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The Daughters Of The Late Colonel
The Daughters of the Late Colonel is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, published in 1922. The story is about two sisters, Josephine and Constantia, who are struggling to come to terms with the death of their father, the late Colonel. They are both unmarried and have lived with their father for their entire lives, and now that he is gone, they must learn to live on their own.The story is set in the sisters' home, where they are sorting through their father's belongings and trying to decide what to do with them. They are also dealing with the aftermath of their father's death, including the arrival of their brother, who is eager to take control of the family's affairs.As the story progresses, the sisters begin to realize that they have lived their entire lives in their father's shadow, and that they have never really been able to make their own decisions. They also begin to see the flaws in their father's character, and to question the values that he instilled in them.The Daughters of the Late Colonel is a poignant and insightful exploration of grief, family relationships, and the struggle for independence. Mansfield's writing is spare and understated, but she manages to convey a great deal of emotion and depth through the subtle interactions between the characters. The story is a powerful reminder of the importance of living life on one's own terms, and of the need to break free from the constraints of tradition and convention.Father would never forgive them. That was what they felt more than ever when, two mornings later, they went into his room to go through his things. They had discussed it quite calmly. It was even down on Josephine's list of things to be done. Go through father's things and settle about them. But that was a very different matter from saying after breakfast.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
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About the author
Katherine Mansfield
959 books1,201 followersKathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp) was a prominent New Zealand modernist writer of short fiction who wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield.
Katherine Mansfield is widely considered one of the best short story writers of her period. A number of her works, including "Miss Brill", "Prelude", "The Garden Party", "The Doll's House", and later works such as "The Fly", are frequently collected in short story anthologies. Mansfield also proved ahead of her time in her adoration of Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov, and incorporated some of his themes and techniques into her writing.
Katherine Mansfield was part of a "new dawn" in English literature with T.S. Eliot, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. She was associated with the brilliant group of writers who made the London of the period the centre of the literary world.
Nevertheless, Mansfield was a New Zealand writer - she could not have written as she did had she not gone to live in England and France, but she could not have done her best work if she had not had firm roots in her native land. She used her memories in her writing from the beginning, people, the places, even the colloquial speech of the country form the fabric of much of her best work.
Mansfield's stories were the first of significance in English to be written without a conventional plot. Supplanting the strictly structured plots of her predecessors in the genre (Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells), Mansfield concentrated on one moment, a crisis or a turning point, rather than on a sequence of events. The plot is secondary to mood and characters. The stories are innovative in many other ways. They feature simple things - a doll's house or a charwoman. Her imagery, frequently from nature, flowers, wind and colours, set the scene with which readers can identify easily.
Themes too are universal: human isolation, the questioning of traditional roles of men and women in society, the conflict between love and disillusionment, idealism and reality, beauty and ugliness, joy and suffering, and the inevitability of these paradoxes. Oblique narration (influenced by Chekhov but certainly developed by Mansfield) includes the use of symbolism - the doll's house lamp, the fly, the pear tree - hinting at the hidden layers of meaning. Suggestion and implication replace direct detail.
Katherine Mansfield is widely considered one of the best short story writers of her period. A number of her works, including "Miss Brill", "Prelude", "The Garden Party", "The Doll's House", and later works such as "The Fly", are frequently collected in short story anthologies. Mansfield also proved ahead of her time in her adoration of Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov, and incorporated some of his themes and techniques into her writing.
Katherine Mansfield was part of a "new dawn" in English literature with T.S. Eliot, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. She was associated with the brilliant group of writers who made the London of the period the centre of the literary world.
Nevertheless, Mansfield was a New Zealand writer - she could not have written as she did had she not gone to live in England and France, but she could not have done her best work if she had not had firm roots in her native land. She used her memories in her writing from the beginning, people, the places, even the colloquial speech of the country form the fabric of much of her best work.
