Isolation and Communication A Stylistic Analysis of Thought Presentation in Mrs. Dalloway

Abstract

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is well-acclaimed for its almost non-intrusive portrayal of characters' state of mind. Many studies approach it from biographical, socio-historical, philosophical, and other non-linguistic perspectives, and most linguistic investigations deal with illustrative examples of a single linguistic device in this novel. Few are concerned with the presence of particular linguistic patterns that explain how the intricate flow of thought is successfully depicted. This paper offers a detailed elaboration on the criteria for categorizing thought presentation in Leech& Short's model and distinguishes cases of ambiguity. A case study of Mrs. Dalloway's flower purchase scene illustrates how different types of thought presentation along with different reporting clauses are used to convey the variation in the character's mental state and the negotiation between her inner voice and the outside world.

A Stylistic Analysis of Linguistic Patterns in Chichamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

“…The chief aims of a stylistic analysis are "to explore creativity in language use" in order to understand (literary) texts (Simpson, 2014: p. 3) and to describe the connection between language and artistic function (Leech & Short, 1981, 2007. Most of stylistic studies have investigated 'a certain aspect' of style in a particular fictional text such as Guo's (2017) analysis of 'thought presentation' in Mr. Dalloway, Abdurrahman's (2016) study of 'complexity of sentence' in A Rose for Emily and Teranishi's (2007) research on 'speech and thought presentation involved in the protagonist characterization' in Herzog.…”

The Manifestations of Woolf’s Life Experiences in Mrs. Dalloway

“…Griesinger further affirms that Woolf realizes the objective of the feminist fight is "to critique the demise-dealing dual antagonisms of feminism and masculinity" (2015). The novel then disproves "the antagonism of woman/man as a disagreement" (Guo, 2017). In summary, Woolf's work is applicable for a feminist reading, and it can be argued that through Septimus and Clarissa's deconstructions of their genders in Mrs. Dalloway, combined with the personal experiences outlined above, Woolf is far more than a feminist attempting to offer novel viewpoints on masculinity and femininity in connection to society and homosexuality.…”

“…Subsequently, it can be argued that in the novel, Woolf describes one experience but shelters "self" away from the dangerous realm, and there exists an unclear border between the external world and the perceiver, leading to ambivalence. Some researchers have approached Mrs. Dalloway from a psychoanalytical and biographical perspective that relates its root and development to Woolf's state of mind and personal experiences and sees her literary expression as a successful exercise of self-catharsis and auto-analysis (Guo, 2017). Guo further explains that connections evidently exist between insanity and childhood traumas, and between sensibility and insanity, and additionally endorses Woolf's alchemical determination and hard work, which empower her to change the material of madness into the material of art instead of leaving her in senseless dreams and ambivalent from reality (2017).…”