What happens in Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway?

Published in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway is a Modernist novel by Virginia Woolf that chronicles a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class Londoner preparing to host a party.12

The narrative is largely plotless, utilizing a stream-of-consciousness style to explore the characters' internal lives. The story interweaves Clarissa’s experiences with those of Septimus Warren Smith, a World War I veteran suffering from shell shock (or PTSD). While Clarissa navigates social expectations and reflects on her past, Septimus struggles with his mental health and the threat of forced psychiatric institutionalization.12

The two characters serve as foils; Septimus ultimately dies by suicide to escape confinement, an act that deeply impacts Clarissa during her party. Upon learning of his death, Clarissa identifies with his struggle, reflecting on the compromises she has made in her own life to maintain her social standing.1