From Metonymy to Metaphor or the Poeticization of a Prose Text Using the Example of Virginia Woolf’s Novel “Mrs. Dalloway”

Abstract

The intent of this paper is to address the process of transition of the modern novel from metonimic to metaphoric mode of expression, presenting the specific characteristics of the each mode, and to try to explain why this change had to take place in the literature emerging at the onset of the twentieth century. The paper specifically engages with the work of Virginia Woolf and her most famous novel Mrs Dalloway. It presents us with the main characteristics of her specific style of writing and gives a thorough insight into the poetic elements of her prose.