Explored how Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" was influenced by Joyce's "Ulysses", using a one-day narrative of wandering through the city of London to showcase the complex spiritual world of modern people. Stream of consciousness writers turn to the portrayal of the inner spiritual world, while wanderer narratives combine material and spiritual worlds. At the beginning of the 20th century, the social value system collapsed, and modernist writers explored the inner spiritual world, leading to changes in the image of wanderers. In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf transforms the narrative tradition of male wanderers, using three marginalized characters - women, mentally ill individuals, and failures in Indian colonies - as narrative subjects to showcase different aspects of the imperial center of London, leading readers into the complex political narrative of the British Empire after World War I. The dual identity of these 'semi outsiders' makes them both resistant and dependent on the political discourse of the British Empire, presenting ambiguity and contradiction. Their travels are concentrated in the commercial, political, and leisure areas of London, showcasing post-war social changes through the stream of consciousness and revealing how patriarchy, royal authority, and militaristic ideas oppress individual lives and spiritual spaces. At the same time, characters construct their own identity subjectivity through wandering and self interpretation of street landscapes, achieving resistance from the weak. Woolf constructs a polyphonic narrative through the wandering of three peripheral characters, creating a network structure and synchronic effect, reflecting the modern significance of the novel.

Urban wanderers and spatial practice

In depth exploration of the concept of "wanderer" originated from Baudelaire's description, emphasizing its role as a catcher and experiencer of modern urban experience. Benjamin further elaborated that wanderers, as members of the leisure class, transform their individual aesthetic experiences into art by observing crowds and urban landscapes. In the mid to late 19th century, Paris provided an ideal environment for wanderers who witnessed the unpredictability of modern experience. Foucault believed that space is the foundation of power operation, and individuals are disciplined through panoramic open view structures and other means. Seto proposed that individuals can escape or resist this control through daily life practices, emphasizing that individual walking, strolling, and other behaviors in urban space are important spatial practice methods that can create their own urban experiences and stories, thereby deconstructing the surveillance and discipline of spatial planners.

Female Wanderer Clarissa

In depth exploration of the female wanderer character Clarissa Dalloway in 'Mrs. Dalloway', as well as her actions and experiences in gender segregated spaces during the Victorian era. Clarissa's roaming behavior reflects the freedom that women gradually gain in public spaces. Her movements range from Westminster to Marbury flower shops, and then back home, showcasing her love for urban life and desire for freedom. Woolf depicted the vitality and prosperity of London through Clarissa's perspective, while also reflecting the independence that women have gained in the consumer economy. Clarissa's dual identity as both a woman and a member of high society makes her wanderings complex. Her wandering is not only a pursuit of material possessions and desires, but also a yearning for equality and freedom. However, this sense of freedom was short-lived, and her wanderings ultimately returned to home and banquet preparation, reflecting the struggle of women between traditional roles and modern freedom. Clarissa's stream of consciousness is filled with reflections on the emptiness of life, and her wandering is an exploration of self-identity and a reconciliation with death. Overall, this chapter reveals the changing status of post-war British women in social change, as well as their complex process of seeking self-identity in public spaces.

Peter: The Failed Colonial Wanderer

Through the role of Peter, this article explores the changes in British society after World War I and its mockery of imperial politics and militaristic thinking. Peter, as an official from an Indian colony, despite possessing a gender and class that matched Benjamin's identity as a wanderer, was a failure in love, entangled with married women, and became a marginalized figure in the upper class circle of friends. Woolf examined the streets of London through Peter's perspective, while revealing his identification with the civilization of the British Empire and his pride as a citizen of the empire.

Septimus: Roaming of Patients with 'Bullet Shock Syndrome'

Through the role of Septimus, the relationship between patients with 'ballistics' and imperial politics was explored. Septimus' roaming experience was different from that of traditional wanderers, as he developed a fear of urban landscapes and sounds due to PTSD, and his chaotic stream of consciousness reflected the disillusionment of post-war society. Septimus' roaming path reveals class differences and power structures in the West End of London, while his chaotic stream of consciousness in coexisting with the royal family and government questions authority. Woolf showcases the impact of war on educated youth and the neglect of these victims by post-war society through Septimus' experience. The contrast between Septimus' hallucinations and Peter's admiration reinforces the satire of British militarism and imperial politics. Woolf's writing aims to showcase life and death, criticize social systems, and reveal the undercurrents of post-war society through the wandering experiences of marginalized characters.