I have to confess that I am a huge fan of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group and actually spent a year reading all about this group of writers, artists and intellectuals. I was quite fascinated with their lifestyle and wanted to understand why Woolf, who appeared to have everything going for her, stuffed rocks in the pockets of her jacket and marched into the water and drowned. It is quite disturbing. Anyways, The Hours was the working title of Woolf's book of 1923 that she later changed to Mrs. Dalloway. Cunningham is obviously paying homage to her in several ways as one of the main characters in both books is named Clarissa--but affectionally called Mrs. Dalloway by her friend Richard in Cunningham's novel. Another similarity to Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, is that the story focuses on one day in the life of the three main characters. In addition to Clarissa, who is planning a party for her poet friend Richard, there is Laura Brown, a housewife, who is planning a party for her husband while reading Woolf's book in 1949. The third character in Cunningham's novel is Virginia Woolf, who struggles to write Mrs. Dalloway in 1923 while wrestling with mental illness. Though these three people seem unconnected, there is a common thread by the end of the novel. The is a wonderful, easy to read novel that also won the PEN/Faulkner award for fiction and became an Oscar winning movie in 2002. It's only 225 pages--or a 5 mile run--that I highly recommend. Enjoy!Sunday, October 30, 2016
October 30, 2016 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
The weekend goes by way too fast--WITH SO MUCH TO DO IN ONLY TWO DAYS. I am all for the four day or NO day work week and wish I could figure out a way to make THAT happen. The hours fly--run--carve pumpkins--domestic crap--Halloween party--it is an endless list of TO DO. I know that we are turning back the clocks this week and are "technically gaining an hour" but I feel more like we are losing an hour because it gets dark WAY TOO EARLY. I could use that extra hour of daylight to fit in my run. I know that time is relative though. I often think of my grandparents as they got older--their days seemed interminable--waiting for the hours to go by to get to the early bird special as there was only so much line dancing, shuffleboard and bingo they could stand. I wish there were a way to even it out so that people my age didn't feel so rushed while others didn't have to wish the hours away. It's not fair to any of us. Michael Cunningham wrote this great book--it actually it won the Pulitzer in 1999--that makes me think of time called The Hours.
I have to confess that I am a huge fan of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group and actually spent a year reading all about this group of writers, artists and intellectuals. I was quite fascinated with their lifestyle and wanted to understand why Woolf, who appeared to have everything going for her, stuffed rocks in the pockets of her jacket and marched into the water and drowned. It is quite disturbing. Anyways, The Hours was the working title of Woolf's book of 1923 that she later changed to Mrs. Dalloway. Cunningham is obviously paying homage to her in several ways as one of the main characters in both books is named Clarissa--but affectionally called Mrs. Dalloway by her friend Richard in Cunningham's novel. Another similarity to Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, is that the story focuses on one day in the life of the three main characters. In addition to Clarissa, who is planning a party for her poet friend Richard, there is Laura Brown, a housewife, who is planning a party for her husband while reading Woolf's book in 1949. The third character in Cunningham's novel is Virginia Woolf, who struggles to write Mrs. Dalloway in 1923 while wrestling with mental illness. Though these three people seem unconnected, there is a common thread by the end of the novel. The is a wonderful, easy to read novel that also won the PEN/Faulkner award for fiction and became an Oscar winning movie in 2002. It's only 225 pages--or a 5 mile run--that I highly recommend. Enjoy!
I have to confess that I am a huge fan of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group and actually spent a year reading all about this group of writers, artists and intellectuals. I was quite fascinated with their lifestyle and wanted to understand why Woolf, who appeared to have everything going for her, stuffed rocks in the pockets of her jacket and marched into the water and drowned. It is quite disturbing. Anyways, The Hours was the working title of Woolf's book of 1923 that she later changed to Mrs. Dalloway. Cunningham is obviously paying homage to her in several ways as one of the main characters in both books is named Clarissa--but affectionally called Mrs. Dalloway by her friend Richard in Cunningham's novel. Another similarity to Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, is that the story focuses on one day in the life of the three main characters. In addition to Clarissa, who is planning a party for her poet friend Richard, there is Laura Brown, a housewife, who is planning a party for her husband while reading Woolf's book in 1949. The third character in Cunningham's novel is Virginia Woolf, who struggles to write Mrs. Dalloway in 1923 while wrestling with mental illness. Though these three people seem unconnected, there is a common thread by the end of the novel. The is a wonderful, easy to read novel that also won the PEN/Faulkner award for fiction and became an Oscar winning movie in 2002. It's only 225 pages--or a 5 mile run--that I highly recommend. Enjoy!
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