On The Artistic Characteristics Of Katherine Mansfield's Short Stories-A Tentative Study Of Prelude

As an outstanding short story writer whose stories are characteristically enriched by extreme sensitivity to language and insight into characters, Katherine Mansfield (1888—1923) is a striking central figure in modern English literature. She frees herself from the confinement of traditional novels and gradually forms her own unique style. Though she died young, she leaves us about 88 works altogether, among which Prelude sets the standard and establishes the pattern for all her later works.The present thesis is intended to study the artistic characteristics of Katherine Mansfield's short stories, using Prelude as an example. First, she shows us three days of the Burnells after moving to a new house, based on her own experience. Second, the thesis discusses the theme of Prelude. As a woman writer, Katherine Mansfield concerns more about women's life. Believing that a happy relationship between a husband and a wife is impossible, she portrays women as victims of a predatory, indifferent male-dominated society. They have to turn to disillusionment and fantasy to express their resentment and rebellion. Third, the writing techniques of Prelude are really a pioneering attempt of Katherine Mansfield, who shapes the form of modern British short stories. Discarding the form of the conventional novel, Prelude goes on in a plotless form, concentrating on the characters'inner mood and impression. Employing innovative narrative devices, such as, multipersonal point of view, interior monologue, the stream of consciousness technique and symbols, Mansfield successfully shows readers the characters'inner isolation within the supportive structure of the family. Her special way of manipulating vocabularies and sentences helps to produce a precise, clear and economical, and expressive language.