THE MEANING OF COLOUR IN VIRGINIA WOOLF’S NOVEL “MRS DALLOWAY”

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the topic of colours and its significance in the works by V. Woolf on the basis of the novel «Mrs Dalloway». It has been pointed out that the novel «Mrs Dalloway» belongs to a new trend in the European culture – modernism, that appeared at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries. It was the time when there was a need for a new understanding of the reality, interest in an individual, his/her inner world and its perception. It has been underlined that modernism was characterized by such features as experimentation, creation of forms, and antirealistic slants. Aesthetic and cultural beliefs of V. Woolf were based on the idea that the main things for arts were free imagination, visualization of emotions via colour and sound, endless associations, symbols, abilities to reflect the time flow in the finest ways. It was the colour that became one of the most favourite figurative means of V. Woolf, with the help of which she conveyed the world of feelings and moods of her characters, demonstrated the play of light and darkness, enhancing a reader’s ability to discover the novel’s character and idea. Among the most frequently used colours in the novel «Mrs Dalloway» are white, green, pink, and red. The white colour is used in the positive and in the negative meaning: purity and innocence, social closeness and elitism, life emptiness and colourfulness, salvation from old age, uselessness and weakness. The green colour symbolizes calmness and restoration of the inner harmony, hope for positive changes, and signifies spring. But it can also stand for the stagnation, illusion of the harmony in life, a need for the protection from the social rejection. The pink colour is used less often than green and white, but it helps to underline one of the main problems of the novel – the question of the opposition of youth and old age. Pink is also associated with the emotional claustrophobia. The red colour is often applied to indue characters with such features as courage, strength, energy, and warmth. At the same time it is a colour of aggression, bold disobedience, fear, tension, and survival. It has been found out that almost every hue in the novel is used with a curtain purpose and it gives a key to a reader to discover a personality of a character.