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The Doll's House
The Doll's House is a short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published in The Nation and Athenaeum on 4 February 1922, and subsequently appeared in The Dove's Nest and Other Stories.
12 pages
First published December 24, 1921
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About the author
Katherine Mansfield
1,001 books1,219 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 99 reviews
December 10, 2022
I thought I’d review this, partly because it is a story that rarely gets on people’s favorite Katherine Mansfield short story lists, and partly because it was the first of her stories I ever read, and the one that led me to her genius. It is one that I read often and am surprised how something new surfaces on each reading.
It was so easy for me, on my first read, to focus on the actions of the children and miss the importance of the doll’s house itself, and how it is not allowed in the house (like others including Aunt Beryl’s secret boyfriend) and yet when the doll’s house is opened, it allows the amazed children to see every room at the same time. Equally, my first read focused on the marginalization of the poor and how the Burnell and other children are really voicing the prejudice of their mothers. In subsequent reads, I have become aware of how the Kelsey children mirror their mother’s actions, and how much is to be gained by considering each set of children in relation to their own siblings. It is an amazing read, and that I will return to time after time. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
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It was so easy for me, on my first read, to focus on the actions of the children and miss the importance of the doll’s house itself, and how it is not allowed in the house (like others including Aunt Beryl’s secret boyfriend) and yet when the doll’s house is opened, it allows the amazed children to see every room at the same time. Equally, my first read focused on the marginalization of the poor and how the Burnell and other children are really voicing the prejudice of their mothers. In subsequent reads, I have become aware of how the Kelsey children mirror their mother’s actions, and how much is to be gained by considering each set of children in relation to their own siblings. It is an amazing read, and that I will return to time after time. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
November 20, 2015
A blank canvas and a discriminatory behavior encouraged by narrow-minded adults.
Among other things, it is a short story about how loud, obnoxious snobs are created. And how to look for exceptions.
Nov 19, 2015
This is not a review for me, just me being lazy but still wanting to say something...
Among other things, it is a short story about how loud, obnoxious snobs are created. And how to look for exceptions.
Nov 19, 2015
This is not a review for me, just me being lazy but still wanting to say something...
December 25, 2020
Upper class narrow-minded adults encouraging discriminatory behavior in their kids just because they can't keep their lives together.
A short story worth reading with your morning cup of latte.
A short story worth reading with your morning cup of latte.
September 8, 2023
Mansfield's stories are like onions - multilayered and able to make you cry (Especially if you're as ridiculously sensitive as me). On the surface, "The Doll's House" appears to simply depict children's behavior. But it is far more complex. The characters' every action and reaction symbolizes something greater.
The dollhouse focuses on the children's world yet attempts to represent adult society. Children mimic their parents constantly. If the girls exclude the poor Kelveys, it stems from their parents dismissing the Kelveys' parents as indecent - only for being poor and lowly. The Kelveys face humiliation and disdain as outsiders. Even the Kelvey children view themselves as outcasts, behaving with shame and meekness, likely learned from their mother's interactions with social superiors. Mansfield suggests classism is not natural, but acquired.
We also see interesting characterization. I cannot discuss every character here, but young Kezia stands out. She is the only Burnell sister who pays the Kelveys any mind, wishing for them to see the dollhouse too. She has a special attachment to the dollhouse lamp, indicating she appreciates little overlooked beauties like the lamp and the Kelveys. Unlike others, she maintains innocence towards the cruel adult world, as she sees no reason to shun the Kelveys.
The dollhouse focuses on the children's world yet attempts to represent adult society. Children mimic their parents constantly. If the girls exclude the poor Kelveys, it stems from their parents dismissing the Kelveys' parents as indecent - only for being poor and lowly. The Kelveys face humiliation and disdain as outsiders. Even the Kelvey children view themselves as outcasts, behaving with shame and meekness, likely learned from their mother's interactions with social superiors. Mansfield suggests classism is not natural, but acquired.
We also see interesting characterization. I cannot discuss every character here, but young Kezia stands out. She is the only Burnell sister who pays the Kelveys any mind, wishing for them to see the dollhouse too. She has a special attachment to the dollhouse lamp, indicating she appreciates little overlooked beauties like the lamp and the Kelveys. Unlike others, she maintains innocence towards the cruel adult world, as she sees no reason to shun the Kelveys.
June 29, 2022
Ci sono affinità, in ambito letterario, difficili da spiegare. Le avvertiamo, talvolta, nei confronti di personalità apparentemente distanti anni luce da noi: quel genere di autori che difficilmente includeremmo tra i nostri preferiti, e che tuttavia, ogni volta che incrociano la nostra strada (o magari sarebbe più corretto dire: ogni volta che noi incrociamo la loro) riescono ad affascinarci in modo singolare, ad ispirarci un'attrazione immediata e destinata a durare nel tempo.
Ricordo perfettamente il mio primo incontro con Katherine Mansfield. Avevo all'incirca quattordici anni e frequentavo il liceo. Una mattina, l'insegnante di lettere propose l'analisi di un brano tratto dal libro di testo - un'antologia vecchio stile costituita per lo più da frammenti di varie opere letterarie - e dopo un rapido esame, la sua scelta cadde su La lezione di canto, un breve racconto scritto, appunto, da Katherine Mansfield.
