Sexuality in The Hours : An Intertextual Analysis on the Reconstruction of Characters and the Representation of Sexuality

Abstract: The essay aims to analyse what impact the reconstruction of the characters of Mrs Dalloway and the fictional character of Virginia Woolf has on the representation of sexuality in The Hours. The theoretical framework is based on queer theory, heteronormativity and gender studies. It also focuses on the use of allusions of intertextuality as a technique in the rewriting of Mrs Dalloway. The study focuses on the characters of The Hours: Clarissa Vaughan, Richard Brown, Laura Brown, and Virginia Woolf. The notion of sexuality and gender are common themes throughout The Hours where characters explore their choices and feelings for their sexual identities. The analysis examines what impact heteronormativity has in past and present societies. The notion of sexuality is explored among the characters where they struggle with their understanding of their sexualities. Cunningham demonstrates how sexuality can be perceived as ambiguous and how the search for sexuality continues to be apparent throughout the different time periods.