rings it all to !ear on the day o -une 1Jth& 190@. The past is ali'e in the no'el& and
you reali7e that or -oyce& the present is not li*e a !ead !eing pushed along a string, the present
is simply the cusp o a great wa'e that is the past.
(nd aside rom the allusions themsel'es& -oyceHs stylistic play in the no'el was re'olutionary. 8e
had an incredi!le git or mimic*ing other styles& and an episode li*e K9#en o the 3un&K you see
that he has I on a stylistic le'el I digested pretty much the whole o )estern literature. -oyceHs
style has !een imitated !y a num!er o artists ater him& !ut itHs ne'er !een matched. "n our
opinion& whene'er you reali7e that -oyce is an inluence on someone& itHs hard not to read their
writing as watered-down -oyce. 4lysses e#amines the relationship !etween the modern man and
his myth and history& ocusing on contemporary 5uestions o "rish political and cultural
independence& the eects o organi7ed religion on the soul& and the cultural and moral decay
produced economic de'elopment and heightened ur!ani7ation. )hile -oyce was writing the epic
wor*& there was serious dou!t as to whether 4lysses would !e completed. 2idway through his
writing& -oyce suered the irst o ele'en eye operations to sal'age his e'er?worsening eyesight.
(t one point& a disappointed -oyce cast the !ul* o his manuscript into the ire& though ;ora
Barnacle immediately rescued it.
0ortrait o the artist as a young man
Major Themes
ntrapment and -onstraint
3tephen e'entually comes to see "reland as a *ind o trap& a restraint that will ma*e it impossi!le
or him to li'e and create. Three ma+or !onds threatenF amily& nation& and the Bhurch. 3tephenHs
amily& increasingly destitute& is a source o rustration and guilt. 8e can do nothing to help them&
and the continued ineptitude o his ather e#asperates 3tephen. Though his ather is an ardent
nationalist& 3tephen has great an#ieties a!out "rish politics. 8e inds the "rish people ic*le and
ultimately disloyal, at one point& he says to a riend that the "rish ha'e ne'er had a great leader
whom they did not !etray or a!andon. 8e also re!els against the nature o acti'ities li*e petition?
signing and protest, in his mind& these acti'ities amount to an a!dication o independence. (t the
same time& he lea'es "reland hoping to orge the new conscience o his race.
-atholicism
The Bhurch is perhaps the greatest constraint on 3tephen& and merits its own entry. The teachings
o the Bhurch run contrary to 3tephenHs independent spirit and intellect. 8is sensiti'ity to !eauty
and the human !ody are not at all suita!le to the rigid Batholicism in which he was raised. But
the Bhurch continues to e#ert some small hold on him. (lthough he e'entually !ecomes an
un!elie'er& he continues to ha'e some ear that the Batholic Bhurch might !e correct. 6espite his
ears& he e'entually chooses to li'e independently and without constraint& e'en i that decision
sends him to hell.
scape
%scape is the natural complement to the theme o %ntrapment and Bonstraint. -oyce depicts
escape metaphorically !y the !oo*Hs most important sym!ol and allusionF the mythical artiicer
6edalus. 6edalus is not at all an "rish name, -oyce too* the name rom the mythical in'entor
who escaped rom his island prison !y constructing wings and lying to his reedom. 3tephen&
too& will e'entually escape rom the island prison o "reland.
.ndependence
Blosely related to the a!o'e theme& 3tephenHs mo'e towards independence is one o the central
mo'ements o the no'el. )hen we irst encounter 3tephen as a young !oy& his athletic ineptitude
and sensiti'e nature ma*e him an easy target or !ullies. 8e is a rather shy and aw*ward !oy.
The contrast with the uni'ersity student 3tephen could not !e greater. The older 3tephen is
iercely independent& willing to ris* eternal damnation to pursue his destiny. 8e is not cowed !y
anyone& and he will pursue lie as an artist no matter what the cost.
