Appropriation Of Mrs Dalloway

The corresponding themes and symbols of an appropriation encourage readers to re-examine the original text. This is evident in the novel Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and the appropriation The Hours by Michael Cunningham. When someone reads The Hours they recognise the universality of the themes explored in the novel, which persuades them to return to the original work in order to discover how the same themes have been examined in a different context. Likewise, a desire to better understand the use of symbols in the appropriation provokes readers to trace them back to their origins in Mrs Dalloway. Moreover, the simple structure of The Hours makes Michael Cunningham’s novel accessible to a wide audience. This equips more readers with the
Passion was considered unfavourable which is emphasised in the repetition “Horrible passion! Degrading passion!”. In contrast, love within a supportive marriage was valued which is evident in the affirmation “she had been right not to marry Peter Walsh… she wanted support. “ This reflects the conservative attitudes of the early 20th century. There are also very few direct references to sexuality in the novel reflecting the era’s suppression of open sexuality. The repetition “Sally it was who made her feel, for the first time, how sheltered the life at Bourton was. She knew nothing about sex — nothing about social problems’ demonstrating Clarissa’s ignorance to sexuality, which illustrates the chasteness of her society. It is evident that by returning to the original text readers are able to gain deeper insight into the parallel theme of love and develop an understanding of how changing context impacts the depiction of love and
The universality of the themes of death and love entice readers to discover the changing attitudes towards them as context changes. Likewise, readers are persuaded by the exploration of the symbolic flowers in the appropriated to text, to desire an understanding of its original significance in Mrs Dalloway. Finally, the simpler style of Michael Cunningham’s novel makes it more approachable to a wide audience, and once readers have developed a level of understanding of The Hours, they are encouraged to explore the complexities of Mrs