It was written in 1924 whilst Woolf was writing Mrs. Dalloway (which was published the following year). It is possible that it was originally to have been a chapter in the novel; the two share some characters and events.[1][better source needed] It was not published until 1927 when it appeared in the May edition of The Forum.[2] It appeared again in A Haunted House and Other Short Stories published in 1944, and in Mrs. Dalloway's Party published in 1973.
Plot
The stream-of-consciousness narrative concerns Mabel Waring, deeply self-conscious and insecure as she attends a party hosted by Clarissa Dalloway. Mabel's new, though old-fashioned dress symbolizes her insecurity; she has gone to great care to have it made but on arrival at the party she sees it in a mirror and immediately announces to herself "No. It was not right".
