The evolution of Katherine Mansfield's art

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityAt her death Katherine Mansfield left to authentic modern art a small body of stories which are profound in interpretation, unusual in treatment, vital in meaning, and flawless in form. They are psycho-realistic interpretations of life. They were written during her last three years wherein writing was a daily victory over grave physical weakness. In spite of anguish and unrest Mansfield succeeded in transmitting through a highly developed art form a series of valid and irrefutable interpretations of basic life truths. Hers was an incompletely evolved art; it showed at her death substantial evidence of great potentialities. Yet because she produced The Canary, The Fly, Je ne Parle pas Francais, Miss Brill, Life of Ma Parker, The Lady's aid, The Daughters of the Late Colonel, A Cup of Tea, The Doll's House, Prelude, and At Bay, Katherine Mansfield must be recognized as a significant and competent psycho-realist in the field of the modern short story