On The Web-like Structure Of Stream Of Consciousness In Mrs. Dalloway

As one of the representative writers of British and American writers of novels of stream of consciousness, Virginia Woolf has made important contributions to the development of the technique of stream of consciousness by confirming her own original literary views through the design of a unique web-like structure of stream of consciousness in one of her masterpieces-Mrs. Dalloway. Acting not only as a descriptive and narrative technique but also as an embodiment and extension of the themes in the novel, the web-like stream of consciousness helps to fulfil the ideal unity between form and content, without the comprehension of which the unique beauty and profound ideological intentions of the novel cannot be fully appreciated. This thesis thereby attempts a tentative study of the use of the web-like stream of consciousness and its functions in characterization and deepening the themes.The thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter One concentrates on the intersection of the clock time and the psychological time, which forms a "double narrative" by recording both the characters' external and internal activities. This special arrangement of time enhances and enriches the structure and patterns of the web-like stream of consciousness. Henri Bergson's theory of Psychological Time is employed to analyze the significance of such a time structure.Chapter Two presents a detailed study of the intersection of streams of consciousness In this novel, characters' streams of consciousness intersect with each other via the central character or some public scenes. The "double narrative"also enables the intersection to take place in conversations with the frequent shiftsof point of view. All these intersections form a web-like structure of consciousnessincontaining many levels, the functions and significance of which this thesis attempts to examine in reference to Nietzsche's theories of Perspectivism and Will to Power.Chapter Three dwells upon the contrast and resonance of the streams of consciousness of the two major characters: Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith. Apart from the "double narrative", there is also the "double plot" formed by the coupling of the two major characters' experiences within one day. The contrast and resonance of their streams of consciousness form the mainstay of the "double plot" and the web-like stream of consciousness. The significance of this device is discussed with regard to its functions in characterization and in deepening the themes. *At the end of the thesis, the author draws several conclusions about the formation, function and significance of the web-like stream of consciousness in Mrs. Dalloway.