Mansfield's stories were the first of significance in English to be written without a conventional plot. Supplanting the strictly structured plots of her predecessors in the genre (Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells), Mansfield concentrated on one moment, a crisis or a turning point, rather than on a sequence of events. The plot is secondary to mood and characters. The stories are innovative in many other ways. They feature simple things - a doll's house or a charwoman. Her imagery, frequently from nature, flowers, wind and colours, set the scene with which readers can identify easily.
Themes too are universal: human isolation, the questioning of traditional roles of men and women in society, the conflict between love and disillusionment, idealism and reality, beauty and ugliness, joy and suffering, and the inevitability of these paradoxes. Oblique narration (influenced by Chekhov but certainly developed by Mansfield) includes the use of symbolism - the doll's house lamp, the fly, the pear tree - hinting at the hidden layers of meaning. Suggestion and implication replace direct detail.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
November 23, 2022
This short story opens with two sisters, evidently quite close, dealing with the immediate aftermath of their father’s death. Their flighty thoughts and actions, vagueness about time and mealtimes, and the way they tease each other led me to assume that they were in their twenties or even late teens.
“Constantia was still gazing at the clock. She couldn't make up her mind if it was fast or slow. It was one or the other, she felt almost certain of that. At any rate, it had been.
There’s a mix of practicalities (people to tell, a funeral to arrange, condolence letters to reply to, possessions to sort through) and more awkward social interactions (with a nurse, a vicar, and their maid).
What’s sort of story?
It’s a slippery tale, and I could never quite decide what it was. There’s some comedy of manners, a few mysterious hints about secrets, a fleeting supernatural aspect, some nasty assumptions about the people of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which were probably normal for 1921, a puzzling relationship with their maid, and a quasi feminist angle emerging by the end. The loss of a parent is almost secondary - and yet in some ways, he’s the most constant and powerful presence.
Image: Gold pocket watch - totemic in the story (Source.)
Is it funny?
Josephine and Constantia briefly consider if they should dye their dressing gowns black for mourning, there’s a memorably awkward and absurd conversation (if that’s not too strong a word) about meringues between a dying man and a young relative, and an infuriating and unjustly snooty house guest. But is it a funny story? Not primarily.
I would have enjoyed it more without the expectation of laughs that I had from reading it in Paul Merton’s collection Funny Ha Ha: 80 of the funniest stories ever written (see my review HERE).
I think my largest smile was for one of the most anti-climactic endings I’ve ever read. Except on reflection, it’s not. It’s utterly apt.
So what sort of story is it?
The colonel of the title is dead. The story is primarily about his daughters whose place in the title, as in life, is as mere adjuncts to him. There is an almost literal sense of his continued oversight in what’s left of their lives - lives thus far devoted to him and his whims, rather than forging their own identities, relationships, and maybe marriages.
Familial duty matters, but not to the extent of extinguishing the chance of a meaningful life of our own.
Our parents give us life, but it is our responsibility - and right - to live it. Kindly, but freely.
Gifts should not come with strings, except as part of the wrapping, or if there’s a marionette inside.
Image: Cutting marionette string (Source.)
Quotes
* “The sunshine pressed through the windows, thieved its way in, flashed its light over the furniture and the photographs.”
* “A perfect fountain of bubbles of notes shook from the barrel-organ, round, bright notes, carelessly scattered.”
Read it free
You can read or download the story in a variety of formats, along with other short stories by Mansfield, on Gutenberg, HERE.
This was published in the collection called The Garden Party.
* I reviewed the title story HERE.
* I reviewed Miss Brill HERE.
* I reviewed Bliss, from a different collection, HERE.
“Constantia was still gazing at the clock. She couldn't make up her mind if it was fast or slow. It was one or the other, she felt almost certain of that. At any rate, it had been.
There’s a mix of practicalities (people to tell, a funeral to arrange, condolence letters to reply to, possessions to sort through) and more awkward social interactions (with a nurse, a vicar, and their maid).
What’s sort of story?
