Alfred Romero
10/4/2022
Professor Frank
Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism
QCQ#4
From her short story “The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection”, Virginia Woolf ends on an isolated sentence serving as the last body paragraph: “people should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms” (Woolf 219).
I can’t help but admire when stories end like this. There’s just something about an independent sentence serving as its own body paragraph that makes an ending seem so abrupt, for lack of a better word. When I read texts that include these, I immediately relate it to seemingly abrupt endings found in movies or TV shows. The types of endings that would leave the audience either wanting more or just have them basking in their own thoughts about which interpretation of the story would make the most sense. After the whole story and the revelation of Isabella Tyson’s character, I’d say that I agree with the statement. The fact that this last statement acts as a call back to reflect off of the first line within the story makes it so much more interesting as well. While it’s not exactly surprising, it does provide a shift in the story’s structure.
I guess my question would be what Woolf’s thoughts were when finalizing this piece. Why end this that way? What may have been inspiration for not just the last line, but the whole ending segment when Tyson’s character gets exposed to light?