/eauty, (ensitivity, and .magination
)hat !egins as sensiti'ity and imagination in the child 3tephen e'entually e'ol'es into a near?
o!sessi'e contemplation o !eauty and the mechanics o art. %'en as a child& young 3tephen is a
e#traordinarily imaginati'e and sensiti'e !oy. %'entually& these strong !ut unarticulated eelings
ta*e shape as a passion or the arts. "n Bhapter A& 3tephen has de'eloped a theory o aesthetics
that is 5uite sophisticated or a uni'ersity student, he thin*s careully and thoroughly a!out
!eauty and the power o art& and *nows that he can do nothing else !ut pursue the lie o a poet
and writer.
2rs 6alloway
Mrs Dalloway is not your typical day?in?the?lie story& !ut it is a day?in?the?lie story I a
re'olutionary one at that. "t co'ers one day or Blarissa 6alloway Dwith some other central
characters& tooE as she prepares or a !ig party that will ta*e place that e'ening.
(s the no'el !egins& Blarissa strolls through )estminster& her neigh!orhood in =ondon& on her
way to a lower shop. (long the way& a ew !ig things go downF she runs into an old riend
named 8ugh )hit!read& an e#plosion comes rom a diplomatic car on its way to Buc*ingham
0alace& and an KaeroplaneK does a little s*ywriting. D)ow& that.s way more than what typically
happens to us on the way to get lowers.E
)hen she gets !ac* rom her errand& an old riend and ormer suitor& 0eter )alsh& shows up
une#pectedly. They.re happy to see each other& !ut there.s still some tension. 0eter is clearly still
in lo'e with Blarissa& and she eels li*e he +udges her or the decisions she.s made I among them
marrying the conser'ati'e !ut loyal :ichard 6alloway Dinstead o himE. ;umerous lash!ac*s I
including one o BlarissaHs *iss with a girl named 3ally I ill in the story as it happened years ago
at her amily.s country home& Bourton. $eeling desperate o'er his own unulilling lie& 0eter
gets weepy and as*s Blarissa i she really lo'es :ichard. Beore she can answer& %li7a!eth Dher
daughterE interrupts& and 0eter heads out to :egentHs 0ar*.
)e then mo'e to the perspecti'e o 3eptimus )arren 3mith& a shell?shoc*ed )orld )ar " 'eteran
who saw %'ans& his riend and oicer& *illed in war. 3eptimusH wie& =ucre7ia& is trying to
distract him as they wait or an appointment with 3ir )illiam Bradshaw& a mean old psychiatrist.
The third person omniscient narrator ta*es us !ac* to 3eptimus. lie !eore the warF he was an
aspiring poet& read 3ha*espeare& and lo'ed 2iss "sa!el 0ole. (ter the war and %'ansH death&
3eptimus !ecomes emotionally num! I he canHt eel anything. 9n a total whim& he !ecomes
engaged to =ucre7ia& whose home he.s staying at in 2ilan& "taly. Bac* in the present day&
3eptimus is dri'en deeper into madness& including some cra7y hallucinations. =ucre7ia is also
misera!le& homesic* or "taly& and tired o ta*ing her hus!and to 'arious soulless doctors.
)hereas 6r 8olmes thin*s 3eptimus is +ust Kin a un*&K 6r Bradshaw diagnoses that he Klac*s
0roportion.K ;either ac*nowledges the act that the war has impacted 3eptimus Dwhich seems
pretty o!'ious to usE.
)hile Blarissa rests and prepares or the party& :ichard has lunch with the impressi'ely rich and
British upper crust =ady Bruton. (ter lunch& :ichard wants to go home and tell Blarissa he
lo'es her& !ut he cops out and +ust gi'es her lowers instead. Blarissa actually cherishes the
independence she has in her marriage& *nowing that she could ne'er ha'e that with 0eter. "n the
meantime& Blarissa.s daughter goes o shopping with her riend 2iss Lilman& whom 2rs
6alloway hates. (nd !y hates& we mean despises& loathes& and a!solutely cannot stand.
2eanwhile& 3eptimus and =ucre7ia wait at their apartment or 3ir )illiam Bradshaw& who is
coming to ta*e 3eptimus to a psychiatric home. The couple shares a rare moment o +oy& !ut
!eore Bradshaw enters the apartment& 3eptimus throws himsel out the window and is impaled
on the ence outside. 8e would rather die than ha'e the doctor steal his soul. Ci*es.
)hen Blarissa.s party !egins& she circulates& ma*ing sure to pay attention to e'ery guest I
especially the prime minister Dum& yeah& we.d do the sameE. 0eter and 3ally patiently await some
attention rom Blarissa as they tal* a!out their memories o Bourton. ( late arri'al& 3ir )illiam
Bradshaw& shows up with his wie& who announces that 3eptimus has *illed himsel. Blarissa is
annoyed that =ady Bradshaw mentioned death at her party& !ut she is en'ious o 3eptimus.
a!ility to em!race the moment. $inally& she returns to the party and her appearance ills 0eter.s
heart with +oy.
Mrs #alloway Theme of (ociety and -lass
0ost?)orld )ar " British society was 'ery conser'ati'e and hierarchical Dthat means that social
class was super importantE. Throughout Mrs Dalloway& we see how deeply aware characters are
o their social standing. Those in the upper class cherish their amily history and oten come rom
royalty or aristocracy, or those in the lower class& it is 'ery diicult to mo'e up in the world. (s
)ool clearly indicates& British people were meant to admire the upper class and !e 'ery aware
o their place in the social ladder. ;otice that most o Blarissa.s riends are o the same social
status or higher Ithe prime minister e'en comes to her partyM 9n the other hand& people li*e %llie
8enderson and 2iss Lilman are loathsome to Blarissa in part !ecause they.re !eneath her
socially. (nd it.s not +ust BlarissaF almost all o the characters are concerned with social status
and class I either increasing it& holding onto it& or eeling inerior rom it.
Mrs #alloway Theme of Time
9ne o the ama7ing things a!out Mrs Dalloway is the creati'e use o time. The no'el starts in an
early morning in -une 19<3 and ends the ne#t day at 3am, that means ewer than twenty?our
hours pass duringthe course o the story. This compact use o time means that you ha'e to read
closely !ecause every moment counts. Because o this& a lot happens in the course o +ust a ew
minutes Dusually in thoughts more than in actionsE. $or e#ample& characters will lash !ac* to the
past at Bourton& and recall ela!orate stories& while in present time only a ew minutes ha'e
passed. )e Dand the charactersE are constantly reminded o time !y Big Ben& =ondon.s giant
cloc* tower& which is sounding o the hours through the entire no'el. This is particularly
poignant or Blarissa whose preoccupation with time relates to her ear o death. 3he.s deeply
aware that as time passes& she gets closer to death& and she eels odd that lie will go on +ust the
same without her. -ust as she *nows that time e#isted long !eore her& she.s aware that it will go
onlong ater her !ones ha'e turned to dust.
Mrs #alloway Theme of .solation
-ust a!out e'ery character in Mrs Dalloway eels isolated in some way. (lthough many o them
are !ound !y tradition& class& history& lo'e o empire& or sur'i'al o trauma& they still eel 'ery
alone in the world. )ool uses metaphors o thread and ish swimming in water to indicate how
loose the connections !etween people are. 0eople see each other as o!+ects& not as su!+ects, they
thin* a!out others !ut don.t necessarily communicate with them I e'en though they.re desperate
to. Bharacters seem to lac* the right language to ha'e meaningule#changes. BlarissaHs hus!and&
who lo'es her 'ery much& inds himsel incapa!le o e'en saying K" lo'e you&K and must use
lowers to send the message. Blarissa.s parties aim to !ring people together !ut really !ecome
gatherings o a !unch o isolated indi'iduals. The isolation that people eel throughout Mrs
Dalloway !rings with it deep eelings o ear I that the entire world is against them. "n the end&
Blarissa eels more o a connection to 3eptimus and the old lady across the way than to anyone
else.
Mrs #alloway Theme of 'arfare
(n important point a!out this KwarK no'el is that no actual warare ta*es place. (ll we see is the
atermath I the trauma and the shell?shoc*& the ripples o damage to those who sur'i'ed. The
war had !een o'er or i'e years when Mrs Dalloway ta*es place& and yet e'eryone is still deeply
impacted !y it. 2any people had championed the war as a way to uphold the ideals o the British
%mpire and a way to ma*e men out o !oys. But with all o the lie wasted& the eeling that the
war was ought or all o the ideals o %ngland !ecomes somewhat a!surd. 3eptimus is the most
damaged& since he ought in the trenches and lost his good riend and oicer& %'ans. 8e
represents what happened to these young men who ought or the 5ueen and or a!stract ideas o
duty. 3eptimus. shell?shoc* is a shameul e#pression o how soldiers can !ecome damaged rom
warare and return as madmen instead o heroes.
Mrs #alloway Theme of (uffering
3uering ta*es many orms in Mrs Dalloway. 0eople may !e physically ill with 'ague !ut
de!ilitating pro!lems& or !e deeply& emotionally damaged& or somewhere !etween. (lthough
almost e'eryone in the no'el is suering& e'eryone eels that theyHre in it on their own. 2iss
Lilman suers partly !y choice and as a political e#pression& ma*ing martyrdom part o her
personality. :e7ia.s suering comes rom empathy or her hus!and and a deep sense o isolation.
0eter suers a!o'e all rom the past& rom the act that Blarissa ne'er lo'ed him and the reality
that he has made !ad choices with women and in his career. 3eptimus ultimately *ills himsel to
end his mad suering. 6oes this mean that suering is uni'ersal and una'oida!leG )hat do you
thin*G
Mrs #alloway Theme of Madness
"n Mrs Dalloway, we are gi'en the opportunity to see the world throughthe eyes o a man who
has gone mad !ecause o the war. Though we can all certainly see that 3eptimus has !een dri'en
mad !y the 'iolence and death o com!at& many characters deny the 'ery possi!ility o madness.
6r 8olmes in particular thin*s that 3eptimus is +ust Kin a un*&K and that gaining
some weight and distracting himsel will !e the perect cure. 3eptimus. 'isions are also a source
o an#iety or his wie& who eels li*e she has to hide him rom the prying eyes o the pu!lic. 3he
dreads what people must thin* o her hus!and Dand o herE or the way that he !eha'es. By
presenting 3eptimus as she does& )ool suggests that war can cause proound psychological
eects I something society at her time was not prepared to accept !ecause shell?shoc* didn.t
conorm with KrightK British !eha'ior. "n )ool.s day& people were still trying to understand the
psychological eects o )orld )ar ". 3eptimus Dand presuma!ly many othersE has to reconcile
what it means to !e a man who suers& when he.s !ac* in proper& post?war society.
Modernism in Mrs #alloway by Virginia 'oolf
ByF (naya 2. Ba*er
*ublished0 6ecem!er 30& <010


2rs. 6alloway& written !y Virginia )ool in 19<A& is an e#cellent e#ample o the 2odernist
period o literature. )ool& one o the main mem!ers o the mo'ement& employs 2odernist
techni5ues not +ust in the narration o the no'el& !ut in the construction& themes and setting as
well.
2odernism as a mo'ement sought to !rea* with esta!lished modes o thought and writing as
seen in the pre'ious Victorian& :omantic and :ealism mo'ements. "n the wa*e o the horror
)orld )ar 9ne& many people elt disillusioned with pre'ious ways o understanding the world
and its structures& and sought to ind an alternate means o understanding e#istence. "n addition&
the ad'ent o psychology through the wor*s o $reud were changing understanding on the nature
o the sel and the psyche.
$rom an emphasis on the power o the rational mind& and the e#pected order o society& many
intellectuals now sought a world'iew which would include emphasis on the su!conscious& and
address the role o the indi'idual and indi'idual identity within a dynamic and changing e#terior
world. )ithin 2rs. 6alloway& )ool addresses these KmodernistK concerns in her treatment o
identity& the modern city& and mental illness& as well as in her inno'ati'e narrati'e style.
;arrati'e 3tructure
2rs. 6alloway departs rom con'entional orm in a ew nota!le ways. $irst& the no'el is not
di'ided into chapters. There are some section !rea*s& !ut !y and large the perspecti'e o the
story loats rom one character to the ne#t without any di'isions.
3econd& +ust as the omnipotent narration is constantly shiting to enter the mind o one character
or another& the narration itsel is oten ragmented and dreamli*e. )ool uses the stream?o?
consciousness style to ma*e the narration sound 'ery close to the actual thought process that
might ta*e place within a personHs head& rather than as a narrator telling a coherent and organi7ed
story.
Third& though the no'el ta*es place in Kreal timeK within the course o one day& the time?line is
dis+ointed and inconsistent. There are re5uent lash!ac*s& and only the unceasing chiming o Big
Ben mar*s the progress o the hours.
$inally& consistent with other modernist wor*s& li*e T.3. %liotHs poem KThe =o'e 3ong o -.
(lred 0ruroc*&K the e'ents o the story all within the category o the e'eryday or !enign. "t is
within these un?e#traordinary e'ents that larger insight is gleaned into the human e#perience.
)hile a ew K!iggerK e'ents do occur& Da suicide and a return o an old lo'erE& the story ocuses
around Blarissa 6alloway as she gets ready or a party she is hosting later that e'ening.
The 2odern Bity
)ool sets the no'el 'ery concretely within the =ondon o her time. (s the no'el ollows the
characters a!out their day& the reader is treated to a glimpse o the city streets through each o
their eyes. This is a =ondon not o a static& lieless postcard& !ut a li'ing& !reathing city ull o
congestion& crowds& cars& !uses& and the melee o thousands o people simultaneously li'ing
disconnected and dis+ointed li'es.
$rom technology to the hustle and !ustle o the ur!an space& 2rs. 6alloway ta*es place at the
other e#treme o the rural pastoral landscape o yesteryear.
2ental "llness
Both Blarissa 6alloway and 3eptimus 3mith are 'ictims o mental illness. Blarissa seems to !e
su!+ect to recurring trou!le with her Kner'esK Dwhat we now call an#iety and depressionE& and
3eptimus suers rom 0ost?Traumatic 3tress 6isorder.
)hile doctors& and in particular psychiatrists are critici7ed in the no'el& )ool uses the plot
de'ice o mental illness to del'e deeply into the psyche& attempting to e#pose truths a!out the
wor*ings o the mind that go !eyond the limited *nowledge o traditional Dpre?$reudianE
psychiatry.
"dentity
9ne o the main preoccupations o modernist thought was a reashioning o ideas regarding
identity. "n 2rs. 6alloway& )ool showcased a theory o identity in which the sel is inherently
separated rom the 9ther& yet ine#trica!ly dependent on it. $or )ool& it is impossi!le or one
person to e'er really K*nowK another& or e'en the core o their sel.
0ersonal identity in 2rs. 6alloway is elusi'e& and intangi!le. Cet or all its ephemeral nature& this
identity is nonetheless !ased upon a socially constructed schema.
)ool was one o the irst intellectuals o her day to present the sel as a culturally?em!edded
organism& a theory that would go on to inluence -ean?0aul 3artre in his own theory o
%#istentialism.
2odernist =egacy
(lthough the 2odernist period too* place in large part in the irst hal o the <0th century& the
ideas put orth during this time would go on to ha'e a large impact on later de'elopments in
literature and thought.
3artre himsel wrote ;ausea as a direct response to 2rs. 6alloway& and 3imone de Beau'oir was
one o )oolHs greatest admirers. 2ore recently& 2ichael BunninghamHs no'el The 8ours was
!ased upon 2rs. 6alloway& later turning into a !o#?oice hit starring ;ichole Lidman. 2rs.
6alloway may ha'e ta*en place within the span o one day& !ut the legacy o the no'el continues
to resound e'en in our own KmodernK age.