Decentring Discourse, Self-Centred Politics: Radicalism and the Self in Virginia Woolf's "Mrs

Dalloway" / Discurso descentralizador, politica egocéntrica: radicalismo e individualidad en Mrs

Dalloway, de Virginia Woolf
Author(s): Cristina Delgado García
Source: Atlantis, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Junio 2010), pp. 15-28
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 Studies.32.1 (June2010): 15-28
oftheSpanishAssociationofAnglo-American
A1ÏJWIÏS. Journal
ISSN 0210-6124

Decentring Discourse, Self-Centred Politics:

Radicalism and the Self in Virginia Woolf's Mrs
D allow ay

CristinaDelgadoGarcía
Aberystwyth University
[email protected]

The presentarticleanalysesthenarrativedevicesbywhichtheWoolfian,anti-essentialist
notionof subjectivityis producedin MrsDalloway.This analysisthataimsto critically
assessthenovel'sdecentring discourseon selfhoodin a politicallight.Focusingon the
self-definition
of thecharactersat thetimeof thefiction,
thefirstsectionexaminesthe
discursiveproductionof ClarissaDalloway'sdiffusedand connectiveself.The second
sectionofthisarticleconsidersthepoliticsofmemorywithintheproductionof identity
in thenovel,takingtheBergsonian notionsofélanvitaland openmorality as a theoretical
framework. The analysisof theproductionof selfhoodin MrsDallowayat a synchronie
in the diegeticpresenttime) and diachroniclevel (definitionthrough
(self-definition
memory)uncoversstrongphallogocentric and conservativetensionsin the novel,
tensionsthatmayhavebeen overlookedas a resultofVirginiaWoolfs own progressive
politics.

VirginiaWoolf;MrsDalloway;radicalism;
Keywords: selfhood;language;HenriBergson

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■1

Discurso descentralizador, politica egocèntrica: radicalismo e

individualidad en mrs dalloway, de virginia woolf

Este artículoanaliza las estrategiasnarrativasa travésde las cuales VirginiaWoolfelabora su

nociónanti-esencialistadel sujetoen Mrs Dalloway. Este estudiotienecomo objetovalorarel
discursodescentralizadorque la novela construyesobre la idea del sujeto desde un ángulo
político.La primerasecciónexamina la auto-definiciónde los personajesen el momentoen
que se desarrollala acción de la novela,centrándosesobretodoen la produccióndiscursivade
la identidad difusa e interconectiva de Clarissa Dalloway. La segunda sección considera la
política de la memoria en la producciónde identidad en la novela, tomando como marco
teóricolos conceptosBergsonianosde élan vital y moralidad abierta. Este análisis sincrónico
(auto-definiciónen el presente) y diacrònico (definicióna través de la memoria) revela
tensionesfalogocéntricasy conservadorasen la novela, tensionesque han podido quedar
eclipsadasen la críticadebido a la políticaprogresistade la escritora.
Palabras clave: Virginia Wolf; Mrs Dalloway; radicalismo; individualidad del sujeto;
lenguaje;Henri Bergson

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16 Cristina García
Delgado

Questioningtheweaponsofa 'GuerrillaFighterin a VictorianSkirt'

i. Introduction:

VirginiaWoolfs personahas been construedas a controversial "guerrillafighter in a

Victorianskirt"(qtd. in Helal 2005: 79) whose oeuvremore or less explicitly, but
invariably, is alliedwiththeprogressive politicsof feminism, socialismand pacifism.
Howeversubtleitmaybe,Woolfs "radicalcritiqueof'thefabricofthings"'(Bradshaw
2000: 191) is rarelycontestedin relationto her fiction.Woolfs anti-didacticism, as
expressed in her attacks on D. H. Lawrence and George Meredith (Zwerdling 1997: 69),
has oftenbeenusedto explainwhyherradicalism is lessexplicitin hernovelsthaninA
RoomofOne'sOwnor ThreeGuineas(Bradshaw2000: 191;Zwerdling 1997:69). Such
contentionposes the questionof whetherthe criticcould be imposingalready-made
ideologicalassumptionson authorshipand intentionality, which may have been
retrieved fromothertextsand construedas truthand as readingguidelines.Focusing
on MrsDalloway,MargaretBlanchard'saccounton thenovel's"glimpseintotheeffects
ofsocialization" (1972:295) acknowledged butfailedto incorporate twocrucialfeatures
of the text.The firstis Clarissa'spassivity; the secondis the decisiveadmissionthat
"whatUnites'Clarissa,Septimusand Peteris notsharedactivity buthowtheyperceive
each otherand themselvesin relationto the other"(1972: 305). WhilstBlanchard
acknowledges thattheirunionis perceptualratherthanfactual,thisis not held as an
argument againstconsidering Woolfs textas a portrait ofsocialisation.
As regardsgenderrelations, Woolfs fictionalnarrationof femaleexperienceand
foregrounding of the complexities of feminineidentity, sexualityand creativity have
been heraldedas feminist statements, despitetheir "inconsistencies" (Marcus 2000:
211).Woolfs celebrationof "thedomesticwomanas a versionof the artist"(Mullin
2006: 144), and her elitistconcernwiththe upperclassesare thetwo mostfrequent
sourcesofcontroversy regarding herfeminism. BangWangand TorilMoi haverecently
readdressed thedebateon Woolfs radicalism feminism
and byfocusing on questionsof
identity and theliberal-humanist subject.ForWang, Mrs Dallowayconveysa "psychic
resistance to thesymbolicorder"(1992:190), a resistance thatis highlypoliticalin the
sensethatitexpresses thesocialcreationand impositionofidentity on a consciousness
that is fluid.Moi attemptsto restoreWoolfs feminismfromElaine Showalter's
criticism by pointingout thatWoolfs "non-essentialist formof writing"(2002: 10)
representsa revoltagainst"God, the Fatheror the phallus as its transcendental
signified" (2002: 9). However,Moi's accountis tangentially interestedin Woolf,as her
mainfocusis feminist literarytheory,and thiscallsfor a re-evaluation of theissuefrom
a textualperspective.
It is withinthedebateon theselfand radicalismthatthisarticlewillapproachMrs
Dallowayyaddressing issueson thesubjectraisedbyWangand Moi whilstredirecting
theattention to thetext.Thisarticleaimsto critically discusswhether Woolfs aesthetics
regarding theselfinMrsDallowayis accompaniedbya parallelengagement withradical
politics.Morespecifically, thisarticlewillquestionwhether the Woolfian selfallowsor
hindersa progressivepositioningof the text, and will consider to what extent
unperformed dissidencecan be readas radically-compelled. Essential to thisarticleis to

