Katherine Mansfield is a genius among the writers of the early 20thcentury and her work should not only be paid particular attention due to her credit for feminist literature; her work paved a way for all aspects of contemporary writing. The first ‘innovation’ she introduced was her choice of narrative form: the short story. It was not that the short story became her invention, but writing novels was still more fashionable, at least among Anglo-Saxon authors (Ganzmann 1985, 1-3). Yet, it is not purely by reason of her motivation to leave Victorian traditions behind that she preferred this form. Mansfield was destined to live a short life, thus, it fell to her lot to write short stories.1Fortunately, even “Prelude”, intended to become a novel entitled “The Aloe”, turned out to be a short story. Her will to modernize made her surpass ‘old-fashioned’ conventions and experiment with points of view through revising “The Aloe”, until she found a style that became characteristically her own. She managed to enable the readers of her stories to enter into a kind of personal relationship with the characters of her writings.
This assignment shall investigate the development from “The Aloe” as an “auktorial” narrative to “Prelude” being more “personal”. First, it provides a brief overview of the story’s textual genesis. Afterwards, we shall have a close look at Mansfield’s point-of-view-technique: what were the circumstances for her experimenting? What is distinctive about Mansfield’s style and what are the ‘side effects’? Here, Mansfield’s “glimpses” shall be devoted an extra chapter, since these hold a special position in the improvement of Mansfield’s method. As a last point, we want to compare “Prelude” with its original version “The Aloe” to demonstrate the progression.
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- TEXTUAL GENESIS
- POINT OF VIEW: FROM “AUKTORIAL” TO “PERSONAL”
- MANSFIELD'S INNOVATION
- MULTIPERSONAL VIEW
- FREE INDIRECT DISCOURSE AND CONTAMINATION
- "EPIPHANY” AND “GLIMPSES"
- "THE ALOE” VS. “PRELUDE”
Objectives and Key Themes
This assignment investigates the development of Katherine Mansfield's "The Aloe" from an "auktorial" narrative to "Prelude" as a more "personal" work. It aims to analyze the genesis of the story, examine Mansfield's point-of-view technique, and explore how her "glimpses" contribute to the story's development. The analysis concludes by comparing "Prelude" to its original version, highlighting the progression in Mansfield's style.
- The genesis of Katherine Mansfield's "The Aloe" and its transformation into "Prelude"
- The evolution of Mansfield's point-of-view techniques from an "auktorial" to a more "personal" style
- The role of "glimpses" in enhancing Mansfield's writing style
- A comparison of "Prelude" and its original version, "The Aloe," to demonstrate the development of Mansfield's narrative structure
- The influence of Mansfield's personal life and experiences on her writing
Chapter Summaries
- Introduction: This chapter introduces Katherine Mansfield and her significant contributions to early 20th-century writing, emphasizing her innovative use of the short story form. It highlights her desire to move beyond Victorian traditions and explore new narrative styles, particularly in her adaptation of "The Aloe" into "Prelude." The chapter emphasizes Mansfield's innovative point-of-view techniques, allowing readers to establish a personal connection with the characters.
- Textual Genesis: This chapter explores the complex writing process behind "The Aloe," emphasizing the influence of Mansfield's personal experiences, particularly the death of her brother Leslie Beauchamp. It outlines the story's development from its early stages in 1915, through its revisions and eventual publication as "Prelude" in 1918. The chapter traces the evolution of the story, focusing on Mansfield's desire to create a work dedicated to her brother's memory.
Keywords
The primary keywords and focus topics in this work include Katherine Mansfield, short story, narrative structure, point-of-view, "auktorial," "personal," "glimpses," "epiphany," "The Aloe," "Prelude," textual genesis, and literary innovation.
- Quote paper
- Nadine Scherny (Author), 2003, Mansfield's "Prelude" to a new era: On the development of a narrative structure, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/61681
