For the Washington Post, Francine Prose Reflects on Mrs. Dalloway

To celebrate the centennial of the publication of Mrs. Dalloway, Distinguished Writer in Residence Francine Prose wrote a retrospective on Virginia Woolf’s most famous work for the Washington Post. Mrs. Dalloway, which follows a woman over a single June day, turns 100 this week. Prose writes that her recent re-read impressed her because of Woolf’s “grace and skill” that “made the [writing] process look easy.” Discussing what makes the novel special a century later, she says it celebrates humanity while not ignoring the suffering of life: “Woolf’s subject is not just Clarissa Dalloway’s life but life itself, the wonder of human consciousness and what it means — what it feels like — to be a human being.”

Prose is the author of 22 works of fiction and has taught at Bard since 2005.

Post Date: 06-10-2025