ATfJWttS. oftheSpanishAssociation
Journal Studies.32.1(June2010):15-28
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DecentringDiscourse, Self-CentredPolitics 17

positionthe use of the termradical.It will be used throughout in its broad sense,
namely"believing or expressing thebelief thatthere should be greator extremesocial
or politicalchange"('Radical',def.la), and not in reference to an alliancewithany
particularpoliticalpartyor organisation. Likewise,conservative referto a tendency
will
"notto likeor trustchange,especiallysuddenchange"('Conservative', def.la). Thus,
thisarticledoes notintendto analysewhether MrsDallowayadvocatesthenecessity of
governmental changein the post-war,conservative- ruledand stillimperialist Great
Britainof 1923. Instead,it will assess the ways in whichWoolfs devicesto create
character eitherallowor disallowa sociallyaware,non-masculinist envisioning of the
selfand ofotherness whichmayepitomisethepossibility ofsocialchallengeand change
in thecharacters'past,in their1923presenttimeofthefiction or in an allegedfuture.
Thisarticlewillanalysethedevicesbywhichtheanti-essentialist selfis producedin
MrsDallowayand theirimplications in termsof radicalism.It willbe arguedthatthe
main characters are createdin relationto two axes - synchronically, by seekingself-
definitionwhile expressinga desire to communicatewith other individuals;
diachronically,by oscillating betweenthe timeof the diegesisand a past recalledby
constantmemories.The discussionon theseaxes on representation willconstitute the
twomainsectionsofthisarticle.The firstpartwillbeginby examining how Clarissa's
diffusedand connectiveself is createdin the novel and what its relationshipto
phallogocentrism and conservatism is. The secondpartwillquestionthe relationship
betweenradicalismand the constantreference to past memories,not onlyfromthe
point of view of the lack of an alternative futurebut also as a mechanismto suffocate
theélanvitaland theopenmorality thatwouldallowprogressive politics.Thiswilllead
to the conclusionthatWoolfs techniquesto constructthe selfpromotesubtlebut
strongconservative tensionsin thenovel.
Thisexamination willallowfortheincorporation of aspectsofthenovelthatwere
overlookedin previouscriticalanalyses,such as the purelynarrative validityof the
connectionsbetweencharacters.It will also preventthe use of Woolfs personal
sympathies as a pre-assumedand biased interpretative basis. Finally,thisdebatewill
prove useful to open alternativereadings ofthe politics theselfin thenovel,suchas
of
thaton theBergsonian élanvitaland the incorporation ofa closemorality.

and
2. Untanglingthe fiction of connectedness:alienation, self-centredness
phallogocentrism

Woolfs techniqueto construct theselfcan be readthroughSaussure'ssynchronie and

diachronicaxes.In relationto thesynchronie, MrsDallowayclaimsto receivemeaning
fromherrelationto coexisting selves,exactlyas thelinguistic signis givenvalueon the
synchronie axis "fromthe simultaneous presence of otherterms" withoutconsidering
here"theintervention oftime"(Saussure2004: 64). Indeed,Woolfs protagonist rejects
theclosureand definiteness of an essentialist
understanding of identityand refusesto
ever affirmof anybody"thattheywere this or were that" (Woolf 2000: 7). Mrs
Dalloway'sreluctanceto self-definition relieson her connectionto those"coexisting
things"(Saussure 2004: 64) unfurled on thesynchronie level:

