The most interesting  1^st term activity, for me, was reading Michael Cunningham’s The Hours.

Our task was to read the novel and make the structural analysis. Then we had to take out modernist and post-modernist aspects by comparing the novel with Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway extracts in our book and also, The Hours movie.

Right from the first lines I read, I was fascinated by the deep inner analysis Cunnigham makes of his characters.

By quoting Virginia Woolf, he is able to create three totally realistic characters; they are no real person, but it is possible to recognize ourselves  in some of their problems. I think it’s extraordinary Cunningham’s attitude to analyze human mind, and his ability to let the reader feel near to his charcter’s problems.

The second interesting aspects of the novel was the  break between people’s identity and their social position.

As the character of Laura Brown perfectly shows, people’s social position do not communicate who people actually are. She does not feel better as a mother and she needs to escape from her daily routine. The hotel where she goes to read Mrs Dolloway, represents her own way to escape the reality. I believe all people have their “hotel”, and Cunningham shows how important it is.

To sum up, reading Michael Cunningham’s novel was a beautiful experience because it shows how difficult it is to know a person, and how human mind could be complex.