Stories (Vintage Classics)

I love to read, however this isn't a book i would choose to read for pleasure...instead it was a required read for a college english course for my daughter (much better price here than anywhere else). Perhaps the stories would be interesting to read just for reading, but sadly she was required to analyze and interpret the meaning and symbolism and intentions of the writing and so, sadly the love of reading was not encouraged but dreaded. A short story, Revelations, is seemingly about a woman in the 1920's who wakes up grumpy, has a guy interested in her, but she feels old and depressed, gives up on him, goes to a hair salon for some pampering, finds out the hair dresser lost their child that morning and feels like life sucks, flees hair salon and ends up at date with previous guy. five page short story...now interpret it and write a 4-6 page essay on the narrative analysis of this short story. Grr....we will resell this book at her class is over...yes this was for a freshman english course.

I needed a book for a class, and there were plenty of copies of this edition on the secondary market. Most of the best of Mansfield are included, and the paper on which it is printed is good enough so one can fill the margins with notes. The introductory material is "meh," and I can't believe that the editor left out some of the important New Zealand stories. However, if one is serious about Mansfield, one should also should be reading Alpers' biography and one of Angela Smith's excellent studies. This is a good volume with which to start with or to teach from.

Had never encountered her writing. Surprised how much I liked these stories.

I was totally unfamiliar w Kathryn Mansfield and her short stories. This introduction was very good.

You will never think about yourself and others the same again after these stories.A contemporary of Lawrence, Woolf and Eliot, she is a key modernist writer.

This author is marvelous.

very interesting!!

This collection of short stories is a remarkably good introduction to Katherine Mansfield. All of her most well-known and representative stories are included here, along with some that are lesser-known.The beauty of Mansfield's writing lies in her poetic description of detail--her power of suggestion--and her courage. She was determined, both in her life and in her writing, to move against the current of the time. Her life was filled with problems; her health, her love life, and her writing all caused her measureless pain, but in spite of these she lived her life the way she chose to live it. And though her writings were often critized--not least by her notable rival, Virginia Woolf--she kept on in the face of difficulty, and is now recognized as a major transformer of the short story.A few examples from this collection would be in order. In "At the Bay," Mansfield examines in great detail the experiences and emotions of each member of a large family in New Zealand. It is in this story that she displays perhaps to the fullest extent her ability to take seemingly unimportant details--gestures, looks, scattered thoughts--and from them build a fascinating portrayal of an individual's personality.In "Psychology," she conducts a unique experiment. At first glance, not much happens in the story; but on further examination and multiple rereadings, the depth of conflict becomes evident, and then, Mansfield's understanding of the deepest nooks and crannies not only of the female but also of the male character."The Singing Lesson" progresses in a lighter vein; a spinster singing teacher receives a message from her fiance, breaking off their engagement; she begins her teaching miserable, heart-broken, and full of anger. Thirty minutes later, she receives another message in which he reassures her of his love. The story contains interesting use of imagery and simile, and pokes mild fun at the tragic mood swings of the young woman.Mansfield's stories are not melodrama, but lyrics. They are short, poignant silhouttes drawn in quick and sometimes uneven brushstrokes, but always carrying the touch of genius.

Lovely, lovely book. Thank you 😊