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ISSN 0210-6124

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18 CristinaDelgado García

Somehowin thestreets of London,on theebb and flowof things, here,there,she

survived, livedineachother,
Petersurvived, shebeingpart,shewaspositive,
ofthetrees
athome;ofthehousethere, ugly,ramblingalltobitsandpiecesas itwas;partofpeople
shehadnever met;beinglaidoutlikea mistbetweenthepeoplesheknewbest,wholifted
herontheir branches
as shehadseenthetreesliftthemist,butitspreadeverso far,her
herself.
life, (Woolf2000:8)
The passageaboveillustrates howClarissaviewsherselfhoodnotas a non-transferable,
inherentessence,but as a ubiquitousrelationbetweenher and immediateplaces,
objectsand animatebeingsthatare "here,now,in frontof her" (2000: 8). JeanM.
Wyatthas comparedClarissa'sviewson a mergingidentity to Kristeva'sidea of the
semioticselfand to Lacan's pre-mirror and mirrorstagesof development (1986: 119-
23). Bringing thisintotherealmof politics,Moi has interpreted Woolfs use of a non
self-contained as a radicalfeminist
subjectivity positionsinceit challenges"themale-
humanistconceptof an essentialhumanidentity" (2002: 7), allowingfora re-reading
Woolffroma feminist perspective.
However,thesubversive of Clarissa'santi-humanist
possibilities disintegration can
actually be contested,since her challenge remains subjected to male-centred
dichotomies.Clarissa'schoiceof habitablespaces- the streetsof London,a derelict
house- as partialrecipients and preservers of hersubjectivity suggeststhatherselfis
perceivedas yetanotherreceiver awaitingto be occupied,walkedon or possessed.Later
in thetextshe describesherselfagainas being"a meetingpoint,... a refugeforthe
lonelyto cometo" (Woolf2000: 32). In addition,thecomparisonofherlifeto a mist
that is liftedby her relationsnot only conveysthe idea of Clarissa'sself being
incorporeal, boundlessand rootless,but it also highlights the lack of agencyalready
announcedbythepreviousimagesofherself as a habitablespace.As such,sheidentifies
withnatureas opposedto culture, withhabitablereceptacles versusitsinhabitants and,
finally,with an inanimateobject rather than an active agent - the old male-centred
dichotomies. This is furtherreinforced by Clarissa'sfantasiesof self-creation and the
description of her homosexual desire.When a
imagining hypothetically alternative
identity,she chooses to select,on the one hand, the physicalfeaturesof Lady
Bexbouroughand, on the other,to be "interested in politicslikea man' (2000: 9;
emphasismine). The description of her same-sex desiresis stilldominatedby the
masculinist language oferection,penetration, ejaculationand deflation; shedescribesit
as a "a matchburningin a crocus",a revelation that"rushedto thefarthest verge",that
"felt. . . theworldswollen",that"pouredwithan extraordinary alleviationoverthe
cracksand sores"and, whenthe excitationis over,"thehard softened"(2000: 27).
Again,thisexpressesthe problematic natureof a feminist readingof Clarissa'santi-
essentialism, since the natureof her fragmentation and connectionrelieson the
integration ofphallogocentrism.
Clarissa'sdiscourseon the intensity of a relationalselfhas been interpreted as a
synecdoche of the whole novel, as if in Mrs Dalloway "Woolf . . . suggeststhe
uncanninessof connection,betweenwords,thingsand people" (Marcus 2004: 74).
However,a close analysisof the text revealsthat both the Uncanniness'and the
Connection'are an effectof certainnarrativestrategiessince, in the diegesis,all
charactersexcept for Mrs Dalloway are portrayedas isolated selves, unable to

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ISSN 0210-6124

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DecentringDiscourse, Self-CentredPolitics 19

communicate and connectwiththosearoundthem.RichardDallowaystruggles and

subsequently failsto verbalisehis romanticfeelings forhiswife,despiteacknowledging
that"it is a thousandpitiesneverto saywhatone feels"(Woolf2000: 98). Likewise,
PeterWalsh also failsto realiseClarissa'sdiscourseon connectiveidentity. His is a
doublealienation:thatoftheoutsiderwho,newlyarrivedfromIndia,is overwhelmed
bythe"strangeness of standingalone,alive,unknown,at half-past elevenin Trafalgar
Square" (2000: 44); and also by the "impenetrability" (2000: 52) of a Mrs Dalloway
who ironically believesherselfin everyone, and withwhomhe feelshe once shareda
"queerpowerof communicating withoutwords"(2000: 51). Peter'sdisconnection is
reduplicated in the figure of "the solitarytraveller" of his dreams in Regent's Park, an
alter-egoforwhom"nothingexistsoutsideus excepta stateof mind... ; a desirefor
solace,forrelief, forsomething outsidethesemiserable pigmies,thesefeeble,theseugly,
thesecravenmenand women"(2000: 48). Thus,Peter'ssymptomatic dreamis actually
thephotographic negative of Clarissa's envisionings: for him there is no unifying and
upliftingmist between subjects,but rather atomisation and yearning for an impossible
humancontact.Lucrezia'sisolationin dealingwithherhusband'spost-traumatic stress
disorderis repeatedly expressed,for instance: "I am alone; I am alone! she cried"(2000:
20), and: "shewas verylonely,she was veryunhappy!"(2000: 76). Lucrezia'sfeelings
rule out the feminist argumentthathas interpreted Clarissa'santi-essentialism as a
voiceofuniversal femaleexperience.
The mostacutelackof connectionwithotherselvesis foundin Septimus.Clarissa
interprets his suicidethroughher own ideologicalframework, construingit as "an
attempt to communicate" (2000: 156) and a vehicle for their connection despitetheir
beingstrangers. However, the text portrays Septimus's death as the resultof a repeated
failureto communicate.Suffering fromshell-shock, the addresseeof his musingsis
moreoftenthannot eitherhimselfor his dead friendEvans.Septimus'sredemptive
message about trees and universallove is coded in such a way as to prove
incomprehensible foranyrecipient. Likethewordswritten in theskybytheadvertising
aeroplane,Septimus'smessageblursin his mind and fadesaway as he is tryingto
convey it to Dr Bradshaw. Mrs Dalloway thus shows the impossibilityof
communicating, of connecting.Clarissa's overarchingand all-absorbingview of
subjectivityis actuallynotapplicableto anyoftheothercharacters in thenovel,whose
isolationandlackofconnection is overtlyexpressed in thetext.
Nevertheless, the textcreatesthe illusionthatan underlying link existsbetween
thesealienatedselvesthat coexiston this day. GillianBeer has suggestedthatthe
readers,likeClarissa,maketheseconnections"partlythroughour assumedfamiliarity
withthesesameplacesand history, partlythrough thelateralentwining ofthenarrative
and its easy recourseto the personalpasts of memory,the communalpast of an
imaginedprehistory" (1996: 53). Certainly, the collectivememoryof the FirstWorld
War,beingin Londonon a summerdayin 1923or witnessing theroyalcar constitute
experiences thatthe characters share,and the newsof Septimus'sdeathat Clarissa's
partyindeed bringstheirexistencescloser togetherdespitetheirbeing strangers.
However,Beer'saccountfailsto considerthe use of intertextual red herrings as the
mostimportant deviceto createlinksat the levelof the narration, whileindividuals
remainunconnected at thelevelofthestory.

