Mrs. Dalloway

Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway in post-World War I England. Clarissa visits London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth and makes her wonder about her choice of husband; she married the reliable Richard Dalloway instead of the enigmatic and demanding Peter Walsh and she “had not the option” to be with Sally Seton, for whom she felt strongly. Peter reintroduces these conflicts by paying a visit that morning, having returned from India.

Clarissa’s party in the evening is a slow success, attended by most of the characters we have met in the book, including people from her past.