Katherine Mansfield and Nature

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses whether nature, especially gardens, has a special place in Katherine Mansfield's work. After a closer look at a selection of her stories, the role of gardens and their symbolic meanings are examined. As the description of nature, often gardens and their flowers, constitute a considerable part of Mansfield's stories, her personal connection to nature is also taken into account. Finally, expression through the language of nature is analysed.

Outline
Introduction
Descriptions of Gardens
Descriptions of Landscapes
Symbolism
Nature Images in Language Choice
Conclusion
References

From the Paper:

"Katherine Mansfield grew up near the coast, surrounded by New Zealand's varied landscapes. However, she did not take the beauty of nature for granted. In fact, she paid attention to the details of nature and appreciated the landscapes. On her Urewera camping trip in 1907 she makes notes of the landscapes she sees, writes letters to her friends and family and experiments with literature (Scott 1997). Her notebook is a mix of notes about her trip, poetry, short stories and letters. It shows that Mansfield felt and inhaled the nature, rather than describing it as an external observer. She was part of the landscapes in which she stayed. It is likely that her conscious and close observation of the New Zealand nature strongly contributes to the descriptions in her short stories. Even when Mansfield lives abroad, she remembers the landscapes of New Zealand so vividly, that she can portray them very accurately in her stories."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Daly, Saralyn R., 1994. Katherine Mansfield. Revised Edition. New York: Twayne Publishers.
• O'Sullivan, Vincent, 1975. The Magnetic Chain. Notes and Approaches to K.M. In Landfall 29 no. 2 (June 1975), pp. 95-131.
• Scott, Margaret, 1997. The Katherine Mansfield Notebooks Vol. 1. Wellington: Lincoln University Press/Daphne Brassel.
• Smith, Angela (ed.), 2002. Katherine Mansfield. Selected Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

More papers on Katherine Mansfield and Nature:

• Book Review # 110346 : "Katherine Mansfield's "Miss Brill"
• Analytical Essay # 25367 : "Desire and Sexuality in Katherine Mansfield's Short Stories"

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