Analysis of Katherine Mansfields The Garden Party

1. In his analysis of Katherine Mansfields The Garden Party, Thomas Foster argues that Lauras trip to the impoverished lane at the bottom of the film is a symbolic trip to Hades, along the lines of Persephones trip from Greek myth. Foster claims that the descent signifies a kind of social and sexual maturing for Laura, because by the end of it she has matured, although into what is not exactly clear. Foster sees evidence for interpreting Lauras descent as a trip into Hades throughout the story, but he relies mostly on Mrs. Sheridans possible connection to Demeter and the description of the journey from house to lane itself. Foster begins his discussion of Lauras trip by claiming that Mrs. Sheridan can be viewed as a version of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, fertility, and marriage (Foster 274). In the story, Mrs. Sheridan embodies these themes, most obviously because she is hosting a garden party, but in the details of her character as well. She has many children, which insinua tes both fertility and the possibility of marriage, and she even has a whole bunch of canna lilies brought in to further liven up the party. Foster further argues that the guests admiring the flowers at Mrs. Sheridans garden party go about in couples, as if she has in some way been responsible for their pairing off, making a further connection between Mrs. Sheridan and marriage (Foster 274). Foster has far less evidence demonstrating that Laura represents Persephone except forShow MoreRelatedTylistic Analysis of Katherine Mansfield’s Garden Party1002 Words   |  5 PagesStylistic Analysis of Katherine Mansfield’s Garden Party To better comprehend our course: Style in Fiction, I have selected a short story the Garden Party, so as to analyze in terms of styles. 1. About the writer and the story 1.1 About the writer Beforehand, I’d like to give a brief introduction of the short story’s writer Katherine Mansfield and the short story. Katherine was born in Wellington, New Zealand, into a middle-class colonial family in 1888. She studied at Queens CollegeRead MoreIn Vincent O’Sullivan’S Finding The Pattern, Solving The1578 Words   |  7 PagesIn Vincent O’Sullivan’s Finding the Pattern, Solving the Problem: Katherine Mansfield The New Zealand European, it is noted that Katherine Mansfield ‘was an enthusiast for the cinema’, that ‘she acted in several movies’ and that ‘her letters frequently took up such images as the months that â€Å"stream by like a movie picture†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(18). Furthermore, her short story At the Bay begins with the line ‘Very early morning’(Mansfield 5), that when interpreted from a literary standpoint, is more suited to a screenplayRead MoreThemes in Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfi eld1896 Words   |  8 PagesThemes in Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield Abstract: Fiction interpretation contributes to a more sufficient understanding and profound appreciation of literary works for readers. Miss Brill, a short story written by Katherine Mansfield, describes an afternoon in the life of a middle-aged spinster who visits the public park on a weekly basis, leading to her reassessment of her view of the world and the secular reality. Though short in form, it is really worth detailed interpretation and appreciationRead MoreKatherine Mansfield s The Garden Party1770 Words   |  8 Pages Foster begins this chapter with Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party. It is about a girl, Laura, setting up a garden party. Her mother, Mrs. Sheridan let her prepare the garden party for the first time, so she wants to make it the best. While doing the preparations for the party, Laura hears about the recent death of a man in the little cottages down the hill. Because of this, she tries to convince her sister and mother to cancel the party. H ow could they celebrate when a neighbor justRead MoreEssay about How to Read Literature Like a Professor1562 Words   |  7 Pagesto a literary work you have read or viewed. * Chapter 4 – If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet * Select three sonnets and show which form they are. Discuss how their content reflects the form. (Submit copies of the sonnets, marked to show your analysis. You may scan them or use your phone to take clear pictures.) * Chapter 5 – Now, Where Have I seen Her Before? * Define intersexuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific works. Chapter 6 – When in Doubt,Read MoreThe Illusion of Youth2846 Words   |  12 Pages Katherine Mansfield’s Miss. Brill written in 1920 is a short story a part of Mansfield’s The Garden Party and Other Stories. It is a short story about a middle-aged teacher, who finds joy in spending her Sunday afternoons, sitting in the park. At the park, she finds joy in observing others around her and pretending, they are all actors and actresses on a stage. Miss. Brill finds joy in the illusion that she creates at the park. She is a woman, who lives a very humdrum life and finds joy creating