Non saprei dire con esattezza cosa mi colpì tanto profondamente: all'epoca non ero una grande lettrice di classici - tanto meno di racconti brevi! - e, in linea generale, era più facile catturare la mia attenzione con una storia a base di magia e sorprendenti colpi di scena, che attraverso la narrazione delle pene d'amore di una malinconica maestra di canto. Sta di fatto che le inquietudini della povera Miss Meadows - così, se non erro, si chiamava la protagonista - accesero inaspettatamente la mia già fervida immaginazione, e instillarono in me un genuino interesse per il lavoro di quell'autrice neozelandese di cui, fino ad allora, avevo ignorato l'esistenza.
Tanti anni sono trascorsi da quel giorno; i racconti, a dire il vero, continuano a non rientrare tra le mie tipologie narrative preferite, e sebbene non abbia mai riletto La lezione di canto, col tempo, l'ammirazione e la simpatia per Katherine Mansfield sono divenute ancor più profonde.
Per questo, ogni volta che si presenta l'occasione, cimentarmi in uno dei suoi scritti è un'attività a cui mi dedico con immenso piacere... Lo stesso che ho provato pochi giorni fa leggendo The Doll's House , un racconto del 1922 pubblicato in origine sul settimanale britannico The Nation, ed attualmente disponibile nel nostro Paese in una nuova edizione firmata da Lettere Animate, a cura del professor Enrico De Luca.
Come in tutti i lavori della Mansfield, anche in questo caso, ciò che ci troviamo dinanzi, più che una storia, è un autentico squarcio di realtà: una realtà fin troppo comune, fatta di ostentazione, tacite convenzioni e sottili ipocrisie, dove anche un giocattolo apparentemente innocuo come una casa di bambole, diventa elemento di discrimine tra classi sociali: tra privilegiati ed emarginati, tra coloro a cui la vita ha riservato il meglio e chi, invece, può soltanto restare a guardare in disparte.
Un po’ come le piccole Kelvey, figlie di una lavandaia e di un presunto carcerato, sgradite ai genitori delle compagne di scuola per via della loro condizione sociale, e pertanto non invitate – le uniche a non esserlo – ad ammirare la lussuosa casa delle bambole appena ricevuta in dono dalle sorelle Burnell, tre bambine di famiglia benestante che
“facevano moda in materia di comportamento”.
Una crudeltà, questa, di cui non si curano gli adulti, ciecamente aggrappati alla loro falsa idea di decoro, ma che non può passare inosservata agli occhi di chi, ancora innocente, fatica a comprendere i vuoti principi di una società autoreferenziale, e, invano, tenta timidamente di ribellarsi.
Mi piace pensare ai racconti di Katherine Mansfield come ad una sorta d’istantanea della realtà: l’equivalente di un ingrandimento fotografico in grado di catturare quei dettagli che solitamente vengono trascurati, ma che una volta immortalati dall’obiettivo, si trasformano in immagini indelebili pronte ad imporsi all’occhio dell’osservatore e a reclamarne l’attenzione.
Immagini, come in questo caso, cariche di un’inequivocabile valenza simbolica: come quella stupefacente casa delle bambole ancora luccicante di vernice fresca, con gli interni finemente riprodotti, e i suoi personaggi sproporzionati rispetto agli ambienti: impeccabile all’apparenza, ma, ad uno sguardo più attento, assai ricca di difetti e di stridenti contrasti: la metafora perfetta di un mondo superficiale dove perfino i valori morali si riducono a mera apparenza; dove ciò che conta è il modo in cui ci si mostra e si viene percepiti dagli altri, mai quel che si è davvero.
Non è un caso che, tra la ricercatezza degli arredi in miniatura e lo sfarzo delle sontuose tappezzerie, a catturare l’attenzione della piccola Kezia – la minore e la più ingenua delle sorelle Burnell – sia proprio la riproduzione di una minuscola ma incredibilmente realistica lampada ad olio…
Un particolare certamente insignificante, agli occhi dei più, in cui sembra però specchiarsi la genuinità di un’innocenza che, per quanto fragile, prova ancora a rivendicare le sue ragioni contro i dettami di quel mondo artificiale e dominato dall’effimero; il riflesso di una sensibilità autentica e piena di compassione, ancora libera dal pregiudizio e dall’indifferenza.
Servendosi di una scrittura cristallina e sottilmente venata d’ironia, la Mansfield, per arrivare al lettore, non ha bisogno di ricorrere a virtuosismi stilistici, né d’imbastire prediche moraleggianti: da esperta ritrattista qual è, ella lascia che a parlare sia l’eloquenza dei semplici fatti, sorretti dalla sola forza di poche immagini scarne ma piene di significato, da cui è difficile distogliere l’attenzione.
Ed è proprio così che si chiude il racconto: su una scena di felicità fugace dove non vi è spazio per le parole; perché la riflessione, il più delle volte, non necessita di considerazioni superflue, ed è nel silenzio, in certi casi, che scorgiamo le risposte più autentiche ai nostri dubbi.
>>>Qui LA RECENSIONE SUL BLOG
Ricordo perfettamente il mio primo incontro con Katherine Mansfield. Avevo all'incirca quattordici anni e frequentavo il liceo. Una mattina, l'insegnante di lettere propose l'analisi di un brano tratto dal libro di testo - un'antologia vecchio stile costituita per lo più da frammenti di varie opere letterarie - e dopo un rapido esame, la sua scelta cadde su La lezione di canto, un breve racconto scritto, appunto, da Katherine Mansfield.
