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J.L. Sutton's Reviews > The Garden Party
The Garden Party
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“It's not your fault. Don't think that. It's just fate.”
I first read Katherine Mansfield's The Garden Party probably 25 years ago. As a complete short story that operates on a number of levels, it still works. What I remembered most was the depiction of the young heroine's mental state as she grapples with the world represented by the garden party as well as the nearby village where a death has occurred. What if anything does this death have to do with her world? What obligation do the rich have for the poor? How does one death touch the rest of us? While it does not throw class in the reader's face, The Garden Party is compelling. It approaches the subject with a degree of subtlety, focusing not on a simple plot but on the minds of the people affected.
“Why does one feel so different at night? Why is it so exciting to be awake when everybody else is asleep? Late—it is very late! And yet every moment you feel more and more wakeful, as though you were slowly, almost with every breath, waking up into a new, wonderful, far more thrilling and exciting world than the daylight one.”
I first read Katherine Mansfield's The Garden Party probably 25 years ago. As a complete short story that operates on a number of levels, it still works. What I remembered most was the depiction of the young heroine's mental state as she grapples with the world represented by the garden party as well as the nearby village where a death has occurred. What if anything does this death have to do with her world? What obligation do the rich have for the poor? How does one death touch the rest of us? While it does not throw class in the reader's face, The Garden Party is compelling. It approaches the subject with a degree of subtlety, focusing not on a simple plot but on the minds of the people affected.
“Why does one feel so different at night? Why is it so exciting to be awake when everybody else is asleep? Late—it is very late! And yet every moment you feel more and more wakeful, as though you were slowly, almost with every breath, waking up into a new, wonderful, far more thrilling and exciting world than the daylight one.”
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
(Paperback Edition)
January 1, 2010
–
Finished Reading
(Paperback Edition)
August 22, 2015
– Shelved
(Paperback Edition)
May 27, 2019
–
Started Reading
May 27, 2019
– Shelved
June 2, 2019
–
Finished Reading
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J.L.
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rated it 4 stars
Jun 26, 2019 08:41AM
C, Interesting question! Unfortunately, I don't if there's any inspiration in Vaclav Havel's play. I read a synopsis and didn't see any obvious similarity, but that would not rule out irony. I saw a couple different translations of Havel's title, but I would trust your interpretation. Maybe there was some sort of signal of 'differance' in the title. Just not sure. I wonder if anyone else could better answer??
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Blaming fate is a good way to salve one's conscience, isn't it?
Cecily wrote: "Blaming fate is a good way to salve one's conscience, isn't it?"Fortunately, our story's protagonist does not salve her conscience by blaming fate. And Mansfield does not rely on such a simplistic solution to the issues either. Thanks Cecily!
Yes, I know; I've read the story. I was just responding to your opening quote. I should probably have said "effective, if dishonest", rather than "good".
Cecily wrote: "Yes, I know; I've read the story. I was just responding to your opening quote. I should probably have said "effective, if dishonest", rather than "good"."Since I didn't provide context for the quote, and some people just accept that the way things are is already determined and there's no reason for them to do anything about it, I just wanted to clarify that the heroine doesn't accept that position. I wasn't suggesting that you thought this was a good thing. I did read your 'good' much the way you intended as 'effective, if dishonest.' Thanks Cecily!
A very good short story.
