Quote by Virginia Woolf

One feels even in the midst of the traffic, or waking at night, Clarissa was positive, a particular hush, or solemnity; an indescribable pause; a suspense before Big Ben strikes. There! Out it boomed. First a warning, musical; then the hour, irrevocable. The leaden circles dissolved in the air. Such fools we are, she thought, crossing Victoria Street. For Heaven only knows why one loves it so, how one sees it so, making it up, building it round one, tumbling it, creating it every moment afresh; but the veriest frumps, the most dejected of miseries sitting on doorsteps (drink their downfall) do the same; can't be dealt with, she felt positive, by Acts of Parliament for that very reason: they love life. In people's eyes, in the swing, tramp, and trudge; in the bellow and the uproar; the carriages, motor cars, omnibuses, vans, sandwich men shuffling and swinging; brass bands; barrel organs; in the triumph and the jingle and the strange high singing of some aeroplane overhead was what she loved; life; London; this moment in June.


One feels even in the midst of the traffic, or waking at nig

Summary

This quote, from Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway, captures the protagonist Clarissa's profound connection to the bustling city of London. Despite the noise and chaos of daily life, Clarissa perceives a certain stillness and significance, a suspended anticipation before the chiming of Big Ben. She ponders the mysterious joy and allure of life, noting that even those in the depths of despair find solace in it. Through the vivid descriptions of the city's sights and sounds - from carriages to barrel organs to bustling crowds - Clarissa's love for life and London in this specific June moment becomes apparent.

Topics

London
By Virginia Woolf
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