Non saprei dire con esattezza cosa mi colpì tanto profondamente: all'epoca non ero una grande lettrice di classici - tanto meno di racconti brevi! - e, in linea generale, era più facile catturare la mia attenzione con una storia a base di magia e sorprendenti colpi di scena, che attraverso la narrazione delle pene d'amore di una malinconica maestra di canto. Sta di fatto che le inquietudini della povera Miss Meadows - così, se non erro, si chiamava la protagonista - accesero inaspettatamente la mia già fervida immaginazione, e instillarono in me un genuino interesse per il lavoro di quell'autrice neozelandese di cui, fino ad allora, avevo ignorato l'esistenza.
Tanti anni sono trascorsi da quel giorno; i racconti, a dire il vero, continuano a non rientrare tra le mie tipologie narrative preferite, e sebbene non abbia mai riletto La lezione di canto, col tempo, l'ammirazione e la simpatia per Katherine Mansfield sono divenute ancor più profonde.
Per questo, ogni volta che si presenta l'occasione, cimentarmi in uno dei suoi scritti è un'attività a cui mi dedico con immenso piacere... Lo stesso che ho provato pochi giorni fa leggendo The Doll's House , un racconto del 1922 pubblicato in origine sul settimanale britannico The Nation, ed attualmente disponibile nel nostro Paese in una nuova edizione firmata da Lettere Animate, a cura del professor Enrico De Luca.
Come in tutti i lavori della Mansfield, anche in questo caso, ciò che ci troviamo dinanzi, più che una storia, è un autentico squarcio di realtà: una realtà fin troppo comune, fatta di ostentazione, tacite convenzioni e sottili ipocrisie, dove anche un giocattolo apparentemente innocuo come una casa di bambole, diventa elemento di discrimine tra classi sociali: tra privilegiati ed emarginati, tra coloro a cui la vita ha riservato il meglio e chi, invece, può soltanto restare a guardare in disparte.
Un po’ come le piccole Kelvey, figlie di una lavandaia e di un presunto carcerato, sgradite ai genitori delle compagne di scuola per via della loro condizione sociale, e pertanto non invitate – le uniche a non esserlo – ad ammirare la lussuosa casa delle bambole appena ricevuta in dono dalle sorelle Burnell, tre bambine di famiglia benestante che
“facevano moda in materia di comportamento”.
Una crudeltà, questa, di cui non si curano gli adulti, ciecamente aggrappati alla loro falsa idea di decoro, ma che non può passare inosservata agli occhi di chi, ancora innocente, fatica a comprendere i vuoti principi di una società autoreferenziale, e, invano, tenta timidamente di ribellarsi.
Mi piace pensare ai racconti di Katherine Mansfield come ad una sorta d’istantanea della realtà: l’equivalente di un ingrandimento fotografico in grado di catturare quei dettagli che solitamente vengono trascurati, ma che una volta immortalati dall’obiettivo, si trasformano in immagini indelebili pronte ad imporsi all’occhio dell’osservatore e a reclamarne l’attenzione.
Immagini, come in questo caso, cariche di un’inequivocabile valenza simbolica: come quella stupefacente casa delle bambole ancora luccicante di vernice fresca, con gli interni finemente riprodotti, e i suoi personaggi sproporzionati rispetto agli ambienti: impeccabile all’apparenza, ma, ad uno sguardo più attento, assai ricca di difetti e di stridenti contrasti: la metafora perfetta di un mondo superficiale dove perfino i valori morali si riducono a mera apparenza; dove ciò che conta è il modo in cui ci si mostra e si viene percepiti dagli altri, mai quel che si è davvero.
Non è un caso che, tra la ricercatezza degli arredi in miniatura e lo sfarzo delle sontuose tappezzerie, a catturare l’attenzione della piccola Kezia – la minore e la più ingenua delle sorelle Burnell – sia proprio la riproduzione di una minuscola ma incredibilmente realistica lampada ad olio…
Un particolare certamente insignificante, agli occhi dei più, in cui sembra però specchiarsi la genuinità di un’innocenza che, per quanto fragile, prova ancora a rivendicare le sue ragioni contro i dettami di quel mondo artificiale e dominato dall’effimero; il riflesso di una sensibilità autentica e piena di compassione, ancora libera dal pregiudizio e dall’indifferenza.
Servendosi di una scrittura cristallina e sottilmente venata d’ironia, la Mansfield, per arrivare al lettore, non ha bisogno di ricorrere a virtuosismi stilistici, né d’imbastire prediche moraleggianti: da esperta ritrattista qual è, ella lascia che a parlare sia l’eloquenza dei semplici fatti, sorretti dalla sola forza di poche immagini scarne ma piene di significato, da cui è difficile distogliere l’attenzione.
Ed è proprio così che si chiude il racconto: su una scena di felicità fugace dove non vi è spazio per le parole; perché la riflessione, il più delle volte, non necessita di considerazioni superflue, ed è nel silenzio, in certi casi, che scorgiamo le risposte più autentiche ai nostri dubbi.
>>>Qui LA RECENSIONE SUL BLOG
May 18, 2019
Anche La casa delle bambole, come la serie di Anne, è stato curato da Enrico De Luca che ha dato vita ad una splendida versione annotata di questa short story che mi ha conquistata ed intristita.
