Lucas' 20th Century Lit Blog

The goal of Mrs. Dalloway, at least from my perspective,  is to capture real human, thought, interaction and character within one day in 1923. In order to achieve this, Woolf displays a variety of techniques and strategies. Instead of focusing on the overall arc and message of the work she is creating, she meticulously constructs individuals and the interactions they share with one another.  Clarissa herself is not a person who I would find compelling in real life. However, Woolf puts her up to a magnifying glass in a way that would make any character compelling. Human sociality, thought and emotionality are inherently interesting. So, when Woolf takes a closer look at an upper-class socialite, it appears not humdrum, but like an exciting window of opportunity into a previously unseen life. Similarly with the other characters, an in-depth introduction to any person that is not ourselves can prove enlightening and entertaining.  I suppose the author's final goal is to help...

  The Mezzanine is a novel which reminds us to stop and smell the roses. As busy individuals it is easy to finds oneself caught up in large problems and obstacles, when the most beautiful and enjoyable part of life might be in the details. Baker expertly conveys this throughout this book. His character is as relatable as he is unique and as compelling as he is pedestrian.  It is easy to be drawn to Howie as he is able to articulate a large part of the human thought process in ways that we ourselves might not be capable of. In my mind at least, I find myself often engaging in the speculation and h y pothesization that Howie so clearly maps out throughout the pages of his work. I find it extremely attention-grabbing, therefore, that an author was able to put my thoughts to paper in some respect.  Overall we can take a lot of inspiration from Howie. While he is lucky in that his life is unobstructed by obstacles, he has also managed to achieve a level of contentment that mos...