Group 4--Mansfield


 

Group 4

 

Group members

 

 

Meetings

 

English II pAP

Mr. Stevens

Block A

Alternating: Monday, Wednesday, Friday AND Tuesday, Thusday

 

 


 

 

The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield

 

The Author

 

Katherine Mansfield. Books and Writers. 21 Feb. 2007.     

<http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/. >

o       Katherine Mansfield was born in Wellington, New Zealand.

o       (1888-1923)

Mansfield, Katherine. New Zealand Book Council. 21 Feb. 2007.

<http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/. >

o       Her mother was Annie Dyer.

o       Katherine went to school as a child in Karori.

Katherine Mansfield. The British Empire. 21 Feb. 2007.

<http://www.britishempire.co.uk/. >

o       She attended Queen’s College in London for her education.

o       During The Great War, she lost her brother and this changed her life forever.

Katherine Mansfield. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 22 Feb. 2007.

<http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/.>

o       Decided to become a writer instead of a musician after meeting D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf.

o       Katherine’s first book was In a German Pension, and published in 1911.

Katherine Mansfield. Thomson Gale Press:       2005. 22 Feb. 2007.

<http://www.bookrags.com/.>

o       She is “a central figure in the development of the modern short story.”

o       In 1918 she married.

Katherine Mansfield. Fantastic Fiction. 22 Feb. 2007.

 <http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/.>

o       This book is mainly for children, as it states here.

o       Portrays meaning of enlightenment.

Luscombe, Stephen. British Empire: Biographies: Katherine Mansfield. The British Empire. 19 Feb 2007. <http://www.britishempire.co.uk/.>

o       First husband: George Bowden

o       John Middleton Murray, critic and essayist, brought Katherine into contact with many leading influential people in English literature

 

The Text

 

         The Burnells’ family has little children who stumble upon a doll house in the courtyard. They pry it open to find what is inside and it is filled with luxurious furnishings in each room. Subsequently, they desire to find more inside of the small house, including gold paintings and red carpets sprawled on the floor. They see a father and mother doll standing, while their two children are sleeping upstairs. The next day, the children anxiously go to school to tell their friends of what they have found. They begin to tell several people about the doll house in detail and a crowd formed around to listen to their story. The Kelveys’ family is isolated from the community, mainly because the father is in prison. Kezia, one of the Burnells children, filled with compassion and kindness showed the Kelveys family the doll house. Aunt Beryl is extremely disturbed when word came to her of this action. Lil, Else, and Kezia are all fascinated with a tiny oil lamp found in the center of the doll house on the dinning room table, which can never be lit. Children see things as they truly are, the children of both families, poor and rich are drawn to light, or good; simply put, they discard social class completely and only care for the friendship they gain. Although this story is important in terms of teaching friendship and childish thoughts, it does not play a significant part in world literature.