Mrs. Dalloway was our assignment for this week. Read the book, post eight times, write a paper over one of the three texts we’ve covered and support your argument. It’s a short one, no outside sources needed. It’s due tonight. That’s next on my list of assignments today.
I’m having frustration with this class because it is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. Cram 16 weeks of work into 8. However it’s too much. I’m not getting much more out of it other than crossing a title off of my To Read list. And that sucks on several levels. For one, that’s not going to help me one bit when I need to access the knowledge in the future. Two, these online classes are more expensive, so here…TAKE more of my money! Whatever! And three…I am having such a brain expanding time in my other two classes because we’re taking time. Only five novels in one class. Spending more time looking at the elements and genres and the lens by which critics use to expand it. I’m jealous that the texts we are reading in this class don’t get that same kind of attention.
Having said that, I highly recommend that if you DO decide to read Mrs. Dalloway, watch The Hours afterwards. It’s really a lovely, interconnected piece that layers the impact of the book onto the lives of fully realized and interesting characters. I’m not a fan of Nicole Kidman because her face doesn’t move, but in this, behind that prosthetic nose? She was really lovely. I like Virginia Woolf. I like her words. I like the way she strings them together and takes us someplace or makes us think differently. This text has the stream of consciousness rambly bambly element to it and much of the class really came out NOT in favor of it because of that. THAT’s where I wish we could stop and say, Woah. Everyone is hating on this. Let’s look at why and try to being to understand the element and why it’s being used by the author.
Maybe we’re supposed to do that on our own.
Maybe.
Maybe I like being spoon fed a bit longer than some students.
I’m a grown up. . . so that’s my prerogative.
Nanny nanny boo boo.
Misti Ridiculous 
I love Michael Cunningham. I can’t remember which order I did it in but I read the Hours, watched The Hours, and read Mrs. Dalloway. I expected Mrs. D to be harder to get through, drier, further out of touch. I loved it. It made me love The Hours and her even more. Many thumbs up!
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