Katherine Mansfield was a New Zealand writer who died far too young at the age of 34, 100 years ago. She is considered, despite having her life so prematurely curtailed, as being one of the most important voices in the modernist movement.
It was the intention of modernism to break away from traditional forms of writing in poetry and prose fiction, but also in the content such writing represented.
Unfortunately, political and economic interests in the 1920s and 1930s came along at a time when cultural and social creativity seemed about to explode. What would have become of modernism had other events not turned people’s attentions elsewhere?
The Garden Party, which I won’t ruin for you by giving too much of the plot away, but upon reading, it made me consider the role of classism in historical discourse. Has classism been addressed fully enough in our analyses of societal development? And just as importantly, why don’t we consider classism as much as we should do, today?
There is an absolute, delightful innocence to the storytelling, sharp angles and turns, and some very colourful imagery that help our minds go to places the story wants but doesn’t expressly dictate. If only Katherine had had time to write more.
She moved to England at 19 and became friends with D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf among others.
She was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in 1917 and passed away in France on January 9th, 1923.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