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20 Cristina García
Delgado

Withthisparticular connecting function, twointertexts aredrawnupon in orderto

establishtheselinksin the narration.The firstintertext is external, thatis, the dirge
fromShakespeare'sCymbeline: "Fear no more the heat o' the sun,/Northe furious
winter'srages"(Woolf2000: 8). Wyatthas notedthestructural roleoftheallusionsto
Cymbeline, which provide"the most importantdeath and rebirthsymbols[that]
Clarissaand Septimusshare"(1973:445). Thisargument couldbe expandedbeyondthe
overarching symbolicmotifsit generates. It can be arguedthattheuse of allusionsto
Cymbelinegeneratesand supportsClarissa's discourseon the relationalself. By
repeatedly quotingand modifying Shakespeare's lines (2000: 8, 25, 34, 158),Clarissa
appropriates them to the extent that theybecome an indicatorofhersubjectivity, rather
thanoftheShakespearean intertext. Thus,byincorporating among Peter's thoughts the
sentence"still,the sun was hot" (2000: 55); and by usingit again amid Septimus's
suicidalmusings(2000: 127),the narrationis providingscatteredsignsof Clarissa's
identity forthereaderto retrieve and createtheseuncannylinksbetweencharacters.
The secondintertext thatcreatessuchconnectionsis internal, sinceit drawsupon
Septimus's undelivered message: "Men must not cut down trees.There is a God. . . .
Change the world.No one killsfrom hatred" (2000: 21). The uncannyrepetition ofthe
tree-motif throughout the novel works in this case to scatterSeptimus'ssubjectivity. If
thereadersaretheonlyactualrecipients ofhismessage,theyaretheonlyoneswho can
identifythe tracesin the narrationthat justifyMrs Dalloway's discourseon the
relationalself.Giventhisknowledge, the "curiouspatternlikea tree"(2000: 13) that
Clarissaspotson themotor-car blinds,or hercomparisonof somemomentsto "buds
on thetreeoflife"(2000: 25),itall bringsthereaderbackto Septimus'sideas.In short,
these two intertexts allow the narrationto fragmentand disperseClarissa'sand
Septimus'sidentities throughout thenovelin sucha waythattheiridentification bythe
readerscreatesa net of connections between the characters that is inexistent in the
diegesis.
It can be arguedtherefore thatthefragmented, ubiquitousand relationalselfis an
illusioncreatedbytwonarratives: thatof Clarissa'sinnerdiscourseaboutidentity, and
that of the novel and its connectivedevices. Uncoveringthis narrativeartifice
compromises thepoliticalradicalism ofthenoveland thespaceleftforendorsing social
reform. As regardsgenderpoliticsin particular, thisarticlehas alreadyshownhowMrs
Dalloway'sdiscourseon the dissolvingselfprovesproblematic as a fictionalfeminist
alternative to masculinist essentialism, sinceitsrewriting ofidentity is stillembeddedin
patriarchal dichotomiesand it failsto represent anyotherexperiencebeyondthatof
Clarissa.Withregardsto socialpolitics,thistwofoldnarrative has lead scholarsto claim
thatthe novelis a celebrationof communalbounds beyondsocial barriers,so that
"insteadof isolatedindividualsthereis the convergenceof one person'sconscious
momentwithanother'sthroughsimultaneity of experience"(Blanchard1972: 299).
However,thiscan hardlybe so whenthe'simultaneity ofexperience' providedbyliving
in Londonor attending Clarissa'spartydoesnotpreventcharacters frombeingisolated,
as therepresentation oftheirthoughts reveals.I wouldarguethattheeffect ofthesetwo
narratives is preciselyan illusionofconnectionbetweenindividuals which conceals the
existenceof socialalienation,inequalityand tension,and consequently naturalises the

