Literatură modernă și contemporană de expresie engleză

Student:Olteanu Alina Mihaela

Grupa:Romana Engleza
An III, sem.I,

I. ''Mrs. Dalloway'' by Virginia Woolf

The action of the novel takes place during only 24 hours. Although the time is so short, characters
remember things from their past - Clarissa remembers days from her youth (in some cases, even a
30 years gap), so important devices are introspection and free indirect speech (third person about
the reflected I because sometimes Clarissa refers to herself as if she were somebody else); direct
and reported speech can be found in the novel. Also, there is the juxtaposition of space, of
moments in time. The novel is a journey inwards and backwards.
Clarissa is Mrs. Dalloway, the main character. She is the narrator, but also narratee and narrated.
In the day presented in the novel, she organizes a party. She is 51 years old, she is married to
Richard and they have a daughter, Elizabeth.
Men function as mirrors. Richard is Clarissa's husband, but although they are married for many
years, they behave like two strangers. Peter Walsh is Clarissa's old love and he makes Clarissa
reflect on the meaninglessness of her present life. Septimus Warren-Smith represents the
transparency, he is like a glass, like a window, because the trauma of war is visible. He can't take
it anymore and he kills himself by throwing from the window (the window is an important
symbol in Woolf's texts).
II.''The Portrait of a Lady'' by Henry James:
1.The novel develops the international theme. The central theme is Americans travelling to
Europe, therefore the novel presents the clash between two different worlds and cultures: Europe
versus America. Lord Warburton, Mr. Touchett, Ralph (100% European) represent Europe. Isabel
represents America.
Isabel is aware of the differences between the two worlds: ''She was looking at everything with an
eye that denoted clear perception - at her companion, at the two dogs, at the two gentlemen under
the trees, at the beautiful scene that surrounded her.''
2. Isabel is labeled (by lord Warburton) as an independent young woman simply because she is
American.
The sense of property that Ralph (who is European) has for his dog is ironical.
Isabel says that she had expected to see a lord there, which is specific to England.
3. Ralph hasn't introduced himself, he is not polite and he looks down at Isabel (it is also a sign of
the superiority of England).
Lord Warburton says that Isabel is independent and he repeats this thing once again, assuming
that this stereotype is valid for all Americans.
Ralph didn't expected his cousin to be that pretty, he had a misconception about her.
4. Having dialogue is a specificity of Henry James's writing. The dialogue is very animated and
dramatic, heated. The three men try to impose themselves on the young American girl. The
dialogue seems dramatic because of the indications about what characters say or look like while/
before/ after speaking:
''Probably?'' The young man exclaimed, laughing. ''I supposed it was quite settled! have you
arrived with my mother?''
''Yes, half an hour ago.''
''And has she deposited you and departed again?''
''No, she went straight to her room, and she told me that, if i should see you, I was to say to you
that you must come to her there at a quarter to seven.''
The young man looked at his watch. ''Thank you very much; I shall be punctual.'' And then he
looked at his cousin.
5. James's style can be defined as cautious because of:
-modal verbs: must, couldn't, shall;
-verbs of seeming and appearing: seem;
-adverbs of manner: probably;
- sequences such as: ''I think she must be'' (-shows probability); ''I suppose the young lady'';
''Perhaps it's Mrs. Touchett's niece''; ''The young lady seemed to have a great deal of confidence''.