Mrs Dalloway's Party

About this course

The course studies seven short stories connected to the social world of Mrs Dalloway, without requiring participants to read the novel itself. It considers parties, fashion, shopping, flowers and possessions as elements of modernist material culture, alongside Woolf’s treatment of consciousness, gender and the relationship between individuals and society. Teaching combines tutor presentations, small-group close reading and whole-class discussion. Sessions also examine Woolf’s use of imagery, symbolism and the short-story form, with guided reading undertaken between classes.

What you'll learn

• Analyse how clothes, consumption and possessions function as symbols within Woolf’s modernist settings.
• Examine the relationship between individual consciousness and the surrounding social world.
• Discuss how gender shapes characters’ inner experiences and interactions.
• Evaluate the distinctive possibilities of the short-story form in Woolf’s writing.

Is this course right for you?

The course is open to anyone and does not require formal literature study, making it an accessible introduction to Virginia Woolf and modernist literature. Participants should be prepared to read the stories before sessions and contribute to small-group and whole-class discussion.

• An interest in Virginia Woolf, modernist literature or short stories may be useful, but is not stated as a requirement.
• Preparation includes reading the seven short stories, with guided questions or ideas for each session.

Before you go

• Participants should obtain the seven stories before the course. The collection Mrs Dalloway’s Party: A Short Story Sequence is recommended and can be bought or borrowed.
• The stories are also collected in A Haunted House and Other Stories. Five of the seven stories are freely available online; the other two are identified as “Ancestors” and “The Introduction”.