A Study Of Virginia Woolf From The Analysis Of Septimus

Virginia Woolf was one of the most famous novelists of the stream of consciousness in the twentieth century.Hence,the most previous studies on Woolf were focused on her techniques of expressing the stream of consciousness and her feminism in her novels.But at the same time, Woolf has a serious mental illness and eventually committed suicide in 1941.It could not be ignored that the illness throughout her whole life has a potential influence on her writing of stream of consciousness.Mrs.Dalloway is one of Woolf's masterpieces of stream of consciousness,featuring its description of Septimus--a man with similar mental illness.This thesis focuses on the similarities and differences between Septimus and Woolf from the angles of causes,symptoms of mental illness and tragic ending,tries to analyze the potential influence of insanity on her writing of stream of consciousness.In the first part of the thesis,wars are stated to be the cause of Septimus'insanity,and triggered off Woolf's insanity with many other factors.In the second part, a comparative analysis of Woolf's insanity and Septimus'insanity was made,from which the active effects of her insanity to her writing are proved.In the third part,Woolf's criticism of reality is revealed in their similar unhopeful experiences of seeking medical help.