The 3 Reasons to...

The 3 reasons to read Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway:

1) Woolf allows her readers into the heads of multiple characters in the novel at the same time, and this is something that novels can lack at times. I don't just want to know what's going on in the head of the protagonist. What about her best friend? Her lover? Her enemy? Her mother? This term that I have deemed "multiple consciousnesses" is definitely one reason why I think it's important to read Mrs. Dalloway.

2) I am stealing this one from Ann Page's list...Ecstasy of the moment. I have never seen a writer pay tribute to acts that seem so trivial in life. For Woolf, every action is a work of art, and that is the same attitude that Clarissa has in the novel. Making a moment seem so spectacular can often be difficult to sum up in words. Woolf has no problem with this task.

3) Woolf teaches her readers to read carefully, not just carefully, but with extreme precision. Every word seems to be chosen for a specific reason, and as an English major, I respect her ability to create such a dense piece of literature.

The 3 Reasons to Read Michael Cunningham's The Hours:

1) To me, Cunningham's novel is the epitome of intertexuality. In order to create a definition of the term "intertexuality," I think it's important to use The Hours as an example. I have never really understood the term until now.

2) The message. Again, I couldn't help but feel elated when I read the final pages of the novel. This is how life is. It's made up of struggles, torment, and hardship, but we live for those few hours that make us feel like we are bursting with energy and happiness. I can relate to the message, especially right now, in my college years.

3) Dedication to characters. The progressions of the three women's attitudes are believable. I was shocked that he was able to cram in so much character development into 226 pages. My creative works are extremely character-driven, so I can look to Cunningham's novel as a source of believable development.

The 3 Reasons to Read Mrs. Dalloway before The Hours:

1) All three of the women (especially Clarissa's character) would not seem as deep and complex if an individual read The Hours without having any knowledge of Mrs. Dalloway. Mrs. Dalloway, the character came first. Clarissa Vaughan came next. It seems like a logical way of being introduced to the two literary characters.

2) Due to the difficulties that arise over reading Mrs. Dalloway, I think it is important to read that text first, so that The Hours can supplement the former of the texts. I don't think Mrs. Dalloway could serve as a supplement for The Hours. The Hours can be used as a plot tool to supplement what is occuring in Mrs. Dalloway.

3) Virginia Woolf's motifs can be appreciated further in The Hours (flowers, birds, clocks/time, etc.) if an individual reads Mrs. Dalloway first. If a person were to read Woolf after Cunningham, he or she might not remember and appreciate the subtle references to these motifs in The Hours.

-Megan R.