It’s a slippery tale, and I could never quite decide what it was. There’s some comedy of manners, a few mysterious hints about secrets, a fleeting supernatural aspect, some nasty assumptions about the people of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which were probably normal for 1921, a puzzling relationship with their maid, and a quasi feminist angle emerging by the end. The loss of a parent is almost secondary - and yet in some ways, he’s the most constant and powerful presence.
Image: Gold pocket watch - totemic in the story (Source.)
Is it funny?
Josephine and Constantia briefly consider if they should dye their dressing gowns black for mourning, there’s a memorably awkward and absurd conversation (if that’s not too strong a word) about meringues between a dying man and a young relative, and an infuriating and unjustly snooty house guest. But is it a funny story? Not primarily.
I would have enjoyed it more without the expectation of laughs that I had from reading it in Paul Merton’s collection Funny Ha Ha: 80 of the funniest stories ever written (see my review HERE).
I think my largest smile was for one of the most anti-climactic endings I’ve ever read. Except on reflection, it’s not. It’s utterly apt.
So what sort of story is it?
The colonel of the title is dead. The story is primarily about his daughters whose place in the title, as in life, is as mere adjuncts to him. There is an almost literal sense of his continued oversight in what’s left of their lives - lives thus far devoted to him and his whims, rather than forging their own identities, relationships, and maybe marriages.
Familial duty matters, but not to the extent of extinguishing the chance of a meaningful life of our own.
Our parents give us life, but it is our responsibility - and right - to live it. Kindly, but freely.
Gifts should not come with strings, except as part of the wrapping, or if there’s a marionette inside.
Image: Cutting marionette string (Source.)
Quotes
* “The sunshine pressed through the windows, thieved its way in, flashed its light over the furniture and the photographs.”
* “A perfect fountain of bubbles of notes shook from the barrel-organ, round, bright notes, carelessly scattered.”
Read it free
You can read or download the story in a variety of formats, along with other short stories by Mansfield, on Gutenberg, HERE.
This was published in the collection called The Garden Party.
* I reviewed the title story HERE.
* I reviewed Miss Brill HERE.
* I reviewed Bliss, from a different collection, HERE.
November 16, 2023
We meet Josephine and Constantia, two sisters, in the aftermath of their father’s death. Their father was a very controlling gentleman. They have lived with him their entire lives and now they are on their own. Neither seems to have ever been allowed to make a decision- how will they manage?
A wonderfully written story- it is poignant and memorable. I would just have liked a bit more!
I had never read Katherine Mansfield before- I definitely plan to read more.
Published: 1922
A wonderfully written story- it is poignant and memorable. I would just have liked a bit more!
I had never read Katherine Mansfield before- I definitely plan to read more.
Published: 1922
September 22, 2024
“What it comes to is, if we did”—and this she barely breathed, glancing at the door—“give Kate notice”—she raised her voice again—“we could manage our own food.” “Why not?” cried Constantia. She couldn’t help smiling. The idea was so exciting. She clasped her hands. “What should we live on, Jug?” “Oh, eggs in various forms!” said Jug, lofty again.
Tal como fez naquele que é talvez o seu conto mais famoso, “O Garden- Party”, Katherine Mansfield consegue abordar o luto com algum humor, não pela morte em si, que não é um tema transcendental para a autora, mas pela forma disparatada e até frívola como as personagens dos seus contos reagem a ela.
“Do you think we ought to have our dressing gowns dyed as well?” “Black?” almost shrieked Josephine. “Well, what else?” said Constantia. “I was thinking—it doesn’t seem quite sincere, in a way, to wear black out of doors and when we’re fully dressed, and then when we’re at home—” (...) Josephine thought of her dark-red slippers, which matched her dressing gown, and of Constantia’s favourite indefinite green ones which went with hers. Black! Two black dressing gowns and two pairs of black woolly slippers, creeping off to the bathroom like black cats.
Josephine e Constantia dedicaram toda a sua vida a um irascível pai, cuja presença dominadora parece fazer-se sentir mesmo depois da morte que dá início a esta história. Podendo pela primeira vez decidir por si mesmas o que fazer, as duas irmãs dão mostras da sua imaturidade, ingenuidade e profunda solidão.
