Analyzing and Comparing Distinct Prose Styles of the Twentieth Century Including the Unambiguous Narration of Ernest Hemingway and the Verbose Writing Styles of Woolf and Baker: Is It More Beneficial to Have Concise Descriptions or to Write Wordy, Erudite-Sounding Sentences When You Could Have Just Said the Same Thing in a Few Words Like This Stupid Title

Perhaps one of the most important qualities of a novel is the prose; often, the author uses this aspect to distinguish themselves in a generally competitive literary market, and every single author we’ve explored in class thus far has been an example of unique writing styles. If we look at the various authors’ writing styles from the perspective of a spectrum, Hemingway and Woolf/Baker would represent vastly different ends.

Baker is definitely an example of unique narrative voice; I can’t think of another book that delves into the minutiae of everyday life as interestingly as Baker’s novel. The narration is like a meandering river that keeps infinitely flowing; the water carries all the sediment and details throughout its course. Unlike most other novels or works of art, Baker’s book leaves the reader with no room for interpretation, since he describes everything with such precision, and relates pretty much every single one of his thoughts to the audience.

Virginia Woolf follows a similar, but still characteristic approach: her long-winded sentences also carry detail and description, but the perspective is from a third person, omniscient narrator who somehow has access to every character’s mind and can explicate their thoughts. Woolf’s rapid jump from topic to topic and person to person is somewhat like Baker’s deluge of thinking, however her style allows her to leave more information out. Since she has the capacities of several different characters at her disposal, she can also withhold any information, since it’s impossible to describe every single character’s thoughts at one given moment. Basically, in terms of length and expressiveness, Woolf has a similar style of narration to Baker, but unlike Baker, she’s able to pick and choose what narration to show the reader because of her multiple character perspective.

Hemingway, on the other hand, is incredibly different in that he writes mostly in short phrases and dialogue. To revisit the previous metaphor, it’s like Hemingway is describing the surface level of the river, and what is visible, leaving the possibilities beneath the surface to the reader. However, his prose still evokes an equal level of emotion compared to more lengthy, descriptive styles, because it relies heavily on inference and interpretation. While character thoughts are rarely directly expressed, the reader can easily assume them from actions or dialogue that Hemingway writes. In terms of pace and plot, Hemingway’s novel moves much more quickly, and the characters progress in a more dynamic way.

When comparing the three, the aspect of reliability is important to discuss. I would characterize Baker as being fairly reliable- despite the first person, single character perspective, the reader gets a sense of trust because he describes everything in such a matter-of-fact and pragmatic way. Woolf, on the other hand, is incredibly reliable as a narrator because her multi-character, fly buzzing around the room perspective presents everything in a non-biased way. Hemingway, on the other hand, is unclear; having the entire narration set from Jake’s perspective is obviously going to skew things, but also, we occasionally see moments where Hemingway could be projecting his own character onto the pages (e.g. the unclear usage of the n word a billion times in succession). This one character narration is different from Baker’s, however, since Jake only tells the reader what he wants us to know, while in The Mezzanine, we get the sense that Howie tells us everything.

How does the reliability of the narrator affect how impactful the prose is? I think that the level of accuracy correlates with the descriptiveness of the prose: along with short sentences, Hemingway uses Jake’s unreliable narration to further complicate the story. Woolf and Baker’s relatively straightforward narration is more clear, but also adds detail that makes the story more compelling. The result of different prose styles is most apparent on the reader: simple, direct sentences like Hemingway’s leave much to the imagination, while long, winding descriptions are more immersive and lively.

Which style works better? I think the question can be answered by the reader: if you’re the imaginative type or tend to form unconventional ideas, then Hemingway’s prose may fit you better. If you want to just ride the roller coaster and enjoy the book for what it is, then maybe you’d find Woolf or Baker more interesting.  

The Recurring Ecclesiastical Archetype of Septimus Smith in Mrs. Dalloway; A Twentieth Century Jesus Christ Stranded in an Unforgiving London Society

I think the character of Septimus in Mrs. Dalloway draws several parallels to a religious figure that most everybody knows of: Jesus Christ. I’d argue that Septimus/Jesus Christ is brought into the world by God as a desperate measure, as a last hope to save humanity before it deteriorates into a hellish oblivion, but society is too brutal and unforgiving so Septimus/Jesus Christ sacrifices himself in vain.

It’s not a coincidence that the author describes “Septimus” as a Christian name. Septimus has delusions that he is Christ (as described by Bradshaw), and he threatens to kill himself. “Look the unseen bade him, the voice which now communicated with him who was the greatest of mankind, Septimus, lately taken from life to death, the Lord who had come to renew society, who lay like a coverlet, a snow blanket smitten only by the sun, for ever unwasted, suffering for ever, the scapegoat, the eternal sufferer”. He proclaims that his role in life is to “renew society” and describes himself as “the scapegoat” and “the eternal sufferer”, analogous to Jesus Christ. However, his psychosis, caused by society and humanity, is so pronounced that it prevents him from becoming a figure of redemption.

