What impact does a point of view have?

In a traditional novel it is apparent within the first chapter, if not the first page, who that novel will be about, and whose point of view the novel will be in. An example of this type of novel would be Jane Austen’s Emma. The reader is immediately introduced to Emma and from that point on, the rest of the novel is written through “Emma’s eyes”. On the other hand, there are also unconventional novels that feature new and creative writing styles that have never been seen before. Virginia Woolf is a good example of an author who enjoyed writing “outside the box”. Her novel, Mrs. Dalloway, created quite a buzz in the literary world. There are many different aspects of Mrs. Dalloway that make the novel interesting, such as how Woolf continuously and spontaneously changes point of view throughout the novel, while at the same time keeping the main focus on Mrs. Dalloway. The always changing point of views keep the reader on their toes, while Emma, on the other hand, allows the reader to focus on the plot of the novel.

As I read Emma, it never really occurred to me that the novel was written through Emma’s point of view. I never really focused exactly on who was describing a certain event, but more on the details of the event itself. For example when Emma describes her encounter with Mr. Elton, the focus was the actual act of the proposal and not how Emma’s, or for that matter Mr. Elton’s, perception of the event. At the same time the perception of this event from different characters was not necessary. During the time period this novel was written everyone who was educated enough to read this novel would have never had any other reaction than Emma’s. Therefore it is easy to understand why in Jane Austen’s novel there was only ever one point of view, because it would have been scandalous for a person to have any other reaction than the one described in Emma.

Virginia Woolf, on the other hand, was not at all worried about how scandalous her novel may be viewed. Mrs. Dalloway is the total opposite of Emma. While it may not be traditional like Emma, it is for that reason even more thrilling! In Woolf’s novel the focus changes so often between characters, it is at times difficult to distinguish where on character begins and the other ends. It is as if we are reading the mind of an easily distracted person - a random object, word, or event can cause the person to focus on something else. An example of this can be seen when the reader is introduced to a young girl who just moved to London and is walking through a park. She sees Septimus and his wife sitting on a bench nearby and wonders at how odd they are. Suddenly the point of view shifts to the wife’s and she is upset that the girl will not stop looking and has inconveniently asked a question. Woolf does not focus on the plot in her novel. She is more intrigued to show us the inner workings of the mind and how that helps us to better understand and connect with the characters. She allows us to read their inner most thoughts.

Each of these novels provides the reader with a unique experience. With Emma a reader is captivated by an enchanting story of love. Whereas with Mrs. Dalloway, the reader is able to step into a world he or she would otherwise never be able to experience. Both of the novels effectively use their particular writing styles to successfully describe their story. 

Katie Delgado

A New Breed of Writer

Virginia Woolf was once criticized for not being an excellent writer because her writing did not follow the style that had the previous generations, such as Jane Austen, had.  The argument against her had character as the defining aspect of a novel.  However, the technique with which character is brought about is merely different in the two generations.  The older generation focuses more on character development through the plot, whereas the newer generation (with writers such as Virginia Woolf or Katherine Mansfield) develops characters by slowly giving details.
    The style used by the older generation was very straightforward- the novel followed a linear and chronological progression, and characters were well defined.  In Emma, Jane Austen defines every character the first time they are met in the novel.  The very first sentence of the novel marks Emma Woodhouse as “handsome, clever, and rich”.  While this leaves some interpretation open to the reader, the following paragraphs provide even more details concerning Emma’s nature and character.  This leaves less to the imagination of the reader as the characters are extremely well defined.  As the novel progresses, some of these facts become muddied or changed.  However, these changes are brought about by plot development.  Furthermore, these changes are also defined by the author.  Jane Austen tells us directly when Emma has had a change of heart or re-examines her traits.  This style requires the story to be compelling, as opposed to merely the character development.
    The newer generation of writers, characterized by Virginia Woolf, follow a completely different method of defining characters.  Where the older novelists would define a character, this newer group leaves much open to the reader.  However, as the novel continues, they slowly add details, as well as conflict, to give the reader a complete view of the characters.  For instance, in Miss Brill, the only information Katherine Masfield gives to us about Miss Brill is that she is a woman who enjoys spending time in the park.  As the story continues, we are given insight into her thoughts which allow us to have a more coherent view of her.  One notable fact would be her age.  However, this is not revealed until the final few paragraphs of the story.  The story is still reliant on character development, it just does it by incrementally giving us details rather than through the plot.  A side effect of this is that the story does not necessarily follow a linear and chronological plot.  For instance, in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, we are first given the perspective of Mrs. Dalloway.  However, we are given some insight into how other characters view the world as well.  This gives us more perspective than from just the main character of the novel, vastly different from the writing style of Jane Austen.  However, it does also complicate the story somewhat by forcing the reader to maintain a good grasp on the current situation.
    The differences in the two styles are more than just mechanical.  While they have the same goals- show character develop and create an interesting or engaging story- they go about them in different ways.  The older style of writing focuses on the development of character through plot, whereas the newer generation focused on character development for character development.
Eric Carl

