Blogging Woolf

I missed Mrs. Dalloway’s birthday two months ago. May 14 marked 88 years since Woolf’s 1925 novel was published, a fact I noticed when I came across Anne Fernald’s essay, “Mrs. Dalloway at 88” on The Awl website.

Fernald’s essay was also republished on the website of London Fictions.

In her piece, Fernald gives eight compelling reasons why the book still matters today:

1. Woolf makes us care about a fancy middle-aged lady throwing a party.
2. The characters have great names that have interesting histories.
3. It’s a great example of a novel set on a single day.
4. Woolf deploys allusions to Shakespeare like a master.
5. It continues to inspire other works of art.
6. It’s full of London history.
7. Even the random details are not random.
8. We still need to remember to take care of veterans and we still don’t do enough.

Fernald, Woolf scholar and passionate feminist, is always worth following.

Related articles

• Paris Review – Happy Birthday, Mrs. Dalloway!, Sadie Stein
• Celebrating Mrs. Dalloway’s 85th (bloggingwoolf.wordpress.com)
• Walking in Mrs. Dalloway’s shoes – literally (bloggingwoolf.wordpress.com)