The plot in six lines
Clarissa Dalloway goes out to buy flowers for her evening party, and the London morning brings back memories of her girlhood at Bourton.
A mysterious motor car and an aeroplane draw the city's attention, while Septimus Warren Smith and Rezia struggle with his distress in Regent's Park.
Peter Walsh visits Clarissa after returning from India, stirring memories of her refusal to marry him and her intense feelings for Sally Seton.
Septimus and Rezia consult Sir William Bradshaw, who recommends separating Septimus from his wife for treatment in a country home.
Richard brings Clarissa roses, Elizabeth seeks independence from Miss Kilman, and Septimus later takes his own life by jumping from a window as the doctors threaten his independence.
At her party, Clarissa hears of Septimus's death, withdraws to reflect on his loss and her own life, then returns to her guests as Peter watches with wonder.
Themes
Time and memory: The bells measure shared hours while memories reshape private experience, allowing the past to remain active within a single day.
Appearance and identity: Clarissa's public role as a hostess conceals doubts and feelings that others cannot fully see.
Power and conformity: The doctors' insistence on order reveals how respected institutions can silence the people they claim to help.
Life and death: Clarissa's love of life exists alongside memories of loss, while Septimus's death brings her own existence into focus.
Connection and isolation: Shared streets, sounds and gatherings link separate lives, yet intimacy remains uncertain even within marriage and friendship.
Characters
- Clarissa DallowayA fifty-one-year-old London hostess, wife of a politician, who loves life and the city and gives a party that evening.
- Richard Dalloway
- Peter WalshClarissa's old suitor, back from India after five years, restless and still tied to the love she once refused.
- Septimus Warren SmithA young veteran of the war, haunted by the loss of his friend Evans and by visions no one around him understands.
- Lucrezia Warren SmithCalled Rezia, Septimus's Italian wife, who is lonely in London and desperate to help her husband back to health.
- Sally SetonClarissa's bold friend from girlhood at Bourton, who once meant the world to her and is now a settled married woman.
For the AP English Literature exam, May 2027
- The AP English Literature and Composition exam is on Wednesday 5 May 2027, in the first session of the day.
- The College Board sets no reading list for AP English Literature and Composition. Mrs Dalloway is one of the works it prints with its sample Question 3, the literary argument, where you choose the work yourself.
- Section 1 is 55 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, 45 percent of the score. Section 2 is three free-response questions in 2 hours, 55 percent.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of Mrs Dalloway from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Day twoClarissa steps out into a June morning: Notice how the flower errand opens into memory and exposes the distance between Clarissa's feelings and public identity. One city, one hour, many minds: Follow the shared sights and sounds as the narration passes between separate minds.
- Day threeSeptimus and Rezia sit in the park: Watch how Septimus's visions and Rezia's loneliness reveal different forms of suffering within their marriage. Peter Walsh comes home from India: Weigh Peter's judgments of Clarissa against his continuing attachment and his own uncertainty.
- Day fourBourton, Sally Seton and a choice: Notice how memories of Sally and Peter complicate Clarissa's understanding of her marriage.
- Day fiveDoctors who prescribe order and rest: Mark how the doctors' confidence contrasts with their failure to understand Septimus's private experience.
- Day sixLunch, Miss Kilman and Elizabeth: Compare Richard's unspoken affection, Miss Kilman's possessiveness and Elizabeth's desire for independence.
- Day sevenTime, death and the shape of a self: Trace how clocks, memories and thoughts of death connect private identity with the wider social world.
- Day eightHow the novel is told: Follow shifts between minds and recurring images to see how separate lives form a connected whole.
- Day nineThe cast: Clarissa Dalloway, Richard Dalloway, Peter Walsh, Septimus Warren Smith and Lucrezia Warren Smith. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Time and memory; Appearance and identity; Power and conformity; Life and death; Connection and isolation. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the story is told: the narrator, the order of events and the settings.
- Day twelvePractice: plan and write an open-question essay on this work, with a clear claim and evidence from the story.
- Day thirteenPractice: try the same work with a second prompt about a character, a setting or a conflict.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the College Board's AP Central exam page and its course and exam description (effective fall 2024), read on 23 October 2026.
Pytania
What is Mrs Dalloway about?
Mrs. Dalloway follows Clarissa Dalloway's preparations for a London party alongside the distress of war veteran Septimus Warren Smith. Their parallel stories explore how memory, social expectations and private suffering shape an ordinary day.
Who are the main characters in Mrs Dalloway?
The central characters are Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith, whose separate experiences illuminate each other. Richard Dalloway, Peter Walsh and Sally Seton shape Clarissa's emotional world, while Lucrezia Warren Smith tries to support Septimus. Elizabeth Dalloway and Miss Kilman bring conflicts over attachment, religion and independence into Clarissa's family life.
What are the main themes of Mrs Dalloway?
The main themes are time, memory, identity, death, connection and the power of social institutions. Woolf develops them through shifting perspectives, recurring bells and contrasts between outward appearances and private feeling.
Is Mrs Dalloway on the AP English Literature reading list?
The College Board sets no reading list. Mrs Dalloway is one of the works it prints with its sample Question 3, the literary argument, in its course and exam description (effective fall 2024). On the exam you choose the work yourself.
When is the AP English Literature exam in 2027?
The AP English Literature and Composition exam is on Wednesday 5 May 2027, in the first session of the day.
