In her lecture, Sandra Meigs spoke about her art (specifically paintings) and how she found the creative inspiration to do them. She said that is a gap between a work of art and the viewer and she strives to bridge this gap. She also said that the viewer projects emotion onto a painting, and she hopes her paintings will give the same effect back to the viewer. Meigs believes that a viewer has a particular experience when examining a piece of art and that the artwork itself gives this experience. While this may seem obvious, it is not as clear-cut as it initially suggests. I’m sure I can’t be the only one to admit that some pieces of art are completely lost on me. What I mean is that sometimes perhaps a painting will be beyond my intellectual level. No, I am not ashamed to admit this. I am only saying what many people refuse to admit. But, to return to what Meigs said, it is the job of the painting to deliver an experience to the viewer. It must draw the viewer in and captivate him. The mere fact that it is a painting is not enough. It must do more. Meigs focused on the gap between the canvas and the viewer, however, and how to draw these two things closer. One example of how she has done this comes from one of her collections (unfortunately, I cannot recall the name) that comprised of paintings with glass balls added to the canvas. She said that her purpose for doing this is because the glass spheres create different facial expressions in the viewer. Also, according to Meigs, the glass balls have the ability to “capture the viewer within themselves.”
My creative act this week is my attempt to bridge the gap between art and the viewer. Not being a painter myself, I decided to focus on what I do as an “artist.” I am a writer so, in order to bring the reader closer to the work, I wanted to rewrite an ending to one of my favourite novels. I feel that this bridges this gap because it gives the reader (me) a hand in the plot of the story. The novel I chose was Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. The story is about a woman in her 50′s, Clarissa Dalloway, and is set in London. Clarissa is preparing for a party while also recalling the people she once loved. She feels alienated from society and is unsatisfied with her life and the decisions she made in the past. In a parallel plot, Septimus Warren Smith has returned from the war and, after not having any emotional response to his friend’s death at the time it occurred, is on the verge of insanity. Septimus’ day intersects with Clarissa’s, although the two never meet. The past, present and future are all brought together in the story. In the original ending, Septimus Warren Smith commits suicide, leaving his Italian wife, Lucrezia, all alone in London. Clarissa relates to his death and sympathizes with him. The story is written in stream of consciousness, letting the reader in to the innermost thoughts of the characters. I will do my best to adhere to Woolf’s style. If you have read the novel, you will understand certain allusions in my ending. My version follows below.
Clarissa stood in the entranceway to the room, discontented, not knowing why – no, no, she did know why, she just did not want to admit it. Why, she practically couldn’t stand the sight of all these people, here at her party yet barely one of them saying a word to her. Of course, it was her husband’s party, or at least it was for his benefit, or the benefit of his career, but no. It was her party, that of Clarissa Dalloway. And yet she felt like an unwanted guest.
She went into the small side room and shut the door. I can be alone in here, she thought. Yes, she thought, walking over to the window and peering out. Yes, I can be alone, she thought again. Fear no more, she recited in her head, Fear no more. Clarissa pushed back the curtains and stared out into the night. What a beautiful night it was, calm, clear, this beautiful June day drawn to a perfect close. There would be no other moment, Clarissa thought. It must be now or not at all. She opened the latch. She pushed open the window. Looking down at the ground, she smiled to herself. What a pleasant evening! she said to herself. It was a perfect time. Yes, she regretted not saying goodbye to Richard, but so be it. There would be no other moment.
And what a surprise, it was Peter who sprang into her mind as she flung herself from the window! How very like him, Peter Walsh, to show up at such unexpected moments. Down, down, down she fell, until finally her misery was ended in a single moment. No more would she feel alone in this world, no more would she feel unappreciated, no more would she be humiliated, no more, no more, no more.
And right before the final moment, Fear no more, Clarissa thought.
I chose to end the story with Clarissa’s suicide, rather than Septimus’, because I felt it was a more ironically fitting conclusion. It creates a sense of surprise but also a deep understanding of the true nature of Clarissa’s unhappiness. While the reader would most likely expect Septimus to be the one to kill himself out of misery, Clarissa’s suicide bridges the gap between sanity and madness, which was Woolf’s intent in the first place. In my version, while I in no way mean to diminish the quality of Woolf’s work, I feel that the story has a more satisfying sense of catharsis.