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Tutto gira intorno alle sorelle Burnett e alla nuova casa delle bambole che mostrano di giorno in giorno alle compagne di scuola.
A tutte, tranne a due, le sorelle Kelvey...
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La Mansfield ha reso in poche pagine e con parole semplici e schiette la forza negativa del pregiudizio e delle differenze sociali.
In un racconto ironico e pungente, ha messo in moto una critica sagace alla società dell'epoca che rimane sempre attuale.
⠀
La casa delle bambole diventa quindi solo uno spunto per identificare l'incomprensibile bisogno di distinguersi per motivi futili in un mondo in cui, alla fine, siamo tutti simili e di passaggio.
⠀
Un bellissimo e triste racconto, reso splendidamente da Enrico De Luca e dalla sua attenzione nei confronti della lingua originale, a cui è stato reso omaggio grazie alle note e alla traduzione impeccabile.
⠀
Tutto gira intorno alle sorelle Burnett e alla nuova casa delle bambole che mostrano di giorno in giorno alle compagne di scuola.
A tutte, tranne a due, le sorelle Kelvey...
⠀
La Mansfield ha reso in poche pagine e con parole semplici e schiette la forza negativa del pregiudizio e delle differenze sociali.
In un racconto ironico e pungente, ha messo in moto una critica sagace alla società dell'epoca che rimane sempre attuale.
⠀
La casa delle bambole diventa quindi solo uno spunto per identificare l'incomprensibile bisogno di distinguersi per motivi futili in un mondo in cui, alla fine, siamo tutti simili e di passaggio.
⠀
Un bellissimo e triste racconto, reso splendidamente da Enrico De Luca e dalla sua attenzione nei confronti della lingua originale, a cui è stato reso omaggio grazie alle note e alla traduzione impeccabile.
April 17, 2022
A work of continual importance. A commentary, a masterful and nuanced explanation of class and the complex translation of adult prejudices to childhood innocence. Privilege under a gentle microscope. Socio-economic layers peeled back. We see the little lamp. I read and re-read this text.
November 4, 2022
“The Doll’s House” is a short school children’s drama about snobbishness, resulting in a very low, two star grade from me. I ask forgiveness of fans and Kiwis. I learned of Katherine Mansfield recently, among famous greats from the 1800s, with respected world renown. Fans and Kiwis, please be reassured that I presume this unpleasant portrait of 1922 is the wrong entry for me into this legend’s oeuvres and truly look forward to reading her greater work.
I have seldom rated short stories highly because there is little time to paint thorough scenes and lasting characters. Some authors can do it in a few words but usually, world-building is too sketchy to explain background details and story motives adequately. The gift giver, Mrs. Hay, sounds like retired staff but would she bestow such exquisiteness?
To boldly cite my dissatisfaction here, the whole outing was mean. After a tantalizing reaction to what surely was a wonder, the bossiness of the eldest sibling is off-putting. Her uncouthness downgraded into a whole town disliking two kids, whose Dad was absent or imprisoned. It was a positive that all lifestyles studied at the same public elementary school. Alas, their civil tolerance drew the line at the prisoner’s two ostracized Daughters. By 1922, surely the widely accepted moral has been: “The sins of the Father are not those of the kin”.
Reading the publishing source, I am doubly perplexed. Apparently “The Nation And Athenaeum” was a liberal weekly newspaper in Britain, merging a literary magazine that started in London in 1828. The liberty of mixing incomes excluded children in especial need of kindness!
Katherine’s writing from two centuries ago is as graceful as I anticipated. The awe of a remarkable dollhouse’s splendour is palpable. Young Kezia is the shining star, who sees all people equally.
I have seldom rated short stories highly because there is little time to paint thorough scenes and lasting characters. Some authors can do it in a few words but usually, world-building is too sketchy to explain background details and story motives adequately. The gift giver, Mrs. Hay, sounds like retired staff but would she bestow such exquisiteness?
To boldly cite my dissatisfaction here, the whole outing was mean. After a tantalizing reaction to what surely was a wonder, the bossiness of the eldest sibling is off-putting. Her uncouthness downgraded into a whole town disliking two kids, whose Dad was absent or imprisoned. It was a positive that all lifestyles studied at the same public elementary school. Alas, their civil tolerance drew the line at the prisoner’s two ostracized Daughters. By 1922, surely the widely accepted moral has been: “The sins of the Father are not those of the kin”.
Reading the publishing source, I am doubly perplexed. Apparently “The Nation And Athenaeum” was a liberal weekly newspaper in Britain, merging a literary magazine that started in London in 1828. The liberty of mixing incomes excluded children in especial need of kindness!
Katherine’s writing from two centuries ago is as graceful as I anticipated. The awe of a remarkable dollhouse’s splendour is palpable. Young Kezia is the shining star, who sees all people equally.
January 9, 2013
The Doll's House
Written by Katherine Mansfield
Short story
120 minutes
7 words
Girls, parents, upper and lower class, sad, doll house, poor, rich
Before I read this story, I have a bright image forward to the story of doll house. However against my expectation, it is really sad story.
Questions
1. The main character, Kezia and her sisters were given a big doll house by Mrs Hay and they were really happy. If you are given a doll house by patents or relatives, does it make you happy?
