Engl 310
Clemson U
April 2005
Paper Topics for Mrs. Dalloway
Mostly Extrinsic Approaches • Autobiographical approach—look at Mrs. Dalloway from the perspective of how presentation of Septimus relates to Woolf’s own experiences with madness and Drs. (Biographical) • Septimus and shell-shock (Historical background) • Political context: liberal (labor) coming in Tories (conservatives) going out.
More Intrinsic (text-based)\Approaches • Look at characters etc using FRYE o MODE: Low mimetic? Moving into ironic? Is it comedic or tragic? o Archetypal approach … Campbell..scapegoat etc. Septimus as the dying god/ scapegoat • Relationship between Septimus and Clarissa (sources: Modern