Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

Book excerpt: In this companion book to Mrs. Dalloway, Molly Hoff illuminates much that is hidden in Virginia Woolf's celebrated and often misunderstood novel. Mrs. Dalloway is brimming with references, both overt and subtle, to other works of literature, historical events, and goings-on in Woolf's own life. Invisible Presences serves, as Hoff states in her preface, "as a kind of reference manual for commentary on individual passages that may be of interest." Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway: Invisible Presences will doubtless provide a wealth of material to enrich lesson plans and syllabi for those who, as Hoff puts it, "profess literature." It however has its own beginning, middle, and end to guide any reader. Thus it serves as two books at once. It is hoped it will lead to a deep understanding of Mrs. Dalloway and Woolf's method in general.