Temporality in Great Expectations and Mrs. Dalloway: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss temporality in Charles Dickens’s novel Great Expectations and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. Temporality is an integral element in a literary text that greatly reflects the style an author adopts to represent the narrative framework and thematic concerns. However, there is a distinction in how traditional novelists and modern novelists deal with temporality. The events in Great Expectations are presented in a chronological order built on cause and effect. On the other hand, the narrative in Mrs. Dalloway is presented using the “stream of consciousness”; in the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Nonetheless, in Great Expectations, chronological order offers the plot unity and comprehension. It is also crucial in developing the theme of formation and development of the protagonist. In contrast, in Mrs. Dalloway, the experience of temporality is offered and shared by most characters. The reader is required to examine this experience to form a perception of the narrative structure and the themes of the novel. Therefore, this paper makes a comparative analysis between Great Expectations and Mrs. Dalloway to highlight the distinction between how traditional novels and modern novels deal with temporality to present the narrative and embody their authors’ concerns.