《时时刻刻》及《达洛卫夫人》的比较阅读

互文中的弗吉尼互・伍尔夫?对“时时剜剥”反“迭洛卫夫舢的比较阅读VirginiaWooifIntertextualized:AComparativeStudyonTheHoursandMrs.DaUoway院系(所:外文学院专姓业:英语语言文学名:肖伊指导教师:卢丽安副教授完成日期:2005年5月20日鹏6Ⅲ“如加舵豫昏槲学学艾够于论L九位回一攀瑶尉敞士饭士硕Acknowledgements1wouldliketoexpressmyheartfeltgratitudetoDr.LuLianforherextremelyhelpfulguidanceinthecompletionofthisthesis.AndIowemanythankstomyparems,whoselove,trustandsupportarethemostprecioustreasureforme.3中文标题互文中的弗吉尼亚・伍尔夫:对‘时时刻刻》与‘达洛卫夫人》的比较阅读中文摘要1999年的普利策文学奖被授予了美国当代作家麦克・康宁汉的作品《时时刻刻》。这部小说凭借其优美诗意的语言和对人性触动人心的描写获得了广泛的注意和好评。更重要的是,《时时刻刻》构建了~个丰富而多层次的互文体系,不仅对英国现代主义作家弗吉尼亚・伍尔夫的经典作品《达洛卫夫人》进行了后现代语境下的重写,更对伍尔夫的其他作品及生平进行了指涉。本文对《时时刻刻》这部小说进行了细致的文本研究,并对其中所蕴含的互文体系做了详尽的解读。还结合读者批评理论,挖掘了文本中对读者一作者一文本关系的隐喻。本文共分为五个章节。第一章为本篇论文的介绍部分,提出了本文的研究目的及方法。并对论文所要涉及的重要概念“互文性”的产生和发展进行了一番简单的梳理。第二章对所涉及的两个主要文本《时时刻刻》及《达洛卫夫人》的情节、特色做了介绍和回顾,并研究了两部小说在主题上的差异及互通。第三章从多个层次对《时时刻刻》中所蕴含的互文指涉进行了解读。《时时刻刻》由三条叙事线索构成,分别以“达洛卫夫人”,“布朗夫人”及“伍尔夫夫人”命名。“达洛卫夫人”这一部分是对弗吉尼亚・伍尔夫1925年的作品《达洛卫夫人》的重写;“布朗夫人”部分的主人公是以《达洛卫夫人》的读者的身份出现的。该部分对伍尔夫的一些其他作品,特别是女权主义代表作《~个人的房间》进行了指涉;而“伍尔夫夫人”这一部分则是依据对伍尔夫的生平研究创作的,描写了伍尔夫在构思及创作小说《达洛卫夫人》时的状态。第四章是在读者批评理论的基础上,对《时时刻刻》进行了另一层面的解读。探讨了文中所蕴含的对读者一作者一文本关系的思考。第五章是对前文论述的小结,并提出了若干有研究价值,但由于篇幅所限无法探讨的议题。关键词:互文性《时时刻刻》弗吉尼亚・伍尔夫读者批评4AbstraetThe1999PulitzerfictionPrizewenttoAmericanwriterMichaelCunningham’SnovelTheHours,whichreceivedmuchacclaimforitshighlyintenseandpoeticlanguage,aswellasitspowerfulpresentationoftheemotionalsufferingsofwomen,What’Smoreimportant,TheHoursweavesuparichandmulti・levelednetworkofintertextualreferencestotheworkandlifeofthelegendarymodernistwriterVirginiaWoolf.ThisthesisoffersadetailedintertextualstudyonTheHours,aswellasametaphoricinterpretationofthenovelbasedonreadercriticismtheories.ThisMAthesisfallsintofivechapters.Thefirstchapteristheintroduction,whichgiliesanoverviewofthethesisintermsofpurposeandmethodology.ThisisfollowedbyabriefreviewoftheconceptualizationanddevelopmentoftheconceptofintertextualityThesecondchapterisdevotedtOadiscussionontheplotandthemeofTheHoursandMrs.Dalloway,withthefocusonthedeath/lifemotifsharedbybothtexts.ThethirdchaptercarriesoutadetailedanalysisontheintertextualwebinTheHours.Thisnovelhasthreeparallelnarrativestrandsrespectivelyentitledas“Mrs.Dalloway”,“Mrs.Brown”,and“Mrs.Woolf’.The“Mrs.Dalloway'’partisarewriteofthe1925Mrs.DallowaybyVirginiaWoolf,the“Mrs.、Brown’’partiscenteredonafictionalizedreaderofMrs.Dalloway,andbearsvariousintertextualreferencestoWoolf'sotherworksincludingARoomofOneiOwn;the“Mrs.Woolf’partisbased5onthepersonallifeofVirginiaWool￡andpresentsthedayOnwhichWoolfstartswritingMrs.DallowayInthefonhchapter,attemptshavebeenmadetoofferametaphoricinterpretationofTheHours,presentingthenovelasafictionalizedpresentationontheauthor’Smeditationsonthe.author-reader-textrelationshipThefifthchapterisasummaryofpreviousdiscussionsKeywords:intertextualityTheHoursVirginiaWoolfreadercriticism6VirginiaWoolfIntertextualized:AComparativeStudyonTheHoursandMrs.DallowayByXiaoYiChapterOneIntroductionThe1999PulitzerFictionPrizewenttoAmericanwriterMichaelCunningham’snovelTheHours.Thisnovelalsowonfortheauthoranothermajorliteratureprize—Pen/FaulknerAwardofthatyear.What’smore,thissamenovelwasaNewtbrkTimesBestseller,andwasselectedtobethe“BestBookof1998”byTheNewYorkTimesLosAnge&sTimes,andPublishersWeekly.Itwasreceivedfavorablybycriticsandmarketalike.Twoyearslaterin2001,thenovelwasadaptedforthebigscreenanditsnamesakemovie,ledbyanextraordinarycastofMerylStreep,JulianneMoore,andNicoleKidman,mmedouttobeoneofthemostsuccessfulmoviesofthatyearandreceivedninenominationsforOscar.Themovierefueledthepublic’szestforthelegendaryBritishmodernistwriterVirginiaWoolflwhocommiaedsuicidein1941andleftbehindhernumerousliteraryclassics.ThehugesuccessofthisHollywoodmovieblockbusterinturnintroducedMichaelCnnningham’sbooktoanevenwideranddiversifiedaudiencebeyondtheUnitedStatesTheHoursbasicallyconcemsthreewomeneachlivinginadifferentplaceandtime,sufferingfrommoreorlessthesamesenseofdepressionperceivedintheirownlives.Theactionsoftheirstoriesareconfinedtoonesingleday,andareallinterconnectedwitllthelifeandworkoftheBritishwriterVirginiaWoolf71.1PurposeandMethodologyMythesisintendstoexploreanddisentangletherichandmulti—leveledfabricofintertextualreferencestothelifeandliteraryworksofVirginiaWoolfinTheHoursMypurpose,however,isnottopointouteverysinglereferencetothelegendarywriter,buttodemonstratehowtheintertextualtheoriesareatworkinCunninghalTl’Snovel,andhowCunningham,whohasprovedhimselftobeanexpertofVirginiaWoolf,employsrhetoricaldeviceslikepastiche,allusionete.topresentthisintertextuality.AsTheHoursiscomposedofthreeparallel-runningsegments,1willdemonstrateinmydiscussionthat,inCanningham’Sarrangement,eachofthesethreesegmentspointstooneparticularaspectofVirginiaWoolf'slifeandwriting.Forthispartofdiscussion,thefocuswillbeputonhowCunningharnmanipulatesandtransformshisknowledgeaboutvariousaspectsofVirginiaWoolfintofiction,andhowhetakesVirginiaWoolf'soriginaltextsasapointofdeparturetotellhisownstorythatechoesyet仃anscendstheanteriortext.Followingthis,IattempttoofferametaphoricinterpretationofTheHours,presentingthenovelasafictionalizedpresentationontheauthor’Smeditationsontheauthor-reader-textrelationship,basedonthereadercriticismtheories,andsomeofRolandBarthes’spropositionsinparticular.Thispartwillenlargethescopeofthisthesisbyaddinganewdimensiontotheintertextualanalysisofthetexts.ThemajortheoretictoolsIemployinthisthesisaretheconceptofintertextualityandthereadercriticismtheory,which,as1willdiscussinthelatterpartofthisthesis,areinasenseinterrelatedItismyhopethatthisthesiscannotonlydemonstrateTheHoursasfullofcleverintertextualreferencestoVirginiaWoolf'slifeandwork,butalsopresenttheseriousconsiderationst11isnovelinvolvesinassociationwiththereader-author-textrelationship1.2Intertextuality:ConceptandDevelopmentIntertextualiyisoneofthekeyconceptsdiscussedinthisthesis.Thetermwascoinedin1966byJuliaKdstevainherground—breakingessay%磁Dialogue.andNovel2.whichwasfirstofallanattempttointroduceRussianlinguistandliterarycriticMikhailBakhtin’simportantfmdingstotheFrench-speakingaudience.Thefundamentalconceptofintertextualityisthatnotextisreallyuniqueororiginalinitself;ratheritisatextwovenofallkindsofreferencestoandquotationsfromothertexts.Or,toputitsimply,thetermdenotes‘‘ageneralinterdependenceofanyoneliterarytextwithallthosethathavegonebeforeit”.2Thoughimertextualityisinthefirstplaceasemioticterm,itprovestobeaveryuseful,evenessential,conceptforliterarystudy.Asamatteroffact,thepracticeofusingintertextualreferencesinwritingexitslongbeforethetermiscoined.However,hereliesanessentialpointinunderstandingtheconceptofintertextualitycomprehensively.Intertextuality,atthisstageofhistory,isapproachedtoattwodifferentlevels:the“intertextuality'’thatpost-structuralistslikeKristevaandBarthes1FirstpublishedinFrenchas”LeMot,ledialogueetleroman.”(1966.ForEnglishversion.referto:Kristeva,Julia.“Word,DialogueandNovel”,!h￡Kjs丝!g8塑d!LEd.TorilMoi,OxfordBasilBlaekwell,1984,D.49.aretalkingabout,andthe‘‘intertextuality’’asamoreworkabledefinitionforliterarycriticism.Intheinventionoftheterm‘‘intertextuality”,KristevaowedalottoRussianlinguistandcriticMikhailBakhtin,whowastheleadingfigureoftheso—calledBakhtinSchoolinthelaterperiodofFormalism.Hismostimportantfindingsincludetheso—calleddialogismandthegenreofpolyphonicnovelasherecognizedinDostoevsky’sworks.Heraisedsomefimdamentallyinterestingthemes.suchas‘'theopennessandinstabilityofliterarytexts’'(Selden,1986:19thatwerepickedupanddevelopedbylatertheoristslikeKristevaandRolandBarthes.3KristevaimportsBaldatin’stheoriesandfitsthemintotheFrenchtheoreticalcontextofthelate-1960s.whichrepresentsafundamentalmovementawayfromstrusturalismtowardthepost-structuralistnotionoftheteXt.SincetheworkofBarthesandKristeva,theconceptofintertextualityhasgonethrougharichandextremelyvariedhistory.Amongothers,GdrardGenette,withhistheoryoftTanstextualityhastakenonesignificantsteptofurtherdefineintertextuality,halrowsdownitsdenotationanddifferentiatesitfrom,ashecallsit,hypertextualityGenettefirstintroducestranstextualityinTheArchitext:AnIntroduction,anddescribesitasatermdenotingthetranscendenceoftextualmeanings:‘‘Forthemomentthetextsinterestsme(onlyinitstextualtranscendence—namely,everythingthatbringsitintorelation(manifestofhiddenwithothertexts.Icallthattranstextuality…”(Genette,1992:813Genettfurtherdividestranstextualityintofivesub-types,namelyintertextuality,paratextuality,metatextuality,hypertextualityandarchitextuality.Ofthesefivesubtypes,thedifferentiationofhypertextualityandintertextualityhasthemostfar-reachingsignificanceonliterarystudiesIntertextuality,inGenette’Sterminology,represents”demonstrablepresenceofonetextwithinanother”,whilehypertextualityrepresents”anyrelationship,excludingthatofcommentary,thatlinksalatertext(ahypertextwithanearliertext(itshypotext”(Makaryk,1993:335.Actuallythemajordifferencebetweenthetwotermsisthat,intertextualityisexpressive,whilehypertextualityisrepresemive.Forintertextuality,itisaco-presenceofthetextanditsintertexts,ortheappearanceoftheintertextsinthetext;howeverhypertextualitydescribesthesituationwhenonetextisderivedfromtheformertext.Thetypicaldevicesofintertextualityincludecitation,reference,allusionandpla西arism,whilethetypicaldevicesofhypertextualityareparodyandpastiche.4Theaboveprovidesaratherbriefreviewofthecoinageanddevelopmentoftheconceptofintertextuality,whichisatthesametimealinguisticphenomenonandaliteraryt001.Inthenexttwochapters,aclosestudywillbeconductedontheintertextualrelationsbetweentwotexts:TheHoursbyMichaelCunninghlti"0andMrsDallowaybyVirginiaWoolfForthesakeofconvenience,thisthesiswillstillusetheuniversallyacceptedterm‘‘intertextuality”,ratherthan‘‘transtextuality'’asGeneReproposes,torefertothe4interrelationshipbetweenthetwotexts.However,whendiscussingthedevicesusedtoachieveorpresentthisintertextuality,adifferentiationwillbemadebetweenintertextuality(initsstrictsenseandhypertextuality,followingGenet’Sformat.12Chapter2TheAsoneoftheleadingfiguresofthemodernistmovement,VirginiaWool￡theauthorofMrs.Dalloway,isoneofthemostdiscussedfemalewritersinworldliterature.Comparedwithher,MichaelCunninghamisstillastrangenametomanyChinesereaders.Inthischapter,anintroductionwillbegivenontheplotofTheHoursandMrsDalloway,aSwellaSadiscussionontheirthemes.2.1PlotofTheHoursandMrs.DallowayTheprologueandstartingpointofTheHoursisthesuicidesceneofVirginiaWool￡whohadbeensufferingfromanimminentmentalbreakdown.LeavingtwonotesaddressedrespectivelytoherhusbandLeonardandsisterVanessa,VirginiaWoolfdrownedherselfinarivernearhomeThemajorpartofthenovelTheHoursiscomposedofthreenarrativestrands,3eachconcen打afingononesingledayinawoman’slife.Thethreepamllel-nmningstories,entitledrespectivelyas“Mrs.Dalloway'’,“Mrs.Woolf’and“Mrs.Brown'’,weaveupacarefullydesignedfabricfullofintertextualreferences.MrsDallowayandthrewhimselffromthewindowinfrontofherThesectionentitled“Mrs.Woolf’isaboutVirginiaWoolf'soneordinarydayin1923atherhouseinRichmond,asuburbofLondon.ThisWasthedayonwhichVirginiaWoolfputthefirstlineofMrs.Dallowayonpaper.Sheheldhighexpectationsforthisbook;however,herunstablementflsituationfrequentlyletherdown.ThemajorplotofthispartinvolvesavisitbyVirginiaWoolffssisterVanessaandherchildrenandafailedattemptmadebythedepression—strickenwritertofleetheboringcountrysideforLondon.Also,theauthorMichaelCuaninghamdepictsVirginiaWoolf'smentalactivitiesthroughthedayasadisturbingunder-currentthat14mother,Mrs.Brownoftenfeltherselfoutofplaceatherownhome.Sincethatdaywasherhusband’Sbirthday,shetriedtobakeaperfectcakeforhim,butfailed.Andthepresenceofhersensitivelittlesonbroughtherpressureratherthanjoy.Hersenseofdepressiongotevenworse,asherneighborKittydroppedinandconfidedonheraboutherillnessthatmightleadtoinfertility.Leavinghersonwithababysitter,Mrs.BrownlefthomeandcheckedinahotelwhereshecouldspendafewsolitaryhoursandreadMrs,Dalloway.Thereshecouldtemporarilydiscardherroleasawifeandmother.Duringherstayinthehotelroom,Mrs.Brownconsideredsuicide,however,managedtoovercomeitandwenthomejustintimetogivearoutinebirthdaypartyforherhusband.Thethreenarrativestrandsdevelopinparallelandeachrevealsitselfslotbyslotinalternation、Ⅳiththeothertwo.ItisthedeathofthepoetRichardthateventuallybringsthestrandsof“Mrs.Dalloway’’and“Mrs.Brown’’togetherinthelastchapterunderthetitleof“Mrs.Dalloway’’AfterthesuicideofRichard,Clarissasentforhismother,whotumedouttobe15nobodyelsebutLauraBrown,thedesperatehousewifewholovedreading.ThemeetingofClarissaandLauraBrownbroughtthewholebooktoartopenending,withthetwowomenreachingapointofmutualunderstanding.TheactionsofMrs.DallowayalltookplacewithinonesingledayinJune1923inLondon.Thenovelisorganizedintwoparallel-runningstories:onecentersOnClafissaDalloway,apolitician’SwifewhoWaSpreparingforflpartyshewastogivethatevening,whiletheotherisaboutSeptimusWarrenSmith,ashell—shockedveteranfromWorldWar1whocommittedsuicideOnthatday.ThetwothreadseventuallymeetonClarissa’Sparty,whenoneofhergueststalkedaboutthedeathofflyoungmancalledSeptimus,whowasoneofhispatients2.2ThethemeofMrs.DallowayandTheHoursMrs.Dallowayis,beyondanydoubt,acomplexbook.Thedifficultyaboutthisnovelliesnotonlyinitstechnicalinnovation,poeticlanguageandmeditativestyle,butalsointheobscurityandvaguenessaboutitstheme.ArnoldBennett,inhisarticle“AnotherCriticismoftheNewSchool”,claimeddirectlythathewastotallyatalosswhatthisnoveliSabout:16Mrs.Dalloway…beatme.Icouldnotfinishit.becauseIcouldnotdiscoverwhatitwasreallyabout,whatWasitsdirection,andwbatMrs.Woolfintendedtodemonstratebyit.(Bennett,1997:189.AndforthecriticLeonEdel.itwasbetternottobotherwimthequestionofthemewhencriticizingMrs.Dalloway,because.accordingtohisdiscussionin叻PModernP剐chologicalNovelMrs.Dallowayshouldbeapproachedasapoemratherthananovel,thereforeshouldbeexemptfromanyinvestigationformeaning(Edel,1955:198.ActuallytheuncertaintyaboutthecentralthemeofMrs.Dallowayisoneofitsfeaturesthatmarkthenovel’SbreakawayfromtheVictorianfictionalarts.Woolfdidn’tseemtocaremuchaboutacompletestorytllatendswiththerevelationofaclearmoral.HerfocusWasactuallyonltaeexplorationofthementalityofthecharacters.InMrs.Dalloway,whatreallymattersisnottheexteriorworld,buthowthecharacterreactstotheexteriorworld.AndthecharmofMrs.Dallowaylargelyliesinthecontrastbetweenthedifferentreactionsofdifferentpeopletowardsthesanleworld.VirginiaW001ftellsintheIntroductiontotheRandomHouseeditionofhernovelthatinheroriginalplan“Septimus,wholaterisintendedtobeherdouble,hadnoexistence;andthatMrs.Dallowaywasoriginallytokillherself,orperhapsmerelytodieattheendoftheparty”(Woolf,1928:vi.VirginiaⅥ,001f’SremarktellsUSthatClarissaandSeptimus’Sstorieswereoriginallydesignedtobeone.butWoolfsplititupanddrewoutanothercharactertobethe‘‘double”ofClarissa,todieforherandleaveClarissasafe.ActuallythischangeofVirginiaWoolfisanattempttoextemalizetheinnerconflictsofthecharactenWoolfslicedthedarkerpartofMrs.Dalloway’S17personalityfromher,personifieditintoarealpersonnamedSeptimus,andusedhisdeathtocontrastwithClafissaDalloway’Sprosperousfate.AndthisexplainswhySeptimus’SsuicidehadsuchstrongemotionalimpactonClarissa.Atthatmomen,Clarissawasconfrontedbyherownalterego.ActuallyClarissaandSeptimusdosharesomequalityincommon.AsPalphSamuelsonobserves,‘‘bothClarissaandSeptimusrevealinagreatpartoftheirthoughtaHamlet-like,death-broodingbent;andbothareinsympathywi也theideaofself-destructionasawayofpreservingtheirintegrityagainstforcesintheircommonsocialworldwhichthreatentoannihilatethemasindividuals”(Samuelson,1994:295.Thistendencyof“self-destruction'’issomethingsharedbythemboth;however,onlySeptimusletitexplode.Thistreatmentofhavingtwoleadingfiguresstandingside-by—sideandcontrastingwitheachotherisathreattothesenseofunitytreasuredbyVictoriannovelists.Iagree谢t11thecriticReneE.Fortinthat.‘"thefundamentalproblemofMrsDallowayisthefragmentationofthemodemworld,thelossofunitywithinsocietyandwithintheindividualhimself.”(Fortin,1994:307.Andthissenseofbeingfragmentedandalienatedisatthecoreofthesentimentalityofthecharacters,andistheatmosphereVirginiaWoolflriedtocreateinhernovel.owndiaryInthisbook(Mrs.DallowayIhavetoomanyideas.1wanttogivelifeanddeath,sanityandinsanity.1wanttocriticizethesocialsystem,andtoshowitatwork,atitsmostintense.(Woolf,1953:56SohereWoolflistsoutafewproblemssheisconcemedaboutinhernovel:lifeanddeath,sanityandinsanity,andacriticismofthesocialsystem.Noneofthese,asIconsider,cancoverthewholepictureofthenovel.howevertheycometogethertodeliverasenseofunease,disappointmentandfrustration.Compared埘thMrs.Dalloway,TheHoursofferedarelativelyeasyreading.evenforthosewhohaveverylittleknowledgeaboutVirginiaWoolf'slifeandworksTocomparethesetwonovdsintermsoftheme,weshouldfirstclarifyonepointthatTheHoursisasalutetoVirginiaWoolf,herentirelifeandwork,ratherthanMrs.Dallowaythesinglebook.MichaelCunninghamtakesMrs.DallowayasapointofentrytoexploretheartandlifeofVirginiaWoolf,yethisnoveldoesnotstophere.AsTheHoursisasalutetoVirginiaWoolf,andallattempttopresentthesufferingsandpainsofwomeningeneral,Mrs.Dallowayactuallypointstohumanityasawhole.Inthissense,thesetwonovelshavedifferentdirectionsofdevelopment,andaredifferentinscopeanddepth.However,despiteallthesedifferences,TheHoursinheritsalotfromMrs.Dalloway.andechoes谢msomeoftheimportantmotifsinthatbook.Ofallthecoanection5onecarlfindintllethemesofthetwonovels.Ichoosetofocusonthelife-deathmotifthatisverymuchatthecenterofbolhtexts9InTheHours,deathoccursinallthethreenarrativestrands.Asamatteroffact,thewholenovelstartsfromthesuicidesceneofVirginiaWoolf.CunninghamemploysgloomyyetpoeticlanguagetopresentWoolf'sdrowningintheriver,andpaysalotofattentiontosmalldetails.HisnarrationconvinceshisreadersthatdeathforVirginiaWoolfismorelikeareliefthanpain:Sheisbornequicklyalongbythecurrent.Sheappearstobeflying,afantasticfigure,armsoutstretched,hairstreaming,thetailofthefurcoatbillowingbehind.