The Portrayal of Time and Space in Emma and Mrs. Dalloway

There is a significant difference between the portrayal of time and space in the novels Emma and Mrs. Dalloway. This stems from the writers being from different eras. Jane Austin is a more traditional writer while Virginia Woolf wrote during a time of change. We will examine each work separately then analyze the differences.

Emma is a solid example of classic literature. The space is limited due to the constraints on travel for the era. People could only travel by foot or horse so distances were much more significant than they are today. Since distances were greater so were the time spans involved. The novel takes place over a series of months with implied downtime. There are sometime weeks between events with no real indication of the passing. Another notable point is that the entire book takes place in a public time and space. We never get to examine the more private functions of the characters. This exclusion is primarily related to the social norms of the time. One simply did not talk about such happenings in polite company. The book is narrated in a third person limited perspective with a very linear order.

Mrs. Dalloway is an example of a new style followed by the Georgians. The story takes place in an urban setting and really captures the hustle and bustle of such a setting. The main story takes place in a single day but there are numerous flash backs and such giving a much broader sense of time. We also get to follow the characters into more private settings as the social norms had changed over the hundred years. The scene transitions are fluid yet jarring by how sudden they are. This might seem like a contradiction but it works. If one reads carefully the transitions are similar to those that are popular convention in modern film yet can be easily missed if not enough attention is given.

So both of these stories take place in England in or near London. The relative space that the characters travel in is about the same between the two works. There is a female lead character and talks of marriage. That is about where the similarities end. Where Emma’s time is linear, Mrs. Dalloway’s is nowhere near linear with trips to the past of thirty years gone. Travel and time are slower in Emma as reflects the rural setting. Places are not as close together and travel speed is limited. Going out of the area is a big deal, while people can move around rapidly on public transport in Mrs. Dalloway. The social perceptions changed significantly over the course of the hundred years, especially for women. It used to be considered objectionable to have woman walk around by themselves. It was also uncouth to talk about private necessary functions such as eating and sleeping. This is different in Mrs. Dalloway, as Mrs. Dalloway goes out to purchase flowers in the city by herself and we eventually follow her into her bedroom. It is interesting to see these changes in culture come through the literature of the time. The changes in the way space and time is changing all the way through today.