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 Self-Centred
Discourse,
Decentring Politics 21

existentorderinsteadof promoting change.Clarissa'snarrationof connectedness has

thecountereffect ofturning heridentity intoa totalityfromwhichshecannotstepout
and fullyrecognise otherpeople'sneedsand wantsin theirown right, withoutdrawing
themback to herself.For instance,Clarissa'scatharticidentification withSeptimus
whenshe hearsofhis suicidehighlights hersheerrenewalthroughhis death,buttheir
connectionis purely unidirectionaland narrative.More importantly, Clarissa's
narrationobscuresthe factthat the state is ultimately for
responsible Septimus's
participation in thewarand hisresulting shell-shock,as wellas his socialisolationand
suicide,giventhatthestranger cannotbe integrated coherently and productively into
thesocialfabric.
The illusion of connectednessactivatedby narrativedevices also eclipsesthe
existenceof a societywherethereare alienating,reifying and oppressiveforcesin
operation, specificallycontrolled byClarissa'ssocialgroup. From thisperspective, there
are untold links between characterswhich the narrationobviates. The untold
parallelismbetweenClarissaand sir Bradshawis an example.Both sharea careless
alienatingstance towardsthose outside their immediatehigh-societalcircle. Sir
Bradshaw"madeEnglandprosper,secludedherlunatics,. . . madeitimpossibleforthe
unfitto propagatetheirviews"(Woolf2000: 84) withoutconsidering those"lunatics"
as individuals.Likewise,Clarissa "cared much more for her roses than for the
Armenians"(2000: 102) or Albanianswhose suffering is knownto her throughher
husband, and she is able to rejoicein the news that Septimushad "thrown[his life]
awaywhiletheywenton living"(2000: 158).If"thedisclosureofsomesuchpatriarchal
narrativeoffemininity is thesinequa non offeminist agitation"(Rooney2006: 73), it
can be arguedthat,by extension, theexposureof thenarratives thatnaturalisesocial
exploitation and alienationis anotherconditionforsocial radicalism.In thisrespect,
Woolfs doublenarrative of therelationalselfworksbyconcealingalienation,thelack
of social ethicswithinthe centresof power,and the pervasiveness of masculinist
discoursesand practices,and does so under a guise of common experienceand
unconsciousconnections.

3. Memory,Radicalismand Social Ethics:a BergsonianreadingofMrsDalloway

The secondsectionof thisarticlewillfocuson Woolfs construction of characters on

thediachronicaxisand thepossibilities thisconstruction allowsin termsofradicalism
and socialethics.Parallelto itsrelationto coexistingselvesin thenovel,thesubjectis
also definedupon thediachronicaxisor "theaxisofsuccessions"(Saussure2004: 64),
in thesensethatthepastexperiences ofClarissa,Sally,Peter,Septimusand Lucreziaare
brought into the presentby means of whatWoolf describedin her diariesas her
"tunnelling "I
process": tellthe pastby instalments, as I haveneed of it" (qtd. in Dick
2000: 51). The novelstartsin mediares,irrupting in themidstof a Junemorningin
1923whenthedecisiveturningpointsin thelivesof themaincharacters havealready
takenplace. When the narratorreportsthat"Mrs Dallowaysaid she would buy the
flowersherself (Woolf 2000: 4), Clarissahas rejectedPeterand marriedRichard

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22 Cristina García
Delgado

Dalloway,she has not pursuedthe fulfilment of the homoeroticdesiresthat she

experiencedin her youth,her rebelliousfriendSallyhas married,and Septimushas
fought a warthathas shattered hisacademicaspirations, hisrelationship withEvans,his
marriageand,aboveall,his mentalhealth.It is onlySeptimus'ssuicidethatstillawaits
thereaderin termsofplotline.Thus,thenovelchronologically coversa short-spanned
but linearforwardmovement, fromthe morningpreparations to the partythatwill
physically reuniteall thecharacters thatare presentin Clarissa'semotional,innerlife.
At the same time,the novel enactsa long-spannedbackwardglance- thatof the
analepsesthatare necessary forthereaderto understand thecharacters' evolutionand
theirrelationship in thepresentofthenarration.
This continuousbut selective'tunnelling process'has a detrimental effecton the
envisioning of othernesses, of alternative selves and interrelations which would
epitomise the possibility of social or
change challenge in the future. Whereas the
of
exploration memoryproves to be inexhaustible for Clarissa, Peter, Septimusor
Lucrezia,thechronological movement forward findstheDalloways'partyas itsfurthest
limit.OnlyLadyBruton'sideasaboutmigration, Miss Kilman'spoliticaland religious
indoctrination of Elizabeth,and Elizabeth'sdreamsabout her futureall confront the
novel'sclosedtemporality and hintat theselfscapability of manipulating thepresent
and buildingthefuture. However,thesethreecharacters occupya marginalspacein the
narrative.The narrationremainscentredin the consciousnessof Clarissa'sclosest
circle,a socialcirclethatlivesin a perpetualstateofpastrecollection in orderto reassess
theirpresent.Therefore, one of the unspokenconservative tensionsof the narrative
stemsfromits strongcentripetal natureconcerningthe creationof the selfin the
diachronicaxis. The constantrecourseto memoryforcesthe narrativeto develop
towardits already-lived centre,as opposed to stretching towardsthe characters'
outward, yet-to-be-discovered A
possibilities. narration anchored in pasteventsmaybe
arguedas dwelling on the characters' past shortcomings in order to criticisetheir
performance. However,by closing the temporal limits on that Juneday the novel
obscurestheimagining ofa future, and along with it,ofa possible alternative future.
Surprising as itmayseem,itis theblockageofthefuturetime in thenovel,and not
Woolfs recourseto memory,that bringsBergson'sphilosophyinto this study.
Parallelisms havealreadybeendrawnbetweenHenriBergson'sduréeréelleand Woolfs
'momentsofbeing',herrepresentation and understanding oftemporality, as wellas her
emphasison instinct versusintellect (Burwickand Douglass1992; Gillies1996; Kumar
1979). However,theBergson- Woolfdebatehas overlooked other possiblepoliticalor
ethicalconnections thatgo beyonddiscerning intertextual references fromwhatcould
justbe "a manifestation . . . of theZeitgeist" (Kumar1979: 68) in the earlytwentieth-
century philosophy and literature. This sectionwillpropose an alternative Bergsonian
examinationof Mrs Dalloways charactersin the lightof the élan vital and the
distinctionbetweenclosed and open moralityas posed in the Frenchwriterand
philosopher'sThe Two Sourcesof Moralityand Religion(1932), a work that can
retrospectively providea newinsight ofpoliticsinWoolfs novel.
Framedwithinthelate nineteenth century vitalistphilosophywhichstoodagainst
thefaithofthetimesin positivist and mechanistic discourses, Bergson'sidea oftheélan

