The Hours by Michael Cunningham

1. The Hoursby Michael Cunningham "Tolook life in the faith, always, to look life in the faith, and to know it for what it is. At last to know it, to love it, for what it is, and then, to put it away." - Virginia Woolf in The Hours Presented by Eva, Emily & Brian

2. Michael Cunningham • born in Cincinatti, Ohio, on November 6th, 1952 • receive his B.A. in English literature from Stanford University, and his M.F.A. from the University of Iowa • other works:*White Angel*Specimen Days*Flesh and Blood*A Home at the End of the World

3. Introduction

4. Virginia Woolf tries to decide whether to have her character, Clarissa Dalloway, kill herself at the end of her book. Virginia eventually ends her own life, so her deliberations about Clarissa partly reflect her own personal struggle with the idea of suicide.

5. Laura Brown feels trapped by the constraints of her role as a suburban housewife and sees suicide as a possible escape.

6. Clarissa Vaughn dwells on the difference between her current life and the summer she spent in Wellfleet with her lover, Richard, at age eighteen.

7. Comparison between the movie and the novel • In the novel, Laura is portrayed as having dark hair and eyes. (slightly exotic looking) • Laura is 4 years older than her husband, and she feels somewhat ashamed by this. • Laura’s family (her parents) failed to prosper in the US.

8. Laura kisses her neighbor; is Laura a lesbian? • Laura is portrayed as being very confused about herself and her emotions. She keeps telling herself that she should not resent her husband or child. She is confused as to why she feels otherwise.

9. Richard is a very sensitive boy and could feel his mother’s depression and perhaps desperation for something more. In the novel he is only three, but in the movie he seems to be about eight. • Even if the book follows the lives of each woman in jumpy scenes, they are still quite specifically notated, which adds to the understanding of the novel.

10. Imagery in The Hours • WaterSuicidesis connected by water imagery and descents and books are always evident.  • The Dead BirdThe bird representsdeath and Woolf feels close to death at the moment, unable to fly and stifled by depression.

11. Imagery in “The Hours” • Flowers The roses, in that they speak both of life and death in their ephemeral beauty, are one of the most eloquent and most-oft repeatedvisual symbols of the film. • Kisses The kisses were the symbol of an attempt and an outlet to look for love, vitality and life.

12. Stream of Consciousness in The Hours Stream of consciousness • It's a style of writing began at the early 20th century toexpress in words the flow of a character's thoughts and feelings and being inside the mind of the character. • The words often come together exactly how they do in the character or the authors’ head, theyjump freely with no sense of time, space, or order.

13. Stream of Consciousness in The Hours • It was made by three women’s completely separate stories taking place in different time periods. And these three stories were unexpectedly connected by the works of Virginia Woolf “ Mrs. Dalloway”. • The story is not told one at a time, but rather flashes back and forth between the three women and shows you exactly how they are linked. • Each of the three principal women is acutely conscious of her inner self or soul, slightly separate from the "self" seen by the world. For examples, contemplating suicide, unhappiness in a marriage, living with mental illness, and feelings of failure and so on.

14. Conclusion • Contrast-Leonard & Virginia vs Clarissa & RichardChildren vs Adult • Who’s suffering-Virginia & Richard or Leonard & Clarissa • Death & Life-Pains! Men’s or Women’s responsibility?

15. Freedom!

16. Websites • The author and his works<http://literati.net/Cunningham/>. • Questions for discussion<http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides/hours.asp>. • comments on the film (Chinese) <http://www.gendereq.kmu.edu.tw/phorum/read.php?f=9&i=137&t=5>.