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Classic Womens Short Stories
A collection of five short stories by influential women writers from the close of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century include contributions from Katherine Mansfield, Kate Chopin, and Virginia Woolf. Read by Liza Ross & Teresa Gallagher.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1997
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About the author
Katherine Mansfield
1,010 books1,225 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 43 reviews
January 10, 2019
Katherine Mansfield, a New Zealander, is credited as the mother of modern short story structure with good reason. The best story in this collection is her, "The Garden Party," succinctly paints a rich and profound tale of a young girl's eyes opening during a time when the European class system was also learning to see.
January 11, 2020
I really enjoyed this small anthology. I had never read any works by these authors so I really didn't know what to expect. I think The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield was my favourite but the others were good also.
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield 5/5 an absolutely perfect story. All in 1 afternoon.
Daughters of the Late Colonel by Katherine Mansfield 3.5/5 2 genteel spinster sisters trying to deal with life after years of their domineering father.
Lilacs by Kate Chopin 5/5
Ma'ame Pelagie by Kate Chopin. 3/5
Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf. 3.5/5 I would say if I reread this one it's star rating would go up, Woolf needs more than one read. I listened it to twice and my rating went from 3 stars to 3.5 as I understood a little more where she was going with the story. I thought the story was about perception but then again, I could have read it wrong :)
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield 5/5 an absolutely perfect story. All in 1 afternoon.
Daughters of the Late Colonel by Katherine Mansfield 3.5/5 2 genteel spinster sisters trying to deal with life after years of their domineering father.
Lilacs by Kate Chopin 5/5
Ma'ame Pelagie by Kate Chopin. 3/5
Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf. 3.5/5 I would say if I reread this one it's star rating would go up, Woolf needs more than one read. I listened it to twice and my rating went from 3 stars to 3.5 as I understood a little more where she was going with the story. I thought the story was about perception but then again, I could have read it wrong :)
December 28, 2022
Entertaining collection of stories (if you can still get the CD) - two by Katherine Mansfield, two by Kate Chopin and one by Virginia Woolf. I enjoyed all of them although they are quite different, my favourite probably being either The Garden Party as a reflection on the British class system and, more philosophically, on the proximity of life and death or the mysterious Mark on the Wall which leads the narrator to ponder on many subjects unrelated to the snail which has caught her eye. A good introduction to these three writers for anyone who does not know them (although I feel that those new to Kate Chopin's would do better to read her Awakening first as it strikes me as her masterpiece).
Read
July 24, 2011The best story out of this collection is Virginia Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall." Amazing use of stream-of-consciousness. The Katherine Mansfield's stories were also good, but for some reason, I had trouble with Chopin's stories. I love The Awakening, but these two short stories of hers seemed inaccessible to me at this moment in my life.
March 26, 2022
Ridiculous. Even for a study of women’s fiction!
May 9, 2014
Title: Classic Women’s Short Stories
Author: Katherine Mansfield, Kate Chopin, Virginia Woolf
Read by: Carole Boyd, Lisa Ross, Teresa Gallagher
Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
Length: 2 hours, 41 minutes
Source: MP3 Audio through Wisconsin Public Library Consortium – Overdrive on my Droid
This digital audiobook contained four short stories that were nicely bracketed by classical music. Honestly my favorite of the four stories was “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield. A well-to do family in the early twentieth century is preparing for a garden party when they hear that a workman was killed in front of their house the very morning of the party. Daughter Laura suddenly becomes socially aware of the world outside of her family and its garden party and wants to cancel the event out of respect.
“The Mark on the Wall” by Virginia Woolf is one woman’s stream of consciousness thought on a mark her wall and the meaning behind it. It was different, but I didn’t find it that compelling. “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” by Katherine Mansfield is the story of two middle-aged women without the ruling influence of their domineering father and at a loss on how to proceed. It was interesting. Kate Chopin's "Ma'ame Pelagie” is about two daughters in the south not being able to let go of their dreams of their family grander coming back after the Civil War as the years melt by and they become old women. I was not inspired by the tale. I wanted to smack the women and tell them to buck up and move on with their lives.