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 Self-Centred
Discourse,
Decentring Politics 23

vitalarisesin CreativeEvolution(1907). However,at thisstagethe idea of the vital

impulsewas not fullydefinedbut just outlinedas a kindof consciousnessthatexists
beyondmatterand whichworksas evolution'spropellingforce.The vitalimpulseis
vaguelysketchedas a finiteforcewhichis "sustainedrightalongthelinesof evolution
amongwhichit getsdivided,[and] is the fundamental cause of variations"(Bergson
1984:254). It is in TheTwoSourcesofMoralityand Religionthat"theprimalenergyat
theheartoftheuniverseis affirmed to be love"(Goudge1999:19). The publicationdate
of Bergson'slastworkdoes not allow it to be an influenceon Woolfs novel.Yet,its
viewon theélanvitaland questionsofmorality allowan alternative Bergsonian reading
ofMrsDalloways'scharacters thatmaybringtogether thediachronic aspectofcharacter
construction and the unspokenpoliticaltensionsin the novel.This idea of love as a
powerful and creativeforcethat generatesdynamismand evolutionwill be used
henceforth in orderto revealthestatusquo in thenovel.
Accordingly, fromtheperspective of theélan vital,Clarissaand Sallyseemto have
lostthevitalforcethattheyonce had in theiryouthand whichwouldhave naturally
thrustthemintoan evolutionary contestation of socialconstraints regarding classand
the
gender.Instead, passingaway of their youthfulsheer and
vitality lovingfeelings is
reflected in theirmimicryand perpetuation of restrictive,
statusquo patternswhich
further suffocate theirvitalism. In thissense,itis revealing therecurrent use ofverbsin
perfective aspect when referring to Clarissa'sformer manifestations oftheélanvitalin
her.WhenClarissaremembers that"to dance,to ride,she had adoredall that"or that
"havingcaredforpeople"(Woolf2000: 6; emphasismine)was rewardedin thepresent
by a lack of bitterness, she is signalling thecompletionof theseactionsor emotional
statesby means of the perfecttenses,as if the liveliness,passion and unrestrictive
affections thatshe experienced in Bourtonwerenot applicableto herpresentself,in
London.
ShannonForbes'sargument that"thecityenvironment providesforClarissaa sense
oftheorder,vitality and stability shelackswithinherself (2005: 40) encompassesthe
Bergsonian readingofClarissa'sloss ofheryouthful élanvital.Havinglostthecreative
impulseofherlifein Bourton,Clarissa'sdeflatedselfvampirises thevitalenergyofthe
urban,hecticflowof London.However,thisvitalenergycannotbe fullyincorporated
intoheridentity, leavinghermourningforan acknowledged innerabsence:"shecould
see whatshelacked.It was notbeauty;itwas notmind.It was something centralwhich
permeated;something warmwhichbrokeup surfacesand rippledthecold contactof
man and woman, of woman together"(Woolf 2000: 27). This lackingcould be
interpreted as the vacuumleftby the loss of her vitalimpetus.Since,accordingto
Bergson,"love . . . seemsto be at theveryessenceof the creativeeffort" (1935:78),
Clarissa'sinability to establisha real,warmhumanconnection as shedidwithPeterand
Sallyin Bourtonsignalsthelossofherformer élanvital.
The Dalloways'country-house is also thelocus of SallySeton'svitalimpetus.Her
overflowing livelinesswas expressedtherein countlessways:runningnaked along
corridors, beinguntidy, smoking, readingand writing, kissingClarissa,speakingabout
marriage as "a catastrophe" or wantingto "abolishprivateproperty" - significantly,
by
freeingflowersfrom"stiff littlevases"and lettingthem"swimon thetop of waterin

