Fiction of Capital Cities

As we finished reading Mrs. Dalloway I can positively say I enjoyed it much more than Waverly. The plot in general is more appealing to me with the imagery of the city along with the relationships of characters. I enjoyed the fact that the point of view was written within one particular day. I have never read a book like this before so it was interesting to see how the story would develop. The relationships between characters were interesting as we learn there was a bit of a love triangle (like in Waverly) between Clarissa, her husband Richard, and Peter. Deep down she truly loves Peter, but she justifies her decision for marrying Richard as she needed a man to depend and rely on in her life and Richard was able to do that for her. I think it’s scary how relatable that feeling is to a lot of women. People make choices on what they think is better for them even if they feel something stronger for someone else. I think this a poor way to live your life as you might never truly be happy i...

After learning about Virginia Woolfs life history and her upbringing I was very intrigued at it was easy to make comparisons between her and the characters she writes about in Mrs. Dalloway. We were told about her depression and moods that resulted in multiple suicide attempts along with the tragic events that ultimately lead to her feeling that way. We also learned that she was married even though it was supposed that she had multiple affairs with women. These two facts about her life relate to two characters in her book. Septimus is a World War 1 veteran who essentially suffers from PTSD, experiences hallucinations and has sucicidal thoughts and tendencies. Since Virginia herself attempted suicide multiple times and ultimatly ended her life on her 4th attempt a conclusion can be drawn that she’s using this character in a way to express her inner thoughts or struggles. Then the main character, Clarissa Dalloway can also be considered a portrayal of Virginia as she has a female love i...

While we finish reading Waverly one thing that consistently sticks out is the narrative of the author. I find myself undecided on whether I enjoy the inputs of “...gently reader..” and ”But I must request the reader…”. In some cases, I like the fact that the author is talking to the readers in a way that it might be meant to help us understand the context of the plot. In other moments, I find it quite distracting. If I am reading a story I want to be fully captivated and almost in the story myself, but when the author says things like that it pulls me out and makes me stop to think why he needed to say certain things. In part, it reminds me of the show Bridgerton when there is the voice of Whistledown talking about the “plot” or the characters around her. When I think about this type of narration throughout the show I don’t mind it at all since that is sort of what makes it interesting. This is also why I think some moments I don't mind the interruption in the book. Maybe a reason ...

The main character of the story, Edward Waverly is quite an interesting character. He is not your average English in Scotland, he likes to read romance and have more fun rater than discuss politics and other issues. He is sent to become a soldier where he learns how to be what others expect of him. In Chapter 17 Edward travels to the Highlands to learn more about the Highlander ways so he gathered his papers to ensure he would be safe. He meets a highlander, Evan Dhu Maccombich, who is in a full mountian costume. Edward, the Baron and now Evan return to the mountains where we get to learn about the Highlander costume and customes. While on their long journey they reach a cave known as the Kings Cavern where there is the Highlander robber, Donald Bean Lean. He had stolen some cattle and sheep which have already been slaughtered which created a sense of terror for not only the characters, but for us as readers. However, Donald was familiar with Edwards uncle's Jacobist learnings so...

My sister and I Christmas morning (Go Bills!) Hello, my name is Alexis Raniewicz. I am currently a senior majoring in Interior Architecture and Design. I am from Rochester, NY where I have lived all my life, so coming to college a few hours away was a big change for me. I grew up with a twin sister and we were by each other's side through everything. We choose to go to different colleges because of our different interests and wanted to experience new things on our own and going on this trip will be one of those experiences that I didn't want to pass up! My hobbies usually include watching my favorite movies, listening to music, reading, making cookies or brownies, and being outdoors in the warm weather.   Architecture has always been an interest of mine and knowing there are so many places around the world that I have never seen is one of the main reasons I chose to go on this study abroad trip. I don't know very much about the places we will be visiting, but I suppose that...