24 pages • 48-minute read
The New Dress
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Essay Topics
What is an anti-epiphany, and how does “The New Dress” use the traditional epiphany in a new way?
What are two major symbols used in “The New Dress,” and how do they relate to the themes of the story?
What are two effects of using interior monologue to tell the story of “The New Dress?” How would the story change if it were told from a third-person omniscient perspective?
What are at least two different meanings of the fly similes and metaphors that Mabel returns to throughout the story?
Analyze Woolf’s use of stream of consciousness as a literary technique. How would the story be different if Mabel’s subjectivity were conveyed in the first person?
How does this story reflect feminist concerns of the early 20th century?
Woolf conveys the making of the dress in a flashback—Mabel’s memories about the making of the dress. Analyze this choice. Would the effect of this part of the story be different if it had been conveyed in chronological order?
How does “The New Dress” illustrate isolation in social settings?
Describe how Mabel’s dress relates to feminist concerns around identity and gender roles.
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