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"I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (or
deformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."
Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed that
  • a)
    Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual characters
  • b)
    Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change society
  • c)
    Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into question
  • d)
    Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readers
Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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"I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at it...
In the passage it is mentioned that “It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore. ” Implies that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed that Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readers.
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"I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at it...
Explanation:

D. Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readers
- Virginia Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed that his writing was effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readers.
- Woolf admired Chaucer's ability to subtly convey moral lessons through his works without resorting to direct commentary or preaching.
- She appreciated the way Chaucer observed society and human behavior, allowing readers to absorb morality through the narrative itself.
- Woolf saw Chaucer as a master of social observation, much like herself, who used fiction as a contemplative art form rather than a platform for overt social criticism.
- By studying Chaucer's works, Woolf sought to understand how a writer could skillfully address social issues and shape readers' moral perspectives through storytelling.
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"I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeforme d) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that the most probable reason Woolf realistically described the social setting in the majority of her novels was that she

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"I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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"I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? for UPSC 2025 is part of UPSC preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the UPSC exam syllabus. Information about "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for UPSC 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for UPSC. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for UPSC Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice "I want to criticize the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense." Virginia Woolf’s provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the "poetic” novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness. In her novels, Woolf is deeply engaged by the questions of how individuals are shaped (ordeformed) by their social environments, how historical forces impinge on people’s lives, how class, wealth, and gender help to determine people’s fates. Most of her novels are rooted in a realistically rendered social setting and in a precise historical time.Woolf’s focus on society has not been generally recognized because of her intense antipathy to propaganda in art. The pictures of reformers in her novels are usually satiric or sharply critical.Woolf detested what she called "preaching" in fiction, too, and criticized novelist D. H. Lawrence (among others) for working by this method. Woolf’s own social criticism is expressed in the language of observation rather than in direct commentary, since for her, fiction is a contemplative, not an active art. Woolf’s literary models were acute social observers like Chekhov and Chaucer. As she put it in The Common Reader, "It is safe to say that not a single law has been framed or one stone set upon another because of anything Chaucer said or wrote; and yet, as we read him, we are absorbing morality at every pore."Q. It can be inferred from the passage that Woolf chose Chaucer as a literary model because she believed thata)Chaucer was the first English author to focus on society as a whole as well as on individual charactersb)Chaucer was an honest and forthright author, whereas novelists like D.H. Lawrence did not sincerely wish to change societyc)Chaucer was more concerned with understanding his society than with calling its accepted mores into questiond)Chaucer’s writing was greatly, if subtly, effective in influencing the moral attitudes of his readersCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice UPSC tests.
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