(TheHours,7WhenthestoryofVirginiaWoolfwaspickedupagainin砌8Hours.itwas192318yearspriortohersuicide.Curminghan]ciesignedoneordinarydayforWoolf,howeverstilltherewasdeath—也edeathofabird.winaessedbythechildrenofWj01PssisterVanessa.VirginiaWoolfandhersisterhelpeclthekidstoholdafuneralforthedeadbird.AndWoolfhopedinhermindthatitwasherthatwaslyingtheredead:Virginialingersanothermomentbesidesthedeadbirdinitscircleofroses....Shewouldliketoliedowninitsplace.Nodenyingit,shewouldlikethat.(TheHours,121Inthe‘'Mrs.Dalloway”part,thedeathsceIlewasRichard’SfallingfromthewindowinfrontofClarissaVaughan.RichardchosetocommitsuicidebeforethepartyClarissaarrangedforhimincelebrationofhiswinningofsomeliteratureprize.HewasveryfeebleatthattimebecauseofAids.Lifetohimwastooheavyaburden.StillthedeathofRichardwasdepictedaspeaceful,eventothepointofbeinggraceful:Heinchesforward,slidesgentlyoffthesill,andfalls....20HeseemsSOcertain,SOserene,thatshebrieflyimaginesithasn’thappenedata11.(TheHours,200Inthe“Mrs.Brown'’part,however,thereWaSnorealdeathscene,thoughithappensintheheroine’Simagination.ItWaSinahotelroom,whichLauraBrownpaidfortospendafewhourstoreadin.Asifallofasudden,itoccurredtoherthat,she●coulddecidetodie.Andthisideaofdeathofferedhergreatcomfort:[Death】could,shethinks,bedeeplycomforting;itmightfeelSOfree:tosimplygoaway.Tosaytothemall,Icouldn’tmanage,youhadnoidea;1didn’twanttotryanymore.Theremight,shethinks,beadreadfulbeautyinit,likeallicefieldorades蒿flinearlymoming.…Itwouldbeassimple,shethinks,ascheckingintoahotel.Itwouldbeassimpleasthat.(TheHours,151-152sufferedbywomen.AndLauraBrownprovedtobestrongerthanmostpeople’Sexpectationandoutlivedallherfamilymembers,Chapter3IntertextualityinTheHoursWhenaskedabouthowmuchWoolfpeopleshouldreadbeforeapproachingTheHours,MichaelCunningharnanswersItWaSimportanttomeinthebookthat...itbeentirelyaccessibletopeoplewhoknownothingatallaboutVirginiaWoolfandarenotevenentirelysureifsheWaSarealpersonorjustsomebodyEdwardAlbee5madeup(Curt,2005.Itisquitejustifiableandunderstandableforawritertoannouncenobackgroundknowledgeisrequiredforreadinghisbook,anditistruethatonedoesn’tneedtoknowtheLatinnameofarosebeforeheappreciatestheperfumeoftheflower.However,forabooklikeTheHours,atotalignoranceofVirginiaWoolfandherworkswilldefinitelyminimizethepleasureofreadingbymissingsomeveryinterestingpointswhichotherwisemaybediscoveredandappreciated.TheHoursinvolvesacarefullymadefabricofintertextualreferencestotheworkandlifeofⅥrginiaWoolf,whois,inasense,theheartandsoulofthewholenovel.Intertextualreferencespenetratealmostallaspectsandelementsofthenovel,turningthereadingexperienceintoaremarkableprocessofreadingandrereading,discoveringandrediscovering.Thisisbecauseforthereaders,theyareapproachinganddealingwithnotasingleisolatedtext,butamixtureofmanytexts,variantintimeandstyle,yetallrelevantinonewayoranothertooneintelligentandriddle—likewom舶一魄iniaWj01￡5Americanplaywrightwhoisfamousforhisplay“WhoisAfraidofVirginiaWoolf’ThetitleTheHoursitselfisahintofthebook’SintertextualrelationshipwithMrs.Dallowayasawhole,forthisisoneofthetitlesWoolforiginallyconsideredforthisnovelduringhercourseofwriting(Hussey,1995.MichaelCunninghamusesthistitleforhisnovelandbydoingSOsalutestheliteraryforemotherofhis.Asisillustratedbefore,therearethreenarrativestrandsinTheHours,respectivelyentitledas“Mrs.Dalloway'’.“Mrs.Woolf’and“Mrs.Brown'’.EachofthethreepartsisconnectedtoMrs.Dallowayinitsuniqueway,referringrespectivelytodifferentaspectsoftheworkandlifeofVirginiaWoolf.The“Mrs.Dalloway'’partisquiteobviouslyarewriteofVirginiaWoolf'scanonMrs.Dalloway;the“Mrs.Woolf’partholdsvariousreferencestothebiographiesofVirginiaWooIf,asCunninghamdeclaresin‘iANoteonSources”attheendofTheHours.Asforthe“Mrs.Brown'’part,acloserstudyisrequiredtodiscoveritsinterrelationshipwithvariousworksbyVirginiaWoolfotherthanMrs.Dalloway3.1“Mrs.Dalloway’’PartDalloway'’inTheHoursbearsnumerousreferencestoitshypertextinplotandcharacterization.Inthe“Mrs.Dalloway'’partofTheHours,theauthortakestheplotofMrs.DallowayasastartingpointandtransplantsitintotheNorth—AmericantI肌.lenniumcontext.Bothfocusingonthementalactivitiesofcharacters,theimpofranceofplotisactuallytuneddowntothepointthatthemajorfunctionofitistoprovideasitefortheinnerpsychologicalperformancesofthecharacters.Forbothtexts,thestoryiscomposedofafewimportantscenesthataiethreadedupbyaraniImngtreamofconsciousness.Thefollowingdia6ams6presentthemajorplotofthe“Mrs.Dalloway'’sectionsinTheHours,andMrs.Dalloway:MajorPlotofthe“Mrs.Dalloway"partinTheHour￥OPENNlNGDEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT因一目C11M^(Mrs.DallowaySeptimusWarrenSmith:CLOSINGM《orPlotofMrs.DallowayOPENNINGDEVELOPMENTCLlMAxPuttingthesetwodiagramstogether'it'snothardtodiscoverthatbothtext86Itshouldbepointedoutthatbothdiagramsalehi曲lysimplifiedoutlinesofthecentralplot・Minorplotsl-mre-themother-daughterrelationshipthatbothhemineshavetofaceisdeliberately..omitted‘hereSOthatweCallfocusonthemostcentralandintensivepersonalrelationsportray。dinfollowthesameformatofdevelopmentthatstartsfromanoptimisticopening;followatriviallineofdevelopment;reachatragicanddesperateclimaxandfinallyhaveacalmreunionasallending.Fortheopening,MichaelCuuningharnfollowsVirginiaWoolf'sversionandletsthestorystartfromabeautifulmorningwiththeheroingoingoutonaflower-buyingerrand.Thisisfollowedbyaseriesofordinaryandtrivialdailyencounters,includingaIlunexpectedvisitofalloldfriend.Forbothtexts.thesuddenappearanceofanoldfriendselvesasabridgetocomloctthepaStandthepresent.Andinbothtexts,themeetingisdescribedasawkwardratherthanjoyful,andthereforebecomesatnrningpointinthemoodoftheheroinaswellaSthewholestory.JustasVirginiaWoolfdidinMrs.Dalloway,MichaelCunninghalrloffershisreadersverylittleclueaboutthesuddensuicideofthehero