The narrators were all good and I especially loved the classical music between the stories. Overall these Classic Women’s Short Stories were all interesting, but I especially enjoyed The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield.
This review was originally posted on my blog at: http://www.lauragerold.blogspot.com/2...
Author: Katherine Mansfield, Kate Chopin, Virginia Woolf
Read by: Carole Boyd, Lisa Ross, Teresa Gallagher
Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
Length: 2 hours, 41 minutes
Source: MP3 Audio through Wisconsin Public Library Consortium – Overdrive on my Droid
This digital audiobook contained four short stories that were nicely bracketed by classical music. Honestly my favorite of the four stories was “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield. A well-to do family in the early twentieth century is preparing for a garden party when they hear that a workman was killed in front of their house the very morning of the party. Daughter Laura suddenly becomes socially aware of the world outside of her family and its garden party and wants to cancel the event out of respect.
“The Mark on the Wall” by Virginia Woolf is one woman’s stream of consciousness thought on a mark her wall and the meaning behind it. It was different, but I didn’t find it that compelling. “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” by Katherine Mansfield is the story of two middle-aged women without the ruling influence of their domineering father and at a loss on how to proceed. It was interesting. Kate Chopin's "Ma'ame Pelagie” is about two daughters in the south not being able to let go of their dreams of their family grander coming back after the Civil War as the years melt by and they become old women. I was not inspired by the tale. I wanted to smack the women and tell them to buck up and move on with their lives.
The narrators were all good and I especially loved the classical music between the stories. Overall these Classic Women’s Short Stories were all interesting, but I especially enjoyed The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield.
This review was originally posted on my blog at: http://www.lauragerold.blogspot.com/2...
April 4, 2019
Five short stories. Ahhh. Short stories written by women. Double ahhh. Like bookends, the opening piece “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, a New Zealand writer born in 1988, is well done and reflective of the time period with the “gentility” of British colonialism; While, the closing piece by the British author Virginia Wolfe, born in 1882 in South London, “The Mark on the Wall,” is the book’s raison d’etre. It sublimely enchants as it cleverly unfolds from routine banality to a cry for the day male supremacy will be like dust to be cleaned away, one emergent hypothesis as to the mystery of the mark on the wall. “Could it be dust? ... Certainly, the dust on my mantel reveals my housekeeping skills.” Suddenly and quietly we are brought from the poignancy of women being tamped down to a calmness, as the protagonist purposely refocuses onto something totally anomalous, such as the mark on the wall, making the moments that much more bearable.
The stories are subtle and cannot be further expounded upon for fear of being the total spoiler. —- Surprises are to be saved as your treat.
In the middle of the bookends are two short stories by Kate Chopin, born in 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri, known for her depictions of American Catholicism in the south, particularly in Louisiana. All of the short stories reflect the
perfume of feminism as you can feel society transforming before you from the Victorian era to the beyond. Class consciousness also is a variant in the verses.
I highly recommend the audio version. The readers of the stories capture the writers nuances in their often lilting syncopation which perfectly lulls one into their webs beautifully.
The stories are subtle and cannot be further expounded upon for fear of being the total spoiler. —- Surprises are to be saved as your treat.
In the middle of the bookends are two short stories by Kate Chopin, born in 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri, known for her depictions of American Catholicism in the south, particularly in Louisiana. All of the short stories reflect the
perfume of feminism as you can feel society transforming before you from the Victorian era to the beyond. Class consciousness also is a variant in the verses.
I highly recommend the audio version. The readers of the stories capture the writers nuances in their often lilting syncopation which perfectly lulls one into their webs beautifully.
March 29, 2020
1. The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
The clearly wealthy family is bustling about organising a garden party for their mother but the youngest daughter Laura hears of the death of a cart man whose family lives nearby. The family note that the slum houses ruin their view. One suggests he was probably drunk but she is genuinely concerned about holding a party the mourning family can probably hear.