Josephine had had a moment of absolute terror at the cemetery, while the coffin was lowered, to think that she and Constantia had done this thing without asking his permission. What would father say when he found out? For he was bound to find out sooner or later. He always did. “Buried. You two girls had me buried!” She heard his stick thumping. Oh, what would they say? What possible excuse could they make? It sounded such an appallingly heartless thing to do.
Tal como fez naquele que é talvez o seu conto mais famoso, “O Garden- Party”, Katherine Mansfield consegue abordar o luto com algum humor, não pela morte em si, que não é um tema transcendental para a autora, mas pela forma disparatada e até frívola como as personagens dos seus contos reagem a ela.
“Do you think we ought to have our dressing gowns dyed as well?” “Black?” almost shrieked Josephine. “Well, what else?” said Constantia. “I was thinking—it doesn’t seem quite sincere, in a way, to wear black out of doors and when we’re fully dressed, and then when we’re at home—” (...) Josephine thought of her dark-red slippers, which matched her dressing gown, and of Constantia’s favourite indefinite green ones which went with hers. Black! Two black dressing gowns and two pairs of black woolly slippers, creeping off to the bathroom like black cats.
Josephine e Constantia dedicaram toda a sua vida a um irascível pai, cuja presença dominadora parece fazer-se sentir mesmo depois da morte que dá início a esta história. Podendo pela primeira vez decidir por si mesmas o que fazer, as duas irmãs dão mostras da sua imaturidade, ingenuidade e profunda solidão.
Josephine had had a moment of absolute terror at the cemetery, while the coffin was lowered, to think that she and Constantia had done this thing without asking his permission. What would father say when he found out? For he was bound to find out sooner or later. He always did. “Buried. You two girls had me buried!” She heard his stick thumping. Oh, what would they say? What possible excuse could they make? It sounded such an appallingly heartless thing to do.
May 30, 2017
A sad short story about two sisters mourning the loss of their father. Though I found Katherine Mansfield's writing dull, she does a good job of showing the sisters' nuanced relationship with their father, in particular how his control over them permeates beyond death. It sucks how these girls suffer, both from the patriarchal way their father treated them as well as the grief they experience after he dies. Mansfield captures this intricate father-daughter beyond the grave dynamic well.
September 26, 2020
O imenso talento de Katherine Mansfield para contos é inegável. Sua capacidade de moldar diálogos por meio de memórias é impressionante. Ela morreu jovem, com apenas 34 anos. Das mais de 60 histórias que publicou, destaca-se The Daughters of the Late Coronel "As filhas do Falecido Coronel". O conto foi concluído em 1920, apenas 2 anos antes de sua morte. Mansfield diz em seu diário em 1920: “A única vez em que me senti me divertindo foi quando estava escrevendo esta história e, no final, fiquei terrivelmente infeliz e comecei a escrever o mais rápido possível com medo de morrer antes de terminá-la. Que triste! Ela já sentia a tuberculose dilacerando seu corpo.
A história é sobre duas irmãs de meia-idade, Josephine e Constance, que, em face da morte de seu pai tirânico, perderam sua única razão de viver, não sabem como se comportar diante da liberdade que nunca tiveram. A história se passa na primeira semana após a morte do pai, mas também lembra fatos da semana anterior, quando o pai estava doente.
O tema ainda é muito relevante, e sua modernidade se deve não só ao fato de ainda existirem pessoas privadas de suas vidas por abuso de poder, mas também por mostrar que os problemas da era vitoriana, como abuso do poder dos pais e outros ainda persistem hoje.
A autora explora com maestria a relação entre tempo, memória e subjetividade.
O tempo é pré estabelecido. Transcorre de uma semana anterior à morte do pai até uma semana depois. A memória das irmãs transcorreram esse período de uma forma fragmentada e descontinuada e no campo emocional de forma confusa e culposa. A subjetividade se estabelece de forma persuasiva.Mesmo o pai estando morto elas ainda o temem , para elas o pai continua as observando desde o paraíso.
Como se livrar de uma cela na qual você viveu para sempre? Esse parece ser o resumo perfeito deste conto. É como um pássaro que ficou preso por muito tempo, que, ao ser solto, volta à sua gaiola por puro medo e insegurança do mundo exterior.
Vale a pena dar uma chance à Katherine Mansfield! Ela é fenomenal!
A história é sobre duas irmãs de meia-idade, Josephine e Constance, que, em face da morte de seu pai tirânico, perderam sua única razão de viver, não sabem como se comportar diante da liberdade que nunca tiveram. A história se passa na primeira semana após a morte do pai, mas também lembra fatos da semana anterior, quando o pai estava doente.
O tema ainda é muito relevante, e sua modernidade se deve não só ao fato de ainda existirem pessoas privadas de suas vidas por abuso de poder, mas também por mostrar que os problemas da era vitoriana, como abuso do poder dos pais e outros ainda persistem hoje.
A autora explora com maestria a relação entre tempo, memória e subjetividade.
O tempo é pré estabelecido. Transcorre de uma semana anterior à morte do pai até uma semana depois. A memória das irmãs transcorreram esse período de uma forma fragmentada e descontinuada e no campo emocional de forma confusa e culposa. A subjetividade se estabelece de forma persuasiva.Mesmo o pai estando morto elas ainda o temem , para elas o pai continua as observando desde o paraíso.
Como se livrar de uma cela na qual você viveu para sempre? Esse parece ser o resumo perfeito deste conto. É como um pássaro que ficou preso por muito tempo, que, ao ser solto, volta à sua gaiola por puro medo e insegurança do mundo exterior.
Vale a pena dar uma chance à Katherine Mansfield! Ela é fenomenal!
February 28, 2024
a simple but powerful feminist text meditating on the repression of women and the ways it manifests in all aspects of their behaviour. following constantia and josephine navigating their lives after the death of their tyrannical father was both interesting and saddening, as they came to terms with their newfound freedom and were quite simply unsure what to do with it. the subtext was brilliantly threaded through the writing making it unsettling but thought-provoking.
this was the last mansfield i had to read for english class, and i'm pretty sad about it! i've grown a deep appreciation for her writing style, and the characters in this story were some of my favourites :)
this was the last mansfield i had to read for english class, and i'm pretty sad about it! i've grown a deep appreciation for her writing style, and the characters in this story were some of my favourites :)
November 22, 2020
Freed from a truculent tyrant by the death of the paterfamilias, his 2 spinster daughters struggle to make headway in their 1st week without him. Katherine Mansfield's short story is not only tragic, but there's some deft comic touches amidst the grief and despondency as they fear his abiding presence in the house & anticipate his expected disapproval of their hesitant actions. An interesting subject for a short story & perfectly pitched, sensitively told.
April 19, 2016
The best? So simple to say and so contested. But, for me, this is the best short story I have ever read. It starts so simply but the whole story is contained in that wonderful opening line.
"The week after was one of the busiest weeks of their lives."
And it certainly is. Two elderly spinsters deal with one of life's milestones and Katherine Mansfield details their struggle with eloquence and grace. Like so much in life there is no running away but acceptance may be difficult, perhaps impossible. So where does that leave us. Exactly where Katherine Mansfield leaves the Daughters of the Late Colonel.
"The week after was one of the busiest weeks of their lives."
And it certainly is. Two elderly spinsters deal with one of life's milestones and Katherine Mansfield details their struggle with eloquence and grace. Like so much in life there is no running away but acceptance may be difficult, perhaps impossible. So where does that leave us. Exactly where Katherine Mansfield leaves the Daughters of the Late Colonel.
September 26, 2024
Cool story! Clever writing! Fun to read!
June 4, 2023
Worst one yet
February 25, 2024
hmmm. it was alright. I did love the sense of domestic minutiae that this story brought, otherwise tho a bit boring. slay!
August 12, 2024
No more tapping of the stick…
August 22, 2023
my least favourite mansfield thus far but still impeccably crafted. i did spend half the time thinking they had murdered someone though
October 21, 2015
I have never read a Mansfield short story before and I must admit, her writing style did remind me a lot of D.H. Lawrence's. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just struggle to become invested in Lawrence's style of prose...
That being said, this certainly was thought provoking. The temporal shift in the narrative is done so well, almost seamlessly. As a reader, you feel like you are being whipped along in an almost dream like manner. I actually found myself going back over to read a section again before I realised what had just happened.
The story obviously investigates the position of women in our society with shocking realism.
That being said, this certainly was thought provoking. The temporal shift in the narrative is done so well, almost seamlessly. As a reader, you feel like you are being whipped along in an almost dream like manner. I actually found myself going back over to read a section again before I realised what had just happened.
The story obviously investigates the position of women in our society with shocking realism.
November 29, 2020
Чем-то напомнило The Story of an Hour.
July 30, 2012
A lengthy tale of two odd sisters who must cope with the death of their aged father. The sisters really are rather charming, if dotty, and the unfolding of their peculiarities and their realisation that they are finally free to step out of the shadow of the late colonel if they can bring themselves to is bittersweet.
May 5, 2017
Wow. This was such a pleasure to read. I love reading stories that move me by word usage and sentence structure. There is such a tone set in this book. So often I actually felt the same as I do in a dream. Amazing.
This is a story of grief, bitter loss, and freedom, told through the conversations between two daughters who have recently lost their father. I highly recommend it.
This is a story of grief, bitter loss, and freedom, told through the conversations between two daughters who have recently lost their father. I highly recommend it.
October 30, 2011
Two sisters readjust their lives following the death of their father.
March 4, 2017
Short but well-written, it is interesting how much the author is able to convey about these two women and their father without outright saying much at all. Sad and insightful.
January 14, 2023
Depicts the sisterly relationship well (i would know i have a sister)
November 24, 2024
Os relatos son moi bos, a edición de peto de Xerais é unha chafallada
October 28, 2022
Incredible prose and subtext. In awe!
June 13, 2023
They should have stuffed the father like a teddy bear 🧸
Read
September 16, 2025the late colonel really puts the "colon" in "colonel" because he colonizes his daughters and he is a piece of shit
(goodreads deleted this review lol why u madddd)
(goodreads deleted this review lol why u madddd)
November 5, 2020
Katherine Mansfield proves to be with every story a extremely talented writer. In this particular story I have found terribly sad the patriarchal oppression and fear that the two protagonist have of their father, even after he dies, which causes them to be unable to take the most simple of decisions.
June 11, 2016
Mansfield makes a place for the importance of things that were considered things of the women's world at that time. She was a pioneer in that way along with Virginia Woolf.
This is not the colonel's story, nor the story of captains and kings, nor an epic of gods and goddesses, leaders of nations, and the fates of nations. Those stories are, after all, simply stories of men, a kind of top-down history, great man history, that ignores the vast bulk of the population. If you can say, Grant whipped the rebels, or if you can say Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin beat Hitler and Mussolini, then you subscribe to great man history. I would suggest that the movements of peoples run deeper, and that the leaders float into a place of public focus, serving a purpose, but that the force of vast historical events run far deeper than this man and that. In fact, I would say that those kinds of stories, in important part, are designed to keep the vast bulk of the population out of historical decisions.
I think Woolf and Mansfield had had enough of that kind of story, that kind of history, and they were trying to create a place for the stories, not just of everyman - but of everywoman.
Thus "The Daughters of the Late Colonel." The daughters have deep characterization. The whole story - it's not a story - there is a story arc to it - it is a series of looks into the relationship and the personalities of the daughters, first and foremost, and Mansfield shows, not tells, with superb actions and conversations, the internal and different worlds of each daughter.
Reading about the relationship of these women and about their concerns - with no great battles, no cannon fired, no ship rammed - is a wonderful and human, humane thing to do.