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24 CristinaDelgado García

bowls"(Woolf2000: 28, 29). Her overtcontravening of therulesof expectedfemale

behaviourwithinthe heterosexualmatrixwas to be her overflowing vital impulse.
Sally'sloss of herélan vitalis realisedthroughhercompliancewiththeregulations of
patriarchy and materialismthat she had overtlyquestioned,which resultsin her
marriage with"a baldmanwitha largebuttonhole whoowned,itwas said,cottonmills
in Manchester" (2000: 154)and herbecomingtheproudmotheroffive.In all,thevital
energythat impulsivelyleads Clarissa and Sally to challengeall typesof social
constraints has to be sacrificedin theirpassageto adulthood.It is, echoingPeter's
words,"thedeathofthesoul" (2000: 51).
The degeneration of vitalimpulsefroma youngcreativeenergyto middle-aged
deflationand inertiacan be further interpretedin Bergsoniantermsas a movement
froman open to a closed morality, whichin the novel encompassesthe characters'
ageing.In The Two SourcesofMoralityand Religion, Bergsonestablishes a distinction
betweenthesetwo kindsof morality, a distinction thatis based on individualsbeing
bothsocialand humanbeings.Usingthevisualmetaphorof circles,Bergsonenvisions
the individualat the centreof variousconcentricringswhichrepresent the different
socialgroups,stretching up to the wider circleof humanity. From this pointof view,
open morality is that of the greatprophets or saints, "exceptional souls . . . who sensed
theirkinshipwiththesoul ofEveryman"; thismorality stemsfromtheirbearers'"love
towardshumanity in general"(Bergson1935:77-78),a typeoflovewhichcorresponds
to theélan vital Conversely, closedmorality aimsto safeguard not humanity but the
social group. It is "a quasi-instinctual functionthat maintainsthe cohesion of a
community and protects itagainstthethreatofothers"(Schwartz 1992:300). Linkedto
thissecondtypeof morality is socialduty.Sincethepurposeof thismorality is social
cohesion, "as the circles growsmaller,obligations are added to obligations"(Bergson
1935:9-10). Fromthisperspective, itis possibleto interpret thecharacters' loss oftheir
élan vitalnotjust as a resultof ageing,but also as a shrivelling of theirlove and their
morality, and a further burdening ofsocialduties.
Althoughtheyare farfrombeingthe greatprophetsor saintsof Bergson'sopen
morality, youngClarissaand Sallysharea widertypeof love and moralityin their
Bourtonperiod.Their"talkingaboutlife,how theywereto reform theworld"(Woolf
2000: 28), boundup withSally'sirreverent and attractive lackof acknowledgement of
adults'socialobligations, expressestheirconcernwithsocietybeyond the dictations of
the upper-classcircleto whichtheybelong.As a consequence of their focusing a on
narrower,social ratherthan human circle,both Clarissa and Sally have to meet
obligationsaimedboth at the definition and the survival of their elitist social group
fromotherness.
The consciousnessof middle-agedClarissa is punctuatedby interiorised, self-
preserving socialobligations to keepherstatus:to marry a well-established member of
the governing-class, althoughnot a PrimeMinisteras Peterpredicts, to allow and
expect"a littleindependence" (2000: 7) withinmarriage, to displaya "gentle, generous-
hearted"(2000: 33) selfand to be thankful to thosewho allowsuchperformance with
theirgaze,and to refrain fromshowing"vulgarjealousy"(2000: 26). The duty Mrs
of
Dallowayis to be "theperfecthostess"(2000: 6) not to humanity but to a restricted

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 Politics
Self-Centred
Discourse,
Decentring 25

group of guests,that is, the close circle of her old friendsand her husband's
acquaintances.The narrowingof her moralityis also expressedin her contempt
towardsMiss Kilman'sideologicalinfluenceoverElizabeth:"love and religionwould
destroy... theprivacyof thesoul. The odious Kilmanwoulddestroyit" (2000: 107).
Mrs Dalloway's identification of love and Christianity witha threatto theselfreveals
the shrivellingof hermorals,whichonce werepreoccupiedwithsocial issues.In her
matureyears,theneed forpreserving one's personalspace is feltstronger thanthatof
creating bonds of love with humanity, something posed by religion and its correlative
openmorality.
Mr Dalloway'spositionas a Conservative MemberofParliament couldpromotehis
engagement with social a
politics; politics not easily labelled as progressive but
nevertheless compelled to enhance the condition of England. Even Lady Bruton thinks
that"Richard'sfirst dutywas to hiscountry"(2000: 94). Thisstatement wouldseemto
point to Mr Dallowaybeing the bearer ofan open morality, it is
although important to
notethatthenotionofcountry refers bothto thestateand to itspeople,and heremay
referto eitherof thetwo.In anycase,thehumancirclethatconcernsRichardis even
narrower thanthat.He "didn'tcare a strawwhatbecameof Emigration" (2000: 96),
"he had no illusionsabout the London police" and thoughtthatthe faultof all this
malfunctioning was "in [England's]detestable socialsystem"(2000: 98). Comingfrom
a politician,thiscontempttowardstheentiresocialbodyand itsinstitutions seemsto
express the loss ofa political idealism and a willto affect the whole of society. Like Mrs
Dalloway, Richard seems to have shifted towards the search for an inward,personal
fulfilment thatis moreattachedto closedmoralities.
Conversely, Clarissa'sdaughter, Elizabeth,is portrayed as stillmaintaining theélan
vitaland the radicalspiritthatthe older generationhas abandoned.Like Sally in
Bourton,Elizabethis consciously unobservant of therulesofbehaviourand etiquette:
Clarissanoteshow "[Elizabeth]did not care a bit" about "how she dressed,how she
treatedpeoplewhocameto lunch"(2000: 10),whichis a reflection on herfeeling duty-
less towardsthe maintenanceof her parents'social status.The homoeroticdesire
betweenyoungClarissaand Sallyis replicated in therelationship betweenElizabethand
MissKilman.The bondbetweenthelatterpairis describedas a "falling in love" (2000:
10) byClarissa,who also acknowledges herfeelings towardsSallyas havingbeen,"after
all,love" (2000: 28). Likewise, Miss Kilmanand Elizabethre-enacttherolesof radical
mentorand learning protégée thatSallyand Clarissaplayedin Bourton.It is becauseof
Miss KilmanthatElizabethis awarethat"law,medicine,politics,all professions are
opento womenof [her]generation" (2000: 111),and thatallowsfordaydreamofbeing
a "doctor,a farmer, [or] possiblygo intoParliament ifshe foundit necessary" (2000:
116).Elizabethis portrayed as beingin a stageofherlifewhenherélanvitaland an open
morality arestillalive.Peterforesees a futurelevellingofElizabeth'sfeelings withthose
oftheolderguestsin thepartywhenhe says:"She feelsnothalfwhatwe feel,notyet"
(2000: 164). UnlikeTo The Lighthouse, thisnoveldoes not providea futuretimein
whichElizabethmaybe revisited so as forthe readerto witnessthe evolutionof her
radicalimpulses.

