Imagining social classes: E. M. Forster’s Howards End and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Zamišljajući društvene klase: E.M. Forster Howards End i Virginia Woolf Mrs Dalloway
• Author: Anđa Belić
• Mentor: Borislav Knežević (mentor)
• Committee member: Martina Domines Veliki (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Vanja Polić Jurković (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2020-12-03, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss in more detail how, on the one hand, Woolf always tries to examine different types of relationships within society while focusing more on the inner life of characters, i.e. their emotions, thoughts and inner monologues, and how through her characters she criticizes post-War conservatism and English society; while, on the other hand, Forster attempts to emphasize the need of people to communicate and establish affinity and love relationships as well as importance of connections. In other words, these relationships should be guided by pure love and not by restrictions imposed by society such as cultural and class differences, money, status, education, etc. However, Forster does this in a slightly different way than Woolf. Namely, he looks into the world of traditional and conservative upper-class society by putting together three completely different families in order to criticize and ridicule the snobbishness of English society in dealing with people of other cultures and societies as well as the sad reality of those in poverty that are on daily basis neglected and exploited by the upper class. By contrast, Woolf criticises English society in a more subtle way using different narrative techniques that have allowed her to show to the reader different ways to find meaning in life and to realise his or her true identities.

• Keywords: Mrs Dalloway; Howards End; class; privilege; modern; English society
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:121389
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: Linguistics; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Access restricted to students and staff of home institution
• Created on: 2020-12-04 08:57:38