Stylistic Differences

After finishing reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and Emma by Jane Austen, I noticed a few major differences between the novels.  First and foremost among these differences was the style of the two authors: Austen was more direct, while Woolf left more up to the reader.  A second difference was what I expected from the novel as reader; Emma read quite easily, whereas Mrs. Dalloway more difficult and less predictable.
    The style that Emma was written was incredibly straightforward.  Physical descriptions of the characters were given to the reader the first time a character was introduced, describing as much as was necessary to envision the character.  The novel opens with, “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with…” telling the reader exactly what they need to know.  Character’s personalities are described similarly, often shortly within describing their physical attributes.  Emma’s cleverness, her most distinguishing personality trait, is given in the opening sentence.  This direct style lays out every thing the reader needs to know about the characters  and leaves very little to the imagination.  Compare this to Mrs. Dalloway, where very little information regarding the character’s attributes is given up front, if at all.  When the information is given to the reader, it is given a small piece at a time, forcing the reader to gradually draw conclusions about the characters.  Rather than define the characters immediately, Woolf allows the reader to draw their own conclusions about the characters as more and more information is given.  This difference in styles is huge and also contributes to the way the novels are read and what can be expected from them.
    Much like the direct writing style Emma was written with, reading it is straightforward as well.  The novel goes through events chronologically and also describes the significance of the events.  When attending a trip to Box Hill, Emma accidentally offends one of her friends.  Mr. Knightley, a prominent figure, scolds Emma for doing so and tells her the extent of her offense.  Once again, this leaves very little up to the reader to discern for themselves.  Furthermore, this directness leads the novel into predictable paths.  After Mr. Knightley scolds Emma, he tells her to try to apologize for her comment.  Because the reader knows Emma respects Mr. Knightley, she will take his advice.  A few pages later, her apology is happening in the novel, just as expected.  Mrs. Dalloway, on the other hand, has a far more complex story line.  The novel often shifts perspectives, where neighboring paragraphs have a different point of view.  This results in forcing the reader to keep track of a multitude of characters and perspectives.  Also due to this shift in perspective, the reader has less of an idea of what to expect.  Nearly anything, within reason, could happen next in the novel.  Not knowing who was going to be the next focus, and sometimes having multiple views of the same situation, led to a much more complex and intellectually stimulating read.
    The directness of Emma makes it a simple, yet enjoyable read.  Mrs. Dalloway was far more difficult, but forced the reader to think more.  While both are enjoyable, it comes down to whether or not you enjoy the style.

Eric Carl