Virginia Woolf and Women in Mrs Dalloway: Modernist and Postmodern Approaches

Virginia Woolf's works and extraordinary figure not only made her known and respected as one of the leading Modernists of her time, but she also proved to be an exciting challenge for Postmodern literature and art. Reinterpretations and adaptations of her works have emerged, most importantly the adaptations of her novel Mrs Dalloway, which have contributed to a great extent to Woolf¿s growing popularity among the larger audience. This short study analyzes the most important Mrs Dalloway-adaptations, these being Michael Cunningham¿s novel The Hours and Stephen Daldry¿s film version based on it. Further on, it explores the relations between the elements that link Virginia Woolf, her Mrs Dalloway and both the novel and the film The Hours together, with emphasis on the representation of women. This work will hopefully convey useful information for those who are interested in the so-called Woolf-studies and for those who are fond of adaptations.