Mrs. Dalloway and Selected Stories

One of the most highly acclaimed and important modernist novels, Mrs. Dalloway (1925) is Virginia Woolf’s best known work. Originally called The Hours, a title that was used for the 2002 film version starring Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway is at once a compelling response to the aftermath of the First World War and a poetic inquiry into the role of memory.

Noted for its stream of consciousness narrative, the novel weaves together several disparate storylines. The main story concerns a day in the life of an upper-class woman, Clarissa Dalloway, as she prepares to throw a party that evening. During the course of the day Clarissa reflects upon her life, her past, and sense of isolation. The other prominent narrative concerns Septimus Warren Smith, a war veteran suffering from “shell-shock” (PTSD).

Also included in this edition are a selection of Virginia Woolf’s short stories including The Mark on the Wall, Kew Gardens, A Haunted House, Solid Objects, and Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street, the original short story version of Mrs. Dalloway. This classic new edition is a treasure-trove of modernist fiction by one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers.