Katherine Mansfield was born in New Zealand in 1888 and went to school in England. After she had finished her studies in England she returned home but was displeased with how she was living in New Zealand so she returned to England. Between the years of 1911 – 1915 she wrote many short stories and book reviews in magazines, most notably the “Blue Review.” That is how she met her second husband John Murry; they married in 1918. She passed away in 1923 due to complications with tuberculosis. Katherine Mansfield is considered an important figure in her genre of literature because of how unique her short stories are. It almost isn’t much of a story in a sense. Take for example in “Miss Brill” it is a story about how an English teacher tries to make fantasies in her mind to be …show more content…
It’s a story about one person and their mind observing the world around her and her inability to see things for what they really are. One critic even says, “Her stories are literature because they produce effects which can be easily attained by no other art.” (Votteler 274) I feel that this is in reference to the fact that in the story “Miss Brill” it feels as though the story is about her character development and less about the plot of the story, as if the character was the sole focus. It allows me to really invest in the character and understand him/her better. Miriam B. Mandel is an individual who has written a review on Katherine Mansfield, more specifically her short story “Miss Brill.” In her review, she states that “But even these admiring critics have failed to notice its most impressive technical achievement: a highly functional application of figurative language which enables the reader to understand and evaluate the character.” (Mandel 1) I agree with Ms. Mandels’ statement because if one was to read the story “Miss Brill” one would notice the great lengths that Katherine