Feudalism and Capitalism

Between the 19th and 20th century, class structure changed a lot. There was a shift from a feudal society based on family status, to a society dictated by capitalism. Feudalistic society divided people based on lifestyle, either leisure or working.  The leisure group, made up of monarchs, nobility, and gentry were landed and wealthy.  They lived lives of luxury and did not work to sustain living expenses.  The working class, born into much poorer families often worked for the upper-class and only made enough money to sustain basic living expenses.  Jane Austen wrote in the era of feudalism, while Virginia Woolf wrote in the time period of capitalism.   These two social class styles are found in Austen's Emma and Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.

In Jane Austen’s Emma, social classes were defined by feudalism, which was a economic land based system. Emma was a member of the leisure class which was fortunate for her because a person’s class status was determined only by birth, and there was little class mobility.  Compared to Emma Woodhouse, Robert Martin was on the other end of the class ladder.   He was a farmer, part of the working class and was not likely to move up in the social class.  The law of primogeniture, which drove feudalism was shown by Mr. Knightly eventually passing his estate down to Henry.  While Henry is not Mr. Knighty's son, he was next in line in the Knightly family.  The children after Henry would inherit nothing but the family name and would become lawyers, members of the clergy, or military men

In Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, social classes were defined by capitalism, which was very different from social classes in Emma Woodhouses’s time period. Mrs. Dalloway was part of the leisure class, show by the fact that she lived in Westminster which was historically occupied by the nobility and the wealthy.   Since Emma Woodhouse's time period, there was a movement towards capitalism.  London became a center for business and trade.  Lower class citizens were then more able to earn money and move up in social class.  Successful tradesmen were able to challenge the leisure class in terms of wealth.  This lead the laws of class hierarchy to break down and become less concrete.

After reading novels from both class structures examples, I would much rather have lived in the time of Clarissa Dalloway. Feudalism was not a fair system. Being the second born son in my family, by the law of primogeniture, I would have practically had to start over. Because of the law, I would have the choice of being in the clergy, in the military, or a lawyer.  Despite still living in leisure, I find the limited opportunity unappealing.  There would not be as much opportunity for my family because I would not own land and all my children would have is the family name.

Emma and Mrs. Dalloway displayed how class systems affected society.  The differences between the lives of Emma Woodhouse and Robert Martin are an example of the gap between the leisure and working  classes.  In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa lived in a time in which the gap between these two gaps lessened as capitalism took control.  I find the movement made towards capitalism to be more rewarding and beneficial to myself and my endeavors.

Andrew Corbitt

Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 1925. Print.

Austen, Jane. Emma. New York: Penguin. 1815.

Emma v.s. Mrs. Dalloway

What makes a book “good”? Virginia Woolf would argue that a good book begins with a worthy character – one who at first glance may not seem so interesting, but who demands our attention. On the other hand, Jane Austen may argue that a good book describes a complex plot that usually entails topics of love and class differences. But in the end, there is more than this debate that sets Jane Austen’s Emma and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway at two opposite ends of the novel spectrum. We must also take into consideration age differences between the two heroines and the different settings of the novels.

In the novel Mrs. Dalloway, the heroine Clarissa Dalloway, is at first introduced as a life loving, care free, youthful woman. However later on in the novel we discover that she is quite the opposite. We learn that she is a woman in her early fifties, who at times wishes, as most of us do, to begin her life anew. In Jane Austen’s Emma, we learn straight from the beginning that the novel features a young woman in her early twenties at the prime of her life surely preparing to make mistakes similar to those Clarissa Dalloway made in her youth. Seeing as these two heroines are a couple of generations apart, it is natural that they would have two different views of the world. For example when Peter Walsh comes to visit Clarissa, she seemingly is quite at ease with having another man, who is not at all related to her, in her bedroom as she mends a torn dress. Whereas Emma, in order to protect her honor, would find it quite awkward to be alone in a room with a man who is of no relation to her – which we can see when she is left alone with Mr. Elton in the carriage. These to point of views are important to take into consideration when you compare the two novels. Since Emma is quite younger than Clarissa, she will act a more immature and understand the world totally different. Clarissa has had years of experience to teach her what the world can be like.