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26 Cristina García
Delgado

Overall,thenovelseemsto epitomisethevitalimpulsethatBergsonidentifies with

love,flux,creationand an open morality
withtheyoungcharacters in thenovel,and as
such, the novel can be seen as progressive.On the otherhand, the middle-aged
commitment to thosedutiesthatperpetuate
and safeguardnarrowersocialcirclesgives
evidenceofa lackofélanvitalByclosingthechronological spanofthenovelat theend
of thatsummerparty,Mrs Dallowaypreventsthe fictionfromrevealingwhetherthe
movementfroman open to a closedmorality is a generational
questionthatwillalso
affect
Elizabeth's vitalimpetus.

4. Conclusion:decentreddiscourse,self-centred
politics.

By studying the construction of the selfupon a synchronie and diachronicaxis,this

articlehas unveiledconservative tensionsthatunderlieMrsDallowayand whichhave
beenhitherto overlookedin thescholarly debate,possiblyas a resultofassumptions of
intentionality based on Woolfs personalprogressive politics.Analysedfromthisdual
perspective, the free-flowing and relationalselfin Mrs Dallowayturnsout to be a
construct of language.Far frombeingthelaudedprecociousfeminist dissentthatthe
literaturewouldhaveus believe,Woolfs allegedanti-essentialism and connectedness of
theselfis shownto be a fictioncreatedbothby ClarissaDallowayand thenarration.
Once thesedevicesare dismantled, theboundlessand relationalselfprovesto be more
conservative thanitsseductivediscourseclaims:itremainssteepedin phallogocentrism,
conceals characters'alienation under a narrativeof communion and veils
unacknowledged bonds such as the common lack of social ethicsbetweenMrs
Dallowayand SirBradshaw, whichcanbe extendedto Clarissa'sclosestcircle.
Moreover,furtheressentialconditionsfor the generationof social change are
obliterated fromthediegesisin theconfiguration of theselfupon thediachronicaxis.
Ratherthanunfurling towardsthefuture, thepresenttimecyclically recursto an untold
past,so that the readeris able to construe and refigurethe here and now.However,by
framing the recurrentanalepsis within the containedtemporality singleJunedayin
ofa
1923,thenarrative the
prevents present time from beingportrayed as therawmatterof
a futuretimethatis malleable,stillto be created,and whosemakerscan onlybe the
individuals themselves.The presenttimein MrsDallowayis thenvoidofitspotentialas
a triggerfor activism.It could be arguedthat,by limitingtemporality withinthe
confinesofthecharacters' lifetime up to thatvery June day,Woolf is presentingtheir
failuresas an obsoletepastwhichcan no longerreproduceitselfand,therefore, requires
change.However,thishypothesis oftheunspokenradicalism ofthetextis problematic,
since it forcesthe readerto stretchthe radicalismof the textto the realmof un-
expresseddissidenceon thebasisof authorialintentionality. Froma Bergsonian point
ofview,changeis further prevented by the characters'lackof a vitalimpetus thatwould
have propelledcreation,ratherthan involution.Bound up withthe adoptionof a
narrowersocial ethicsthatperpetuates theirbelongingto an elitistsocial circle,this
resultsin a final celebrationof individualistic ethics - of which,the allegedly
fragmented selfturnsoutto be central.

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DecentringDiscourse, Self-CentredPolitics 27

In all,theconservative tensionsthatstemfromtheconstruction of theselfin Mrs

Dallowaycannotbe said to encapsulatethepoliticsoftheentirenovel,but theysurely
interplaywithotheraspectsofthetextand shouldbe takenintoaccount.ThatClarissa
claimsthe loss of the centredness of the selfthroughher discourseon a disperse,
relationalandboundlessidentity shouldnotovershadow thefactthatsubjectsmayhave
beenconnectedin thepast,butthattheyremainunattached to eachotherin thenovel's
present and disengaged from alteringthe future- in short, thatbehinda decentring
discourseon theselfliesa conservative,self-centred
politics.

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Received13 January
2010 Revisedversion
accepted19 February
2010

DelgadoGarcíaholdsa BAinJournalism
Cristina anda BAinEnglish
andLinguisticsfromtheUniversität
Autònoma (Spain),as wellas an MAdegreeinPost-1
de Barcelona 900sLiteratures,
Theories
andCultures
fromtheUniversity
ofManchester (UK).She is a PhDcandidate
atAberystwyth (UK),whereshe
University
has beenawarded a TFTSDoctoral Studentship toconduct
research
on radicalepistemologies
oftheself
inBritish
theatreofthe1990sand2000s.Herinterests include
modernist
andpostmodernist and
narratives
theatres,
contemporary
European drama, and
gender sexuality,performance and
politics critical
theory.

of Theatre,Filmand Television
Address:Department Studies.AberystwythUniversity.
Parry-Williams
UK.SY233AJ.Tel.:44 (0)1970622828.
Aberystwyth,
Building. Fax:44 (0)1970622831.

Journal
AÏJCJWIÏS. oftheSpanishAssociation Studies.32.1(June2010):15-28
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ISSN 0210-6124

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