The novel itself largely focuses on the world and its societal pressures, especially in relation to characters like Clarissa and Septimus, and the atmosphere also includes the recovery of London after World War 1. Compared to other conflicts in the past, WW1 was relatively “godless”- when you think about the constant agony that is trench warfare and the cruel inventions of modern war like mustard gas, it seems as if God has almost abandoned humanity. There is a more agnostic mentality as the twentieth century progresses, possibly due to these atrocities and technological advancement. Therefore, it kind of makes sense that God would send down a savior at this time; he wants to prevent the train of humanity from veering off the cliff of morality.

Also, in the text itself, religion is often described in a negative manner. Characters like Miss Kilman are, from Clarissa’s perspective, cold and intolerant. Kilman once compares her suffering in life to Christ’s agony: “Mr. Whittaker had said she was there for a purpose. But no one knew the agony! He said, pointing to the crucifix, that God knew. But why should she have to suffer when other women, like Clarissa Dalloway, escaped?” Clarissa is also taken aback by how detestable religion is, citing Kilman’s “domineering” and “cruel” behavior. This shows the change in religious attitude from the past to the twentieth century; in Woolf’s eyes, people have adjusted the principles of religion in a more hateful manner. This is another reason why Jesus Christ as Septimus might appear in the story: to bring religion back to its forgiving roots and to make society more kind.

Also, the sacrificial death of Septimus is similar to Jesus’ death to absolve humanity of its sins. Except, this time, his death proceeds in a very insignificant manner, according to the narration. The only soul he might have saved was Clarissa, which is still a far cry from the intentions of the first coming of Christ. I see Septimus as the “second coming” of Jesus Christ; however this time, humanity isn’t worthy enough to save. Septimus/Jesus Christ’s exposure to this iteration of humanity damages him, changes him from a salvation figure to a victim of shell shock, muttering about the cruelties and sins of society. Septimus’ statement that he “could not feel” results in Jesus Christ not being able to save people.

What do you think? Is is accurate to compare Septimus with Jesus? Is Septimus’ role as Jesus Christ ineffectual? Or does the saving of Clarissa mean that Septimus’ sacrifice was worthy and impactful?

The Cyclical Succession of Literature in the Twentieth Century; Revolutionizing the Platitudinous Narratives in Favor of Stream of Consciousness Writing

Virginia Woolf’s critique on literature styles, such as Edwardian and Georgian in her time period, can be transposed to more modern themes. As Mrs. Dalloway is to early 20th century novels, The Mezzanine is to later 20th century novels. The Georgian aspects of character and emotion are emphasized in Baker’s novel and instead of following a primarily plot-based story, he relies on the character’s thoughts to drive the book. As well as breaking traditional formulaic story molds, Baker creates a novel that echoes the style of Woolf sixty years earlier.

In Woolf’s essays on literature (Modern Fiction and Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown), she generalizes Edwardian stories as being too materialistic; instead of focusing on the characters and fleshing out the emotions, authors tended to cater to the audience and grind out uninspiring trope-filled stories that relied too much on the plot. In a way, the 1970s trend of literature also followed this theme; old fashioned (more conventional) storytelling like in Segal’s Love Story returned, marking a similarity to Edwardian fiction. More importantly, “genre fiction”, which are stories that are plot based and designed to cater to an audience of a specific genre, became popular and they represent another one of Woolf’s gripes about Edwardian literature; the indulgence of the populace instead of the author’s own desires. The trend of the 1970s is therefore reminiscent of the early 20th century literary period, with authors reverting to themes used fifty years earlier.

In addition to how both the mainstream styles of writing were similar, Baker and Woolf use comparable concepts of Georgian styles to write The Mezzanine and Mrs. Dalloway, respectively. In Woolf’s essays, she supported stories that moved based on its characters and their emotions, and indeed, Mrs. Dalloway exemplifies that idea; the entire story occurs within a single day, with a menagerie of characters’ perspectives to push the story along. As well as the idea of character focus, the simple notion of writing what compels the author is essential. These concepts are thoroughly demonstrated in The Mezzanine, which revolves around the main character’s lunch period and is entirely driven by his thoughts. There is almost no plot in Baker’s story; the substance mainly consists of what the main character thinks and his idiosyncrasies. This style foregoes all modern convention and delves into the character’s mind, much like Mrs. Dalloway tumbles into each character’s perspective and describes their mentality. Also, quite literally, The Mezzanine is an account of what the author wants to write about. No reader at that time would’ve asked for a hundred page narrative on shoelaces.

The same succession of literary styles appears in both ends of the 20th century; Woolf and Baker’s styles are analogous to each other, as well as the mainstream literature that preceded their publications. This raises the question: will this pattern occur later in the future? Will literary style revert back to the retro, classical way of storytelling and usher in a new generation of mold-breaking writers? Did certain historical events affect the culture of novels? Or maybe, will the trend of writing style change because of our exponential technological growth?