Of course yes! I used to play with doll when I was young. I liked to play with them, and even now I like something cute, for example a doll house.
2. Kezia took her school friends to her house and showed them her big cute doll house. If you have a cute doll house and really like it, do you want to show it to your friends?
Probably yes, if I was child and I had a big cute doll house, I would have wanted to show it to my friends and play with doll.
Written by Katherine Mansfield
Short story
120 minutes
7 words
Girls, parents, upper and lower class, sad, doll house, poor, rich
Before I read this story, I have a bright image forward to the story of doll house. However against my expectation, it is really sad story.
Questions
1. The main character, Kezia and her sisters were given a big doll house by Mrs Hay and they were really happy. If you are given a doll house by patents or relatives, does it make you happy?
Of course yes! I used to play with doll when I was young. I liked to play with them, and even now I like something cute, for example a doll house.
2. Kezia took her school friends to her house and showed them her big cute doll house. If you have a cute doll house and really like it, do you want to show it to your friends?
Probably yes, if I was child and I had a big cute doll house, I would have wanted to show it to my friends and play with doll.
February 9, 2026
As with "The Garden Party," Mansfield here is a bit on-the-nose about class issues. I prefer her subtler stories. But the prose is still top-notch, and I love the absurdity of the doll's house as described, the violent colors and dripping paint, which everyone must nonetheless admire due to the strictures of class.
December 30, 2019
ATTENTION LOT OF SPOILERS AND THE STORY BEHIND IT
This is the story introduced me to Katherine Mansfield.
There are lots of small details in the story that may look clear but has a deeper meaning if you look from a wider perspective. From a psychological jargon Aunt Berly is an example for projection while Kezia resembles containment and projection identification, also the mean school girls are holding.
This book shows the difference and the clear cut between the children's world and the grown-up's world. For children the world of grown-up's world is close yet so far away that it almost like a doll house. You can see whats going inside, you can see all of the rooms but you don't feel like you belong there and you live in a house that is not yours, you can't fit in as well. At the story there is a clear statement that the dolls inside of the house are just "stiff" which presents Kezia's parents being emotionally dead and not understanding her state of mind, or basically not letting her in:) The dolls look stiff for her because she says they look like they dont belong there, I believe lamp represents something deeper as well but even this lamp looks beautiful to her, why? Because it looks like the lamp belongs to the house, which is the whole deal.
Another question that pops into my mind while reading this was that; Was the important thing the beauty of the doll house or is was just owning it? The doll house was only beautiful because it belongs to Keiza not to others, she was the only one at the neighborhood who has a doll house, no other child has one, and that was the only important thing about the doll house.
Coming back to the lamp:) They are shaped as a circle but in a weird way, it is almost like a not completed circle. If we think that circle represent being completed it is just like a children, it exist but it is not completed a circle yet. OR the lamp at the doll house is small and mini version of a lamp not a real one. It is though still a lamp realistic, but not functional. Just like a children.
Another point was made by the Kelveys, they do "containing", when individuals think bad about others they believe it is going to be beneficial for them. When you say someone is dirty does it mean they are dirty or is it just mean you are more clean than them? Telling Kelveys that they are bad and dirty just makes other feel clean. Another small detail hidden which I LOVE was the way people describe the way Kelveys clothes, they were always wearing someone's old clothes, why the clothes that they use to wear suddenly becomes dirty just because they are worn by Kelvey's now. This is a similar concept that we hold, when something is belong to us it seems beautiful, but when you lost it or gave it to someone it automatically becomes bad and filled with negative feelings. They are the same clothes, it just seems dirty now because it is not theirs now.
I read it 2 years ago and this is all I remember so far. I hope you fall in love with the story as much as I do.
This is the story introduced me to Katherine Mansfield.
There are lots of small details in the story that may look clear but has a deeper meaning if you look from a wider perspective. From a psychological jargon Aunt Berly is an example for projection while Kezia resembles containment and projection identification, also the mean school girls are holding.
This book shows the difference and the clear cut between the children's world and the grown-up's world. For children the world of grown-up's world is close yet so far away that it almost like a doll house. You can see whats going inside, you can see all of the rooms but you don't feel like you belong there and you live in a house that is not yours, you can't fit in as well. At the story there is a clear statement that the dolls inside of the house are just "stiff" which presents Kezia's parents being emotionally dead and not understanding her state of mind, or basically not letting her in:) The dolls look stiff for her because she says they look like they dont belong there, I believe lamp represents something deeper as well but even this lamp looks beautiful to her, why? Because it looks like the lamp belongs to the house, which is the whole deal.
Another question that pops into my mind while reading this was that; Was the important thing the beauty of the doll house or is was just owning it? The doll house was only beautiful because it belongs to Keiza not to others, she was the only one at the neighborhood who has a doll house, no other child has one, and that was the only important thing about the doll house.
Coming back to the lamp:) They are shaped as a circle but in a weird way, it is almost like a not completed circle. If we think that circle represent being completed it is just like a children, it exist but it is not completed a circle yet. OR the lamp at the doll house is small and mini version of a lamp not a real one. It is though still a lamp realistic, but not functional. Just like a children.
