Prior to literary modernism, fictional representations of time were predominantly linear. Rather than informing thematic details, time situated novels, meaning past and future events rarely coexisted, or impacted present situations. Challenging these engrained norms, literary modernists began experimenting with narrative techniques to provide realistic, experiential interpretations. Thus, a fluid continuum of past, present, and future was incorporated. Events no longer existed in isolation, but were inextricably influenced by interrelated timelines. The popularisation of stream of consciousness narration, along with Henri Bergson’s philosophical theories, influenced these altered perceptions, enabling novelists to explore time’s cumulative
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As such, analysing Woolf’s use of stream of consciousness narration is foundational. Dobie (1971, p.406) defines key attributes of stream of consciousness narration, remarking it involves “rambling thought and soliloquy, and … devices such as discontinuity of plot, the flow of sharp images and fleeting associations, and the private quality of experience as it impinges on consciousness.” These techniques are apparent throughout Mrs Dalloway. Raziz (1986, p.421) elaborates, distinguishing, “with the popularisation of the psychological theories of Freud and Jung, novelists found in psychology a more solid and real foundation to erect the edifice of their fictional cosmos.” Thus, psychoanalytical theories fundamentally inform stream of consciousness narration, reimagining literary norms, and grounding emotional depictions. Sánchez-Vizcaíno (2007, p.12) elucidates, noting, “Woolf abandoned the conventional plot and conception of time as a linear sequence of events”, instead utilising “images of transitoriness … around the rhythm of her characters ' thoughts, perceptions and feelings.” Evidently, Woolf’s scattered psychological portrayals mirror the randomness of human thought. Fluidity manifests in representations of time, as well as depictions of consciousness, as Cui (2016, p.203) recounts, “the narrative point of view frequently shifts from one character to another so that different characters …show more content…
Gillies (1996, p.108) identifies Woolf “incorporated three of Bergson’s major ideas: time, intuition, and memory”, determining, “each is employed in a manner so consistent with Bergson’s articulation of them that they highlight Woolf’s lasting debt.” Likewise, Sánchez-Vizcaíno (2007, p.12) observes Woolf’s figuration of the mind as “a fusion of the two minds, the upper and the under” resembles Bergson’s “conception of consciousness as an ever changing, mutable and protean stream.” Resultantly, Bergson appears to have informed Mrs Dalloway’s intermingling of time and consciousness. Hasler (1982, p.147) summarises Bergsonian elements, remarking, “the uninterrupted continuity sought after here is … Bergson 's durée, an everchanging flux in which past, present and future are inextricably fused.” Consequently, Mrs Dalloway includes Bergsonian rejections of linear time, which suggest time and consciousness are enduring and interpretable. Such depictions facilitate thorough psychoanalyses, as Woolf assesses the past, present, and future’s cumulative impact. Equally, while Bergson’s legacy is indirectly apparent, Woolf is indebted to immediate literary
As such, analysing Woolf’s use of stream of consciousness narration is foundational. Dobie (1971, p.406) defines key attributes of stream of consciousness narration, remarking it involves “rambling thought and soliloquy, and … devices such as discontinuity of plot, the flow of sharp images and fleeting associations, and the private quality of experience as it impinges on consciousness.” These techniques are apparent throughout Mrs Dalloway. Raziz (1986, p.421) elaborates, distinguishing, “with the popularisation of the psychological theories of Freud and Jung, novelists found in psychology a more solid and real foundation to erect the edifice of their fictional cosmos.” Thus, psychoanalytical theories fundamentally inform stream of consciousness narration, reimagining literary norms, and grounding emotional depictions. Sánchez-Vizcaíno (2007, p.12) elucidates, noting, “Woolf abandoned the conventional plot and conception of time as a linear sequence of events”, instead utilising “images of transitoriness … around the rhythm of her characters ' thoughts, perceptions and feelings.” Evidently, Woolf’s scattered psychological portrayals mirror the randomness of human thought. Fluidity manifests in representations of time, as well as depictions of consciousness, as Cui (2016, p.203) recounts, “the narrative point of view frequently shifts from one character to another so that different characters …show more content…
Gillies (1996, p.108) identifies Woolf “incorporated three of Bergson’s major ideas: time, intuition, and memory”, determining, “each is employed in a manner so consistent with Bergson’s articulation of them that they highlight Woolf’s lasting debt.” Likewise, Sánchez-Vizcaíno (2007, p.12) observes Woolf’s figuration of the mind as “a fusion of the two minds, the upper and the under” resembles Bergson’s “conception of consciousness as an ever changing, mutable and protean stream.” Resultantly, Bergson appears to have informed Mrs Dalloway’s intermingling of time and consciousness. Hasler (1982, p.147) summarises Bergsonian elements, remarking, “the uninterrupted continuity sought after here is … Bergson 's durée, an everchanging flux in which past, present and future are inextricably fused.” Consequently, Mrs Dalloway includes Bergsonian rejections of linear time, which suggest time and consciousness are enduring and interpretable. Such depictions facilitate thorough psychoanalyses, as Woolf assesses the past, present, and future’s cumulative impact. Equally, while Bergson’s legacy is indirectly apparent, Woolf is indebted to immediate literary