How long is Mrs. Dalloway?

Mrs. Dalloway is 247 pages, or approximately 90,133 words. At an average reading pace, it takes about 6 hours to read.

Is Mrs. Dalloway difficult to read?

Mrs. Dalloway has a difficulty score of 59 out of 100, making it quite demanding. Key factors include vocabulary 55 out of 100, sentence structure 70 out of 100, abstraction 65 out of 100.

What genre is Mrs. Dalloway?

Mrs. Dalloway is categorized as Literary Fiction. It was published in 1925 by Virginia Woolf.

When was Mrs. Dalloway published?

Mrs. Dalloway was published in 1925 by Virginia Woolf.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Name: Mrs. Dalloway
Author: Virginia Woolf

Published 1925 · 247 pages · 90,133 words · about 6 hours at an average pace · Literary Fiction

How hard is Mrs. Dalloway to read?

Mrs. Dalloway scores 59 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 55 out of 100: Woolf writes in polished, lyrical English that moves between characters' distinct consciousnesses. The vocabulary is literary but accessible—the challenge lies in following the flow of thought rather than unusual words.
Sentence structure: 70 out of 100: The sentences are long, flowing, and often shift mid-stream between thoughts and speakers. Woolf's stream-of-consciousness technique requires adjustment—you learn to swim rather than parse.
Abstraction: 65 out of 100: Woolf explores consciousness, time, and memory through her characters' moment-to-moment experiences. The abstract concerns are embedded in the texture of a single day rather than stated explicitly.
Information density: 57 out of 100: Woolf compresses enormous psychological depth into a single June day. Past and present interweave continuously as characters move through London. The density is emotional rather than informational.
Narrative indirection: 50 out of 100: Woolf moves between consciousnesses without announcement, letting thoughts flow into each other. What characters feel is shown rather than told. You inhabit rather than observe.
Symbolic density: 55 out of 100: Big Ben's chimes, the flowers, Septimus's birds—Woolf builds a symbolic architecture that connects her characters across the city. The symbols resonate through repetition and variation.
Ironic distance: 30 out of 100: Woolf maintains affection for Clarissa while seeing her limitations—the superficiality, the social climbing. The irony is gentle, understanding rather than condemning.
Resolution withholding: 35 out of 100: The party happens; Septimus dies; Clarissa faces mortality. Woolf provides the shape of the day's completion without resolving the larger questions about life's meaning.
Structural complexity: 47 out of 100: The narrative moves fluidly between multiple consciousnesses across a single day, with memories interrupting the present. This structure is the novel's signature and challenge.

How Mrs. Dalloway is regarded

Mrs. Dalloway holds a literary regard score of 89 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.