Another point was made by the Kelveys, they do "containing", when individuals think bad about others they believe it is going to be beneficial for them. When you say someone is dirty does it mean they are dirty or is it just mean you are more clean than them? Telling Kelveys that they are bad and dirty just makes other feel clean. Another small detail hidden which I LOVE was the way people describe the way Kelveys clothes, they were always wearing someone's old clothes, why the clothes that they use to wear suddenly becomes dirty just because they are worn by Kelvey's now. This is a similar concept that we hold, when something is belong to us it seems beautiful, but when you lost it or gave it to someone it automatically becomes bad and filled with negative feelings. They are the same clothes, it just seems dirty now because it is not theirs now.
I read it 2 years ago and this is all I remember so far. I hope you fall in love with the story as much as I do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2020
4 Stars
The author brought the class distinction in a really good way.
The author brought the class distinction in a really good way.
April 25, 2021
The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield is a heart touching story. The main characters are kids and the doll house.
All the kids , irrespective of the social class of the place studied in the single school of the place. So, there were discrimination among the kids, mostly insisted by tgheir parents. The Burnell kids, one of the upperclass family got a beautiful doll house as a gift from their aunty. They were very proud of it and they talked to their friends about it. All except the Kelvey kids was allowed to visit the doll house. One day, Kezia, one of the Burnell kid invited Lil Kelsey and her sister Else Kelsey to visit the doll house. As they were observing it, one of Kezia's aunties got angry at them and asked them to go back to their houses.
The ending of the story is also touching. The story is about the imaginary line drawn among people according to the social class. The sad thing is that the grown ups in this story asks their children to do the same. The title of the story is perfect since the story revolves around the doll house. The excitements of kids when they get a new toy, is portrayed well. A thoughtful story.
All the kids , irrespective of the social class of the place studied in the single school of the place. So, there were discrimination among the kids, mostly insisted by tgheir parents. The Burnell kids, one of the upperclass family got a beautiful doll house as a gift from their aunty. They were very proud of it and they talked to their friends about it. All except the Kelvey kids was allowed to visit the doll house. One day, Kezia, one of the Burnell kid invited Lil Kelsey and her sister Else Kelsey to visit the doll house. As they were observing it, one of Kezia's aunties got angry at them and asked them to go back to their houses.
The ending of the story is also touching. The story is about the imaginary line drawn among people according to the social class. The sad thing is that the grown ups in this story asks their children to do the same. The title of the story is perfect since the story revolves around the doll house. The excitements of kids when they get a new toy, is portrayed well. A thoughtful story.
October 6, 2011
Title: The Doll's House
Author: Katherine Mansfield
Type of text: short story
I liked how it has a detailed explanation about the Doll’s house which made me imagine. I thought it was really sad that there was a big difference between upper class people and lower class people in their community.
I would recommend this book because it makes you think deeply about lower classes and upper classes in the community.
Author: Katherine Mansfield
Type of text: short story
I liked how it has a detailed explanation about the Doll’s house which made me imagine. I thought it was really sad that there was a big difference between upper class people and lower class people in their community.
I would recommend this book because it makes you think deeply about lower classes and upper classes in the community.
August 5, 2015
I have arranged my thoughts into a haiku:
"Outside the doll house,
Peace is for those looking in--
On those with repute."
"Outside the doll house,
Peace is for those looking in--
On those with repute."
May 14, 2017
I can remember reading it's translation in my sister's notebook long time ago and took it on my heart so badly that today the pain of class difference is again being irrigated.
January 16, 2024
Nossa reação a essa obra-prima de oito a afinas nos traz brevemente uma versão melhor de nós mesmos. Isso nos torna mais empáticos; pessoas melhores. Além disso, a encantadora descrição de casa da boneca firma a realidade fictícia no lugar e nos faz acreditar nela. Além disso, a injustiça na história nos faz querer corrigi-la. Em termos de ponto de vista, a autora vai para onde quer.
February 12, 2019
Una novella che mette in luce le differenze sociali dell’epoca. La Casa delle Bambole è un piccolo gioiellino con descrizioni perfette dell’autrice. Sembra quasi essere lì a guardare. Dolce e significativa, come sempre i bambini sono anime innocenti che seguono l’input dei genitori, altri sono così intelligenti che si ribellano già in giovane età.
Consigliata!
Consigliata!
April 26, 2021
What's probably more interesting than the story itself is the imaginary class aspect that people see in it. This clearly illustrates how class is just a mental projection of the class conscious, and how class consciousness creates classes, just as caste consciousness creates castes in India.
May 14, 2021
Sometimes, elders teach a lot of unrighteous things to the kids. Like in the story they show how discrimination of lower class happens in the society by the narrow minded upper class adults and they teach their children the same.
March 24, 2016
ძალიან საყვარელი და სევდიანი მოთხრობები აქვს.
მომწონს ეს ქალი.
მომწონს ეს ქალი.
February 6, 2019
Recensione completa sul Blog Il salotto del gatto libraio
https://ilsalottodelgattolibraio.blog...
Questo piccolo libricino racconta la storia di una famiglia, i Burnell, ma soprattutto delle bambine che ricevono in dono dalla signora Hay, come segno di riconoscenza per la loro ospitalità, una casa delle bambole.
La casa è minuziosamente rifinita in ogni suo particolare ma l'autrice, pone in particolar modo, l'accento su una speciale lampada all'interno di essa.
Alle ragazze, Kezia, Isabel e Lottie viene dato il permesso di mostrare il loro piccolo tesoro alle compagne di scuola tranne però alle sorelle Kelvey perchè di ceto inferiore rispetto a tutte loro.
