Book- The garden party and other stories

Book- The garden party and other stories

Author: Katherine Mansfield

Score:8/10 

Year: 2006 (short stories from 1920-1922 )

Publisher: Folis. ISBN 9782070308927

191 Pages 

Language : bilingual edition, English on one page, French translation on the opposing page.

I just read Katherine Mansfield 4 short stories proposed in this bilingual edition - which I had borrowed from our local media library - only to notice throughout this reading that I had actually done do before. 

I recall now that I had already done so a few years ago, for the same reason as this time: she was a suggested read by her friend Virginia Woolf. 

I don't mind reading the same book twice - I actually welcome it for a new perspective. 

Katherine's style is very different than Virginia's - the latter has a heavy flow in her stream of consciousnesses whilst the former is much lighter in her writing. 

Yet, they both approach female characters with details of daily lives, and have a gift in surprising endings. 

These are the four short stories :

• The garden party (1922)
• The young girl (1920)
• Her first ball (1921)
• The stranger (1921)

• I especially love the stranger's narrative - starting from a boat Mr Hammond is expecting in great anticipation and how Katherine unfolds this short story. She portrays this man's puerile extreme approach to life, and the ending is just brilliantly found. 

• On the other hand, Her first ball, telling of Leila's first ball seemed to go somewhere, but the ending sounds like Katherine didn't quite rightly know how to properly end it - so it gives a sensation that there's a missing chunk to actually finish the story. 

• Just like Virginia Woolf's the evening party, I find that Mansfield has explored the effect of a party and how noises mingle and at some point, one just cannot discern which person is talking in a very cleaver writing. It's just a shame that the ending doesn't live up to expectations. 

• The young girl tells of a group of friends hitting the casinos - the style flows nicely but I find it difficult to really care for the characters.

• Lastly, the first short story and title for this edition, the garden party has the most interesting writing and one can see mutual inspiration material between Mansfield and Woolf : the styles and subjects sound like joint projects, but each in her own voice.  Mansfield here has a more macabre ending than I read in any of Woolf's short stories - and in a quite original way.

Evidently, there are a few lines that show the period in which these stories were written- so we have to take them in social context of those days. 

Although I prefer Virginia Woolf's style, it's a good break to read lighter phrase structures and I find Katherine Mansfield's writing quite pleasant to read, overall.

I think I would prefer reading all of her short stories chronologically, just like I started for Virginia a few months ago, because it gives a sense of her growth as an author. 

This will be a future project, once I can gather the adequate information and reading materials.