As well as the age differences between the two characters, we must also take into consideration the setting of the two novels. Mrs. Dalloway is set most likely in the early to late 1920s. In this time period the norms of society have drastically altered in comparison with Emma’s time period. Even though women still do not have the same rights as men, they are given a few more freedoms, such as dress and the right to the same, if not similar, education as men. Women have more options, while marriage is the more comfortable option; it is not the only option for a happy fulfilling life. Emma, on the other hand, lives in a period where women must marry to survive. There are certain standards of dress and women are not necessarily allowed to have an education beyond what is needed to know to run a household.  These are two totally different cultures. One is ruled only by a class order system, where the rich have always been born that way, and the poor will remain that way. However, Clarissa’s culture is not so easily defined as rich or poor. While it still may not be easy to rise to a higher class, in Clarissa’s time period it is not all together impossible, as it was in Emma’s. Not to mention Emma lives in a rather rural city outside of London, whereas Clarissa lives almost in the heart of the city. This by itself is also a major difference. City life is nowhere near similar to life in a medium sized village.

So while these differences are small in comparison to the debate on what makes a good book, they are important to consider when one does compare two iconic books such as Emma and Mrs. Dalloway. 

Katherina Delgado


Austen, Jane. Emma. 2008. Signet Classics. Print
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. 1925. Harcourt Inc. Print.

Preconceived Ideas

One of the defining moments in the most recent chapters of Emma was finally being introduced to Frank Churchill.  Something I find particularly interesting about this is the way in which most of the characters react to finally meeting him.  Almost all of the characters have preconceived ideas about him and seem to be unable to be swayed from these thoughts.  I feel as if preconceived ideas, of either people or things, tend to have this pattern.   
    To help explain my viewpoint, some background information from the novel is necessary.  Prior to meeting Frank Churchill, the only info the characters had about him was from letters he mailed to his father.  This means that they probably had a positive view of this man’s traits (who portrays themselves negatively?).  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.  After he arrives, he is well received by the characters, and his actions and attitudes support the way he was perceived.  However, he then spends an entire day getting his hair cut.  Mr. Knightley sees this action as frivolous and unsupportive of Frank’s supposed character.  This is where the problem can be seen in preconceived notions.  The other characters, Emma included, dismiss Mr. Knightley’s view because he dislikes Frank Churchill.  Even though Mr. Knightley does dislike him, he brings valid arguments up and he is easily dismissed.  These attitudes displayed by the characters apply to people today as well.
    People are prone to believe their preconceived ideas even when being argued against.  Yet it is important to always think about opposing arguments.  In Emma, if the characters had merely said that Frank Churchill still has some poor qualities rather than see him as nearly perfect, they would not be surprised when he decided to go get his hair cut.  While this in no way excuses his poor behavior, it shows that the characters have a better understanding of the people around them.  This thought process can be applied to ideas as well.
    One major idea that people deemed as the greatest invention was the car after it was readily affordable.  Not only did it provide cheap, personal transportation, but it helped clear up a significant amount of pollution in cities due to horses.  However, not until recently did people start noticing that cars actually have some major drawbacks, pollution ironically being one of those.  While we are now making a self conscious effort to reduce the pollution caused by cars, it’s important to note that people initially thought cars were great and could see very little wrong with them.  This was obviously not the case, but people at the time may not have been properly able to identify this type of pollution.   
    The problems that arise from preconceived ideas don’t lie in the actual preconceptions.  Even if it is wrong, that does not make it an issue.  The true issue arises when people refuse to admit that their ideas might possibly wrong, whether partially or entirely.  To say that people should never from ideas before given facts is an idea that will not be followed.  Rather, the idea is for us not to stop questioning something until we know the whole truth about it.

Eric Carl

Who keeps you up at night?

Harriet Smith is a sweet, impressionable girl. Miss Brill is a mysterious figure, who reveals her true character only a little at a time. These women are both completely opposite characters. We first meet Harriet, a character in Jane Austen’s Emma, at a particularly difficult moment in Emma’s life. Austen’s introduction of Harriet is rather brisk and provides a very clear and unassuming picture of exactly who Harriet Smith is. Miss Brill, on the other hand, is revealed by her creator, Katherine Mansfield, only in small snippets of information, which most often are never revealed directly to the reader. Each woman provides a clear example of two very different styles of writing.

Austen first introduces Harriet Smith to us just after the wedding of Emma’s close friend, Miss Taylor. As with every other character of Austen’s, almost everything we need to know about Miss Smith is revealed within the first three paragraphs of her initial introduction. Within those three paragraphs we learn about every aspect of Harriet’s character – her history, her particular position in society, her connections, her physical appearance, and her personality. However while Austen was writing Emma in 1815, this style of writing was very popular. Harriet’s detailed and abrupt introduction in Austen’s novel leaves no room for the reader to imagine a different Harriet. However if not only to imagine a different Harriet, Austen could have provided more suspense and intrigue to the plot if Harriet was not introduced so suddenly.

