woolf’s mrs dalloway - a review: retrogression within progression

re-reviewing woolf’s mrs dalloway.

initial thoughts vs now

the first time i read mrs dalloway (which was around three months ago), i found the writing very difficult to follow, with the constant switches in narrative and also the interruptions of thoughts within one narrative; but at the same time, i felt oddly intrigued and perhaps, even attracted by the way it was written. later, i found out that, not only is it written in the style of "stream of consciousness", it is also complicated by the perspective of "free indirect discourse", thus why i often felt confused and lost in the text during the first reading. in light of my discovery, i was able to pinpoint, understand more and enjoy the interweaving narratives and style of writing upon my second reading. interestingly, i felt a connection between woolf’s words and my thoughts; in the way, they're both ephemeral, intruding, unconscious and fragmented. 

most unique aspect of this novel

what i thought was most unique about this novel is the connection between the psychological flow of thoughts through the style of stream of consciousness, in conjunction with the physical flow of the natural imagery. the physical flow of this natural and water imagery exists within her psychological flowing thoughts, as if there’s a literal, external, physical force propelling her thoughts forward; something that is out of her control. on the one hand, it mirrors how women lack control of their own lives, their thoughts and their actions during the time woolf was writing this novel; how they are instead controlled and restricted by men from the external public space. however, it is important to note that this physical force is not a violent or dominating one; instead, it is a gentle and fluid one, one that flows like the stream of consciousness. therefore, on the other hand, i would argue that it is a metaphor of other women writers, during woolf's time, influencing, inspiring, empowering and guiding woolf forward with her own writing. 

progression and modernisation in the 20th century london

speaking of moving forward, the theme of progression is especially prominent in this novel. firstly, there is the progression through time, as the whole novel is set within the span of one day and focuses on the idea of aging, especially in women. secondly, the progression with the modernisation of the 20th century london city (eg. invention of cars). last but not least, the progression with women’s rights and their place in society, however, on the other hand, there is also an underlying sense of retrogression. 

this tension between progression and retrogression is most evidently seen through lady bruton's opportunity to raise her female voice in the public sphere but the need to rely on male figures to modify her work in order for her writing to be acceptable in society. this sense of tension goes against the flow of the natural imagery and stream of consciousness as explored above, highlighting that despite the attempted progression with the increasing female voice in the public sphere, there’s always something holding them back: the traditions of a patriarchal society. 

similarly, schöder (a critic) also alluded to this sense of tension between progression and retrogression through combining both ideas of the modernised city and the female role in the public sphere. she argues that whilst modernisation bred the new invention of cars, a physical symbol of progression through the aspect of invention and also its physical movement, women often remain passive in their seats while men typically take the driver seat. here, the stark contrast between the 'pure mobility' of the car versus the female passive body emphasises how both elements of progression and retrogression could exist at the same time in this supposed 'modern' city. thus, reinforcing that due to society's reluctance to 'accommodate the new and disturbing' (zwerdling, another critic), the attempt in striving for female progression, as other aspects of society develop rapidly, is hugely limited and restricted by traditional constructs in the public sphere.

final thoughts

overall, i'd have to give this novel a 10/10. very impressed by woolf's writing skills and the complex issues she has explored throughout this novel. obviously there is so much more i want to talk about, such as her (most) exquisite moments and the dismissal of mental health (even today); but then this review would be never-ending!! so... to wrap up, i am glad i ultimately learnt to love this novel despite the challenges during the first (and even second) read. this novel is definitely something that has created a lasting impression on me and will subconsciously remain at the back of my head. 

thx 4 reading <3 go give it a read now ;)))))

birds of paradise thoughts

i watched this film on sunday and i can't stop thinking about it. i really enjoyed and loved all aspects of it. everything was just so pure and symbolic about this film. 

birds of paradise is a newly released film about ballet, friendship, love, betrayal, misunderstanding and development. of two ballet dancers competing to win the prize in the lovely city of Paris. it features two of my favourite actors: kristine froseth (from the society) and diana silvers (from booksmart). 

i was especially excited to start watching this film because of my connection to ballet. when i was younger, i did a couple years of ballet but quickly dropped it afterwards. recently, i have taken it up again and i have never felt so at peace and calm in my life before. needless to say, this was definitely not the feeling which the characters would have felt in the film. the reality of ballet is brutal, competitive, toxic and the film does a good job in portraying the competitive aspect through the two protagonists: kate and marine. 

what i thought was the most interesting but also disturbing about this film was the blurring of the lines between incest and romance and how that, in my opinion, effectively subverts and challenge heteronormative stereotypes. both relationships, marine and her brother ollie AND marine and kate, hint towards the idea of incest. on the one hand, marine's mother and the public believe that marine and ollie had sex, even though marine denies it and states that her mother was mistaken. on the other hand, after ollie's death, marine and kate develop a sisterly bond. in a way, replacing marine and ollie's previous tight sibling bond, as marine's mother has pointed out. but yes, marine and kate ended up having a threesome with felipe, so i guess you could say that incestuous. even though they're not blood-related, marine did call kate her sister. if we choose to believe marine that the sex never actually happened with her brother and that marine and kate's relationship is more than just a sisterly bond, then we could argue that the writers wanted to go against heterosexual norms and also to challenge the typical portrayal of hetero relationships in ballet performance. afterall, marine and kate made a pact to be joint female winners of the prize despite the tradition of the one male+one female winner.

speaking of the joint female prize, there's also this idea of merging. transitioning. metamorphoses. from 2 to 1. imageries of fusing could be seen in marine+ollie's relationship and also in marine+kate's relationship. on the one hand, marine and ollie are tied together in a biological, physical aspect and also through a soul connection, as marine exclaims that when ollie died, a part of her died too as they were connected as one. on the other hand, despite marine and kate's attempt (mainly marine) to recreate marine and ollie's bond (as marine desperately tries to deal with her grief by finding someone to replace her brother after his death), their bond is more psychological, more romantic and unrealistic in regards to defying the ballet traditions with joint female winners. thus, the unrealistic aspect of this joint winner pact exposes society's reluctance to move away from traditions and more importantly, highlighting underlying fears and anxieties of the increasing visibility of a queer public space.

interestingly, this idea of fusing also cropped up in atwood's the robber bride, a book i was reading during the time when i watched this film. whilst, (in atwood's novel) charis desperately attempts to be rid of her psychological fusion with karen, zenia, and perhaps her baby (physically); marine and kate both desire to fuse: to be joint winners at the prize on a physical level, but also as a tight bond on a spiritual level. 

spoiler alert (ish)?? so... about the ending, i thought it was quite a smart one. remember how i talked about the impossibility of a joint female prize? well, in the end, they both win in their own ways. ultimately, kate wins the prize and becomes a star in the Paris opera ballet. whereas, marine wins psychologically by healing from her trauma and starting her own dance choreo, leaving the toxicity of ballet world behind. notably, the audience can visibly see that despite kate's success, she doesn't seem to be content. there is still a lot of pent up anger and frustration, even confusion within her character. thus, i would argue that marine is the true winner here. despite the sense of ambiguity and surrealness portrayed in the ending scene, of hopefulness but also doom, the film provides a glimmer of hope for the audience that one day kate, like marine, will be set free too. 

so yeah... to conclude, i really enjoyed this film and would recommend everyone to go watch it regardless of whether they do ballet or not. feel free to share your thoughts on it, especially on the theme of metamorphoses and who you think the true winner was;)

thx 4 reading <3