Virginia Woolf’s Women: *Mrs Dalloway* and *The Years*

This course focuses upon two texts in which Woolf explores women’s place in society, from Clarissa Dalloway’s post-First World War London to three generations of the Pargiter family in The Years. We will discuss Woolf’s feminist perspectives on women’s changing social role from the late Victorian era to the early 20th century.

Aims

This course aims to: 

• explore the two primary texts, focusing upon the women characters in them
   
• give the historical and social context of each novel
   
• examine Woolf’s engagement with questions relating to women’s changing role in society from Victorian times to the 1930s

Content

In non-fiction texts such as A Room of One’s Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1937) Virginia Woolf voiced her feminist perspectives on women and their role in society. This course will focus upon similar ideas, but as expressed through her fiction. The two texts we will study are Mrs Dalloway (1925), which describes the progress of a society hostess on one day in June 1923 in post-WW1 London, and The Years (1937) which traces the progress of three generations of women in the Pargiter family from the late Victorian era to the 1930s. How does Woolf critique the changing position of women in these novels? What is the relationship between her ideas and her chosen form in both texts? 

Presentation of the course 

To get the most from this course, you should read the set texts before you come to Cambridge and expect to re-read them while you are here. In class we will begin with an illustrated lecture, followed by some ‘close reading’ in the Cambridge tradition. This technique helps us to understand in very precise ways how Woolf uses language which indicates the richness and complexity of her writing. Discussion will take place in pairs or small groups before sharing ideas with the main group and developing further discussion. 

Course sessions

1. Introduction: Woolf’s perspectives on women, and Mrs Dalloway. 
    
2. Mrs Dalloway. Gender relations in a post-war society.
    
3. The Years.Late Victorian women.
    
4. The Years.Twentieth century women.
    
5. Woolf on women: conclusions. 

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to gain a greater knowledge of the primary texts and an understanding of their historical context
   
• to develop skills of close literary analysis and sensitivity to tone, style, and genre
   
• to be able to discuss ideas in a group situation and to contribute usefully to debate about issues addressed in the course

Required reading

Woolf, Virginia, Mrs Dalloway, ed. David Bradshaw (Oxford: Oxford World Classics 2008) ISBN 9780199536009

Woolf, Virginia, The Years, ed. Hermione Lee (Oxford: Oxford World Classics 2009) ISBN 9780199555390

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.