Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why doesn’t Virginia Woolf divide the story into chapters?
- Does Woolf love the idea of Great Britain, or does she hate it? Or a little of both?
- Originally Clarissa was going to be the one to commit suicide. How would that have changed the effect of the novel?
- Some critics say it’s unfair to read the novel in terms of Virginia Woolf’s eventual suicide. Do you agree? Did the knowledge of her suicide change the way you read the story?
- How would the novel have been different if it had taken place in a small town instead of in London?
- Is Mrs Dalloway a downer? Or is it uplifting?
- What does Virginia Woolf achieve by having Clarissa and Septimus serve as doubles?
- Is any one point of view (Peter's, Clarissa's, Septimus', and so forth) more reliable than the rest?
- How has World War I affected the lives of each of the characters?
- Why does Clarissa envy Septimus for committing suicide?