Her family talk her fears down, then after the party her mother suggests she take the leftover food to them.
She sees the dead man and says ‘forgive me for my hat’. She’s still wearing the large decorated hat her mother insisted she wear.
2. Daughters of the late colonel by Katherine Mansfield
The spinster daughters find the world a very different place with their father dead. But sadly, most of their lives have passed them by while they were waiting for their freedom.
3. Lilacs by Kate Chopin
Each year when the lilacs flower a woman comes to the convent for a two week stay. She donates a valuable present to them each time. But somehow, the convent discover she is a performer and they refuse her entry the next year.
[not so Christian of them, eh?]
4. Ma'ame Pelagie by Kate Chopin
Two sisters have saved their money to rebuild their plantation home, burnt during the Civil War. But when the choice is to build a new smaller home to keep their young niece with them, or keep hanging onto the memories of the old house, which will Pelagie choose?
5. A Mark on the Wall - Virginia Woolf
A woman sits and notices a mark on the wall. The stream of conscious writing so characteristic of Woolf.
4 stars
The clearly wealthy family is bustling about organising a garden party for their mother but the youngest daughter Laura hears of the death of a cart man whose family lives nearby. The family note that the slum houses ruin their view. One suggests he was probably drunk but she is genuinely concerned about holding a party the mourning family can probably hear.
Her family talk her fears down, then after the party her mother suggests she take the leftover food to them.
She sees the dead man and says ‘forgive me for my hat’. She’s still wearing the large decorated hat her mother insisted she wear.
2. Daughters of the late colonel by Katherine Mansfield
The spinster daughters find the world a very different place with their father dead. But sadly, most of their lives have passed them by while they were waiting for their freedom.
3. Lilacs by Kate Chopin
Each year when the lilacs flower a woman comes to the convent for a two week stay. She donates a valuable present to them each time. But somehow, the convent discover she is a performer and they refuse her entry the next year.
[not so Christian of them, eh?]
4. Ma'ame Pelagie by Kate Chopin
Two sisters have saved their money to rebuild their plantation home, burnt during the Civil War. But when the choice is to build a new smaller home to keep their young niece with them, or keep hanging onto the memories of the old house, which will Pelagie choose?
5. A Mark on the Wall - Virginia Woolf
A woman sits and notices a mark on the wall. The stream of conscious writing so characteristic of Woolf.
4 stars
Want to read
October 26, 2007i love katherine mansfield's writing and her whole connection (friendship) to d.h. lawrence, which is how i discovered her. (i'm a d.h. disciple -- though i have not yet read _lady chatterly's lover_!
February 7, 2023
Two stories by Katherine Mansfield that appear in many collections, two by Kate Chopin, and one by Virginia Woolf. They derive from a similar era, I suppose, but I'm not sure I understand the logic behind this particular collection other than women writers who were roughly contemporary.
May 16, 2017
Enjoyable short stories that were all new to me and went very quickly. It seems they all have a little twist or extra bite at the end. Ma'am Pelagie is my favorite.
August 28, 2018
Virginia Woolf and Kate Chopin were my favorite parts of this collection. Both Lilacs and The Mark on the Wall were wonderful pieces.
April 4, 2023
Some stories were better than others but I suggest you read them rather than listen to them. Listening to the reader swallow was gross. 🤢
May 19, 2017
I liked these short stories okay. There were points of view that I enjoyed hearing, and some intriguing twists of stories. And then, there were some parts that seemed to meander or were just thought experiments where we were pulled along for fun. This is what writing is, often, and that's okay.
July 9, 2024
Mark on the Wall for the Zen! That was frikken excellent. The rest of the stories were cool. all progressive and a bit savage as they ripped into old systems with their prissy remarks. But the last story, by Woolf was so so very beautiful.
September 1, 2017
A collection of fine stories of subtlety and nuance. Read these in a quiet and thoughtful mood.
April 9, 2019
A wonderful rumination by Virginia Woolf ends this collection.
May 25, 2019
A thought-provoