At first, I read Mrs. Dalloway rather reluctantly. In fact, I fell asleep twice within the first 20 pages. The stream of her thoughts was just exhausting to keep up with. But then I realized that I think just like that. I don't notice it, but it is so realistic. Our thoughts jump around. We don't switch narrators too often...hopefully... but you get the point. If the book wasn't written in this style, it would be so boring. Nothing really happens plot wise - yet so much happens in their memories and their observations and their imaginations. For instance, in a typical, narrative style, the first page would be "She decided to go but some flowers for her party but first she stood in the doorway and remembered things" - and that would be horrible.
I've come to appreciate this style, now that I understand it, and I look forward to finishing the novel.
I completely agree with this. I think it is funny because I wrote my blog just now and then read yours and I feel exactly the same. Our thought process is so all over the place that it doesn't really make sense to other people. Hence why I have trouble reading this book, and I too fell asleep a few times. However, I like that you point out the fact that the book would be boring if it wasn't written in this style. Although it is very hard to follow, now that we have talked about it in class and understand this format I think that it might be a little easier for us to follow and we might be able to pick up cues better to who is speaking and what they are speaking about.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam as well in how if Woolf hadn't written the book in such streams of consciousness that it would be rather boring. I was also reluctant to read the novel, but upon reading how other people are reacting to it, instead of giving it up, giving it a chance may be my best option. I also think I tend to read (no pun intended) into a book too much, rather reading upon comparison to previous novels i've read, so reading this one was so much different I think I just wrote it off right away.
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