Kezia però non resiste al divieto e invita le sorelle Kelvey, Lil ed Else, ad ammirare la casa.
La zia Beryl però, già irritata per aver ricevuto una lettera terribile, vedendo le sorelle Kelvey in compagnia della nipote, le mette in fuga. Le ragazze spaventate si danno alla fuga ma seppur sconvolte dalla corsa e dallo spavento, non possono fare a meno di essere felici per aver visto la casa delle bambole e quella splendida lampada all'interno, l'unico oggetto degno di ammirazione perchè quanto più vicno alla realtà.
Apparentemente vi troverete in presenza di una storia semplice quasi insignificante, ma la bravura dell'autrice è stata proprio quella di creare senza tanti fronzoli, uno scenario suggestivo e ricco di piccole informazioni che hanno innescato nel lettore una serie di domande... Perchè la lampada era così importante? Che lettera terribile aveva ricevuto la zia Beryl? E perchè le bambine non erano libere di giocare con le sorelle Kelvey?
Con questo racconto l'autrice ha voluto mettere sotto l'obiettivo la degradazione, il cinismo e l'opportunismo del "mondo borghese" ma sopratutto lo ha usato come pretesto per rimarcare le differenze sociali, vedi le sorelle Kelvey, emarginate perchè figlie di una lavandaia e un galeotto.
Purtroppo è la prima volta che leggo qualcosa di Khaterine Mansfield ma devo dire che questa edizione curata da Enrico De Luca per Lettere Animate, mi ha fatto venire voglia di leggere altri racconti di questa autrice.
https://ilsalottodelgattolibraio.blog...
Questo piccolo libricino racconta la storia di una famiglia, i Burnell, ma soprattutto delle bambine che ricevono in dono dalla signora Hay, come segno di riconoscenza per la loro ospitalità, una casa delle bambole.
La casa è minuziosamente rifinita in ogni suo particolare ma l'autrice, pone in particolar modo, l'accento su una speciale lampada all'interno di essa.
Alle ragazze, Kezia, Isabel e Lottie viene dato il permesso di mostrare il loro piccolo tesoro alle compagne di scuola tranne però alle sorelle Kelvey perchè di ceto inferiore rispetto a tutte loro.
Kezia però non resiste al divieto e invita le sorelle Kelvey, Lil ed Else, ad ammirare la casa.
La zia Beryl però, già irritata per aver ricevuto una lettera terribile, vedendo le sorelle Kelvey in compagnia della nipote, le mette in fuga. Le ragazze spaventate si danno alla fuga ma seppur sconvolte dalla corsa e dallo spavento, non possono fare a meno di essere felici per aver visto la casa delle bambole e quella splendida lampada all'interno, l'unico oggetto degno di ammirazione perchè quanto più vicno alla realtà.
Apparentemente vi troverete in presenza di una storia semplice quasi insignificante, ma la bravura dell'autrice è stata proprio quella di creare senza tanti fronzoli, uno scenario suggestivo e ricco di piccole informazioni che hanno innescato nel lettore una serie di domande... Perchè la lampada era così importante? Che lettera terribile aveva ricevuto la zia Beryl? E perchè le bambine non erano libere di giocare con le sorelle Kelvey?
Con questo racconto l'autrice ha voluto mettere sotto l'obiettivo la degradazione, il cinismo e l'opportunismo del "mondo borghese" ma sopratutto lo ha usato come pretesto per rimarcare le differenze sociali, vedi le sorelle Kelvey, emarginate perchè figlie di una lavandaia e un galeotto.
Purtroppo è la prima volta che leggo qualcosa di Khaterine Mansfield ma devo dire che questa edizione curata da Enrico De Luca per Lettere Animate, mi ha fatto venire voglia di leggere altri racconti di questa autrice.
December 12, 2025
well, i read the right version and i liked it more than the horror version because i think this way, it makes more sense, or it is a better criticism of the class distinction, which is what mansfield is trying to do in this particular story -and she does it very well-
i felt horrible for lil and else. the way they're silently listening to other girls talking about the doll house since they're not allowed to see it broke my heart in so many levels. and the fact that mansfield talked about else as 'our else' to make us more emphathetic with else since her silence might make it hard for people to like her 😭😭 more broken hearts 💔💔💔her silence, of course, is another part of the class distinction since their voices wouldn't be heard anyway even if they wanted to talk since they're from working class.
so, i think it was a beautiful story of class criticism through the use of a doll house. the smell of the paint was enough to make someone ill but still, it was so so beautiful that burnells kept it.
i felt horrible for lil and else. the way they're silently listening to other girls talking about the doll house since they're not allowed to see it broke my heart in so many levels. and the fact that mansfield talked about else as 'our else' to make us more emphathetic with else since her silence might make it hard for people to like her 😭😭 more broken hearts 💔💔💔her silence, of course, is another part of the class distinction since their voices wouldn't be heard anyway even if they wanted to talk since they're from working class.
so, i think it was a beautiful story of class criticism through the use of a doll house. the smell of the paint was enough to make someone ill but still, it was so so beautiful that burnells kept it.
January 26, 2019
Questo racconto di Katherine Mansfield è breve ma intenso. Le sorelle Burnell ricevono in regalo una casa delle bambole molto elegante, ben fatta e all'apparenza perfetta. Orgogliose del regalo ricevuto, decidono di mostrare la casa alle compagne di scuola.