Virginia Woolf made this case in her essay Character in Fiction, a response to Arnold Bennett’s criticism of modern writers. In Bennett’s generation of writers characters were introduced to the novel much the same way that Austen introduces Harriet. Bennett argues that in order for a novel to succeed the characters must be “real” and that this is best achieved through his generation’s style of writing. In other words the characters are there to better facilitate the message the author wishes to convey on to his readers. While I find this to be a very efficient argument, Virginia Woolf’s counter argument is also very convincing. She argued that writing a novel must not always be written with the goal of conveying a deep message about politics, society, or education, but that a novel can focus only on its characters and therein exam what exactly makes that character so “real”. Woolf wrote with the goal in mind to introduce the reader to a character that they may or may not know personally, and to reflect deeply on what exactly makes that character a “person”.

We can see an example of what Woolf meant in Mansfield’s Miss Brill. The reader is plunged head first into the life of some woman who enjoys going to the park every Sunday. As the story goes on, the reader is only slowly introduced to Miss Brill. The first thing we learn from the narrator is that, “Miss Brill is glad she had decided on her fur.” (Mansfield) From this first sentence the reader slowly begins to build a picture in his or her mind. Mansfield is very methodical and only gives us glimpses of Miss Brill’s character periodically throughout the story. This style of writing is intriguing! It is so unique and thought provoking. By writing this way Mansfield is slowly developing Miss Brill’s character while at the same time allowing the reader to develop his or her own version of Miss Brill. Each person who reads this short story will come away with their own personal Miss Brill. We can get a better understanding of exactly who she is!

After reading Miss Brill, I feel like there is something in Harriet that is lacking. Even though Austen clearly tells me at the beginning exactly what Harriet is like, I still feel as if I don’t really know her. Miss Brill on the other hand has become my personal companion, who I think of at random moments throughout the day. These two authors clearly have very different writing styles, but in the end who wrote a more intriguing character? Each of them will swear to have successfully created a well-developed personality. But in the end, Miss Brill is the only one who will keep you up at night wondering what she must be like.

Austen, Jane. Emma. 1815. Locations 270-85 (Kindle edition)

Woolf, Virginia. Characters in Fiction. 1924. Essay

Mansfield, Katherine. Miss Brill.  1920. 

Katherina Delgado

Styles of Characterization

Character development is an extremely important aspect in the creation of a novel.  Authors such as Arnold Bennett, Katherine Mansfield , and Jane Austen developed the characters in their works of literature in different ways.  Bennett used thorough descriptions to create characters, Mansfield used plot the plot to reveal and help the reader draw inferences from the characters actions, and Austen used a combination of both styles.  The manner in which each of these authors introduces its characters influences how the reader views the characters throughout the novel. 

Arnold Bennett's writing style was influenced by the Edwardian time period, and in conjunction with  modernist writers, he created characters by description.  Bennett believed that a good novel was based on a real and convincing character, and otherwise, the novel would have no chance to endure.  The only means of creating this character was to describe the attributes of the character plainly and clearly.  This type of characterization leads the reader to gather judgments about the character almost immediately. Direct characterization creates significantly more shallow characters in comparison to the characterization present in Katherine Mansfield's writing.

In Katherine Mansfield's  short story Miss Brill, Mansfield slowly revealed information about the protagonist till the end.  Mansfield used details from the story to describe Miss Brill.  Instead of Mansfield telling readers Miss Brill is a poor, lonely, old woman, she used details from Miss Brill's day in the park to elaborate on her personality.   Miss Brill viewed the activities of others and imagined having  relationships with them while she sat alone  revealing that she lacked close friendships and relationships.  Additionally, the old fur that is showing wear and use is a representation of her lower middle class status.  Finally, readers are not told of Miss Brill's age until the very end of the story when Miss Brill overheard a young couple mocking her and her age.  By using clues from the story to create her protagonist, Mansfield created an engaging story which allows readers to truly understand her character.

Jane Austen's Emma utilized both styles of characterization used by Bennett and Mansfield.  Austen revealed information about the protagonist throughout the story; however,  Austen characterized Harriet Smith almost completely by description.  Emma is the protagonist of the novel and upon Emma's reactions to certain situations, inferences can be made of her character.  Through Emma's belief in her matchmaking abilities, the reader learns of her stubbornness, vanity, and desire to help others.  In contrast to how Austen characterized Emma, other characters in the novel were characterized  by description.  Readers are simply told of Harriet's life, appearance, and social class in a few paragraphs. This was the majority of the character development of Harriet.   Austen's use of multiple characterization styles allow for her to focus and develop on characterizing the protagonist. 

I find, that while both means of characterization are useful, Mansfield's establishment of characters throughout the story was most engaging.  As a reader, being able to develop an idea of a character based on the storyline rather than being told details created more vivid and realistic characters.

Andrew Corbitt

Mansfield, Katherine. “Miss Brill.” Stories. 1956. New York: Vintage 1991. 298-302. Print.

Austen, Jane. Emma. New York: Penguin. 1815.