This is not the colonel's story, nor the story of captains and kings, nor an epic of gods and goddesses, leaders of nations, and the fates of nations. Those stories are, after all, simply stories of men, a kind of top-down history, great man history, that ignores the vast bulk of the population. If you can say, Grant whipped the rebels, or if you can say Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin beat Hitler and Mussolini, then you subscribe to great man history. I would suggest that the movements of peoples run deeper, and that the leaders float into a place of public focus, serving a purpose, but that the force of vast historical events run far deeper than this man and that. In fact, I would say that those kinds of stories, in important part, are designed to keep the vast bulk of the population out of historical decisions.
I think Woolf and Mansfield had had enough of that kind of story, that kind of history, and they were trying to create a place for the stories, not just of everyman - but of everywoman.
Thus "The Daughters of the Late Colonel." The daughters have deep characterization. The whole story - it's not a story - there is a story arc to it - it is a series of looks into the relationship and the personalities of the daughters, first and foremost, and Mansfield shows, not tells, with superb actions and conversations, the internal and different worlds of each daughter.
Reading about the relationship of these women and about their concerns - with no great battles, no cannon fired, no ship rammed - is a wonderful and human, humane thing to do.
September 28, 2022
Like other short stories of Katherine Mansfield, this one, too, has a certain vagueness. In this particular one, we meet two women, Josephine and Constantia, who have been left practically helpless after their domineering father's death.
The story was enjoyable and engaging, in spite of being short as it is, and in turns, both comic and tragic as it depicted the, sometimes caricatured, plight of women in the throes of a patriarchal society.
It was a quick read and could be immersive if you're in the right set of mind but I wasn't and so I read the story without much interest in it. Though during the last quarter, when things really begin unravelling, was where I enjoyed it the most, especially the ending, where both Josephine and Constantia remain just as helpless and hapless as before.
Definitely a good short story to read with your morning cup of coffee/tea.
The story was enjoyable and engaging, in spite of being short as it is, and in turns, both comic and tragic as it depicted the, sometimes caricatured, plight of women in the throes of a patriarchal society.
It was a quick read and could be immersive if you're in the right set of mind but I wasn't and so I read the story without much interest in it. Though during the last quarter, when things really begin unravelling, was where I enjoyed it the most, especially the ending, where both Josephine and Constantia remain just as helpless and hapless as before.
Definitely a good short story to read with your morning cup of coffee/tea.
April 13, 2022
It wasn't real. It was only when she came out of the tunnel into the moonlight or by the sea or into a thunderstorm that she really felt herself. What did it mean? What was it she was always wanting? What did it all lead to? Now? Now?
This brief short-story was nothing extraordinary. It was... I guess, alright?
I feel it reached, at times, some very interesting points regarding women's roles in Manfield's society at the time (which could easily be transported in our own times today, too) but being a short story, I felt I did not quite get the whole of it. I would prefer a lengthier take on this same story, only for her to have more space to develop her characters.
This brief short-story was nothing extraordinary. It was... I guess, alright?
I feel it reached, at times, some very interesting points regarding women's roles in Manfield's society at the time (which could easily be transported in our own times today, too) but being a short story, I felt I did not quite get the whole of it. I would prefer a lengthier take on this same story, only for her to have more space to develop her characters.
May 24, 2019
İlk defa Mansfield'in bir kitabını okudum ve daha önce niye okumamışım, diye hayıflandım. Diğer kitaplarını da okuma listeme yazdım. Müthiş bir anlatım, sade, akıcı, sanki çok sıradanmış gibi ama derin ve farklı okumalara, yorumlara çok açık. Günün bir kaç saatini anlatıyor gibi görünüyor ama aslında anlattığı bir ömür. Her öyküyü genişletmeniz, uzatmanız farklı önceler, sonlar ya da devamlar üretmeniz mümkün. Okurken yormuyor ama çok düşündürüyor. Hararetle tavsiye ediyorum.
August 28, 2023
Fried or boiled?
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