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How To Write Like Katherine Mansfield
Mansfield borrowed from those who came before her and we may do the same. In fact, it’s inevitable. It pays to know our own influences… if only so we don’t mimic them too closely. Overall, Mansfield was a modernist writer. And of the modernist writers, she was at the highly aesthetic and visual end of […]
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The Woman At The Store by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“The Woman At The Store” (1912) is one of Mansfield’s earlier stories, written for the magazine Rhythm. The aesthetic goal of this magazine was pity, brutality and a carefully wrought plot with adequate foreshadowing. It is now thought that this story is far from Mansfield’s best work. This short story has been criticised for its […]
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At The Bay by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“At the Bay” (1921) is considered one of Mansfield’s best short stories, by a writer at the height of her powers. This is one of the three about the Burnell family, who also star in “Prelude” and “The Doll’s House“. “At The Bay” is an interesting case study for writers, for so many reasons. Notably: […]
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Prelude by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Prelude” is the first in a trilogy of interlinked short stories. The other stories starring the Burnell family are “At the Bay” and “The Doll’s House”. Although Mansfield also populates “The Doll’s House” with the same characters.
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The Tiredness of Rosabel by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
Outside school magazines, “The Tiredness of Rosabel” was Katherine Mansfield’s first published story (1908, when Mansfield was 20 years old). Already we can see features the author became known for: WHAT HAPPENS IN “THE TIREDNESS OF ROSABEL” Rosabel takes a bus home after a tiring day working in a millinery shop. She thinks of a […]
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Her First Ball by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Her First Ball” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, written 1921. Though this story is nigh on 100 years old, it’s a tale of pick up artist culture, and reminds of the ‘toolies’ who attend Schoolies Week here in Australia. STORY STRUCTURE OF “HER FIRST BALL” Leila has turned 18, so must now attend […]
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The Escape by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
It’s almost impossible to read Katherine Mansfield’s “The Escape” (1920) without linking back to the author’s own biography. But perhaps we shouldn’t look to Mansfield’s relationship with a man in order to understand where this story might have come from. Biographer Claire Tomalin has said this about Mansfield:
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New Dresses by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“New Dresses” (1912) is nowhere near as accomplished as Katherine Mansfield’s later short stories as it lacks focus and appears contrived. “New Dresses” is a different sort of story altogether from the Prelude trilogy, and we need a different yardstick. That said, The Carsfield family is said to be the prototype of the Burnells who we […]
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The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“The Doll’s House” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, set in New Zealand, written 1922. This is Mansfield’s most accessible story, and a good introduction to her work. Its main themes are seen across children’s literature as well. Unlike stories such as “The Garden Party” and “Bliss”, the reader is not required to fill […]
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Sun and Moon by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Sun and Moon” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, written 1918. The story opens with a description of gold chairs, which reminds me of a totally unrelated Colin Carpenter (Comedy Company) skit: And while I’m being random, I read recently in a Marcus Chown science book that tides are caused by both the moon […]
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The Voyage by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“The Voyage” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, written 1921. Find it in The Garden Party collection. Katherine Mansfield always disliked intellectualism and aestheticism (one thing she had in common with her husband John Middleton Murray). She strove to combine a realist way of writing with personal and relatable symbols. “The Voyage” is a […]
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Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Miss Brill” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, written 1920, three years before she died. The emotional valence of “Miss Brill” is similar to that in “Bliss“. In both stories, a young woman starts off happy but then an unwelcome Anagnorisis sends her plunging into a downcast mood. In both stories, the reader must […]
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Bliss by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“Bliss” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield and one of Mansfield’s last. “Bliss” is offered as an example of a ‘lyrical’ short story. From a writing point of view, “Bliss” is interesting for its struggle scene, in which the main character experiences purely positive emotions rather than the negative charge which normally goes hand-in-hand […]
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The Wind Blows by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
On the surface level, “The Wind Blows” by Katherine Mansfield is a coming-of-age short story about an adolescent girl (Matilda) who wakes up one morning, nervous and tense. While the wind blows outside, she gets ready for her music lesson. Before she leaves she has a minor disagreement with her mother. She has her music […]
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A Dill Pickle by Katherine Mansfield Short Story Analysis
“A Dill Pickle” is a 1917 short story by Katherine Mansfield. Over the course of a single café scene, a woman meets up with a former beau. This is a feminist story about how men and women tend to communicate, and illuminates Mansfield’s deep interest in psychology. I’m in a restaurant in Cambridge and this […]