This is a chance to look more closely at three well-known stories by an author who has had a significant impact on the shaping of the British short story. We’ll discuss each of them in turn, as well as thinking about the scandalous life-style of the authoress, and her links to the British publishing scene of the 1910s and early 1920s. Whether you already love Mansfield stories, or have not tried them before.

Katherine Mansfield was born in New Zealand in 1888 and died in France, in 1923. By then she was a key figure in Literary Britain. Her life, considered by many to be scandalous, was short but productive. Who was she? We’ll look at some biographical details, and discuss the relevance of that approach. After her death her value as a writer was quickly almost forgotten by the reading public, though a significant core of writers and critics continued to identify her influence on developments in modern short story-writing.

Mansfield’s works are now published in 25 languages. Why did she never write a novel? Why did Virginia Woolf have such mixed feelings about her? We’ll consider these questions, and more as we discuss three of her short stories: The Woman at the Store, The Daughters of the Late Colonel, and Bliss. Please read all of them before the session.

There are several collections of Mansfield stories available. The Collected Short Stories of Katherine Mansfield (Wordsworth Classics) has all of her stories. So does: The Complete Short Stories ISBN 10 1420973509 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1420973501