La Mansfield descrive la casa delle bambole in modo perfetto tanto che al lettore sembra di poterla vedere e di poterne sentire l'odore.
La casa delle bambole delle giovani Burnell è, per l'autrice, un pretesto per descrivere e condannare la società degli anni '20 con le sue differenze sociali e i suoi pregiudizi.
Il racconto è breve ma toccante e dal mio punto di vista anche attuale.
In fondo anche oggi i bambini sono vittime dei pregiudizi e delle ideologie degli adulti che soffocano e manipolano la loro bontà di cuore, la loro anima.
Questa edizione, curata da Enrico De Luca, contiene delle note che aiutano il lettore ad approfondire il testo.
La Mansfield descrive la casa delle bambole in modo perfetto tanto che al lettore sembra di poterla vedere e di poterne sentire l'odore.
La casa delle bambole delle giovani Burnell è, per l'autrice, un pretesto per descrivere e condannare la società degli anni '20 con le sue differenze sociali e i suoi pregiudizi.
Il racconto è breve ma toccante e dal mio punto di vista anche attuale.
In fondo anche oggi i bambini sono vittime dei pregiudizi e delle ideologie degli adulti che soffocano e manipolano la loro bontà di cuore, la loro anima.
Questa edizione, curata da Enrico De Luca, contiene delle note che aiutano il lettore ad approfondire il testo.
August 1, 2021
The story, “The Doll's House,” was written by one of the most famous New Zealand writers - Katherine Mansfield. The plot of this work was built around a wonderful doll’s house presented to children (three sisters) of the Burnel family.
The sisters “burned to tell everybody” their doll's house. The story opened showing readers the world of childhood, but the harmony of it was ruined by adults who displayed arrogant models of behaviour for children.
Only the youngest of the Burnell sisters was able to overcome powerful social barriers which adults built.
The main visual symbol of this story was a beautiful small lamp in the doll’s house. It was connected by the author to the beauty of the soul of one of the little girls.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://katherinemansfieldsociety.org...
The sisters “burned to tell everybody” their doll's house. The story opened showing readers the world of childhood, but the harmony of it was ruined by adults who displayed arrogant models of behaviour for children.
Only the youngest of the Burnell sisters was able to overcome powerful social barriers which adults built.
The main visual symbol of this story was a beautiful small lamp in the doll’s house. It was connected by the author to the beauty of the soul of one of the little girls.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://katherinemansfieldsociety.org...
January 7, 2026
A tale of class struggle seen through the eyes of little girls influenced by judgmental and narrow-minded parents, children who should not be worried about who they’re allowed to talk to at playtime or being howled at because they wanted to have a little fun with kids adults see as underdogs, children who’s only preoccupation should be to play with this stove, these real bed-clothes and that beautiful amber lamp and its white bulb on the dining-room table.
Happiness doesn’t come from the futility of showing off your belongings but from making interesting friendships if you desire to.
Deeply interesting and meaningful.
Happiness doesn’t come from the futility of showing off your belongings but from making interesting friendships if you desire to.
Deeply interesting and meaningful.
Read
October 7, 2019«La casa delle bambole» è una breve novella con un intreccio piuttosto semplice. Tre sorelle appartenenti ad una ricca famiglia invitano tutte le loro compagne di classe a giocare con la loro nuova casa delle bambole. Le uniche escluse sono Lil e Else, due sorelle colpevoli di essere figlie di una lavandaia e di un padre non ben identificato. Senza ulteriori anticipazioni, la vera potenza della Mansfield è la capacità di ...
Continua a leggere su Frammenti Rivista:
https://www.frammentirivista.it/la-ca...
Continua a leggere su Frammenti Rivista:
https://www.frammentirivista.it/la-ca...
July 23, 2023
Katherine Mansfield writes short stories that pack a punch and have multiple levels of meaning. This is the story of a doll's house, the cruelty of children and adults who bully and exclude, and the relationships of siblings. The children are mirrors of their parents, already learning their "place" in the world, and it is obvious that this behavior and thinking is carefully taught, not innate. I think this is a story that invites being read more than once, for it seems to me to be rich in ironies and details that need to be savored to be fully appreciated.
September 25, 2025
Read this short story in my English class today. I knew it was about social classes. How everyone avoided The Leveys, or the two girls. However, Kezia ignored this rule and talked to them anyways. She was scolded for it and the girls were sent away, embarrassed.
I took the time to write this review because of Kezia. I inspire to continue to be like her. It’s disrespectful to not speak to someone because of who their parents are or how they look or how they dress.
And yes, it is about a doll’s house.
I took the time to write this review because of Kezia. I inspire to continue to be like her. It’s disrespectful to not speak to someone because of who their parents are or how they look or how they dress.
And yes, it is about a doll’s house.
December 29, 2023
In this short story, a trio of little girls are given a dolls house and show it off to all the other girls in their school except for the socially ostracized Kelvey girls. Snobbery and rudeness rule the day until one of the new dollhouse owners decide to invite the Kelvey's to see the doll house.
On a side note, I dreamed of having a doll house as a little girl and I'm still impressed by miniature configurations of houses and such.
On a side note, I dreamed of having a doll house as a little girl and I'm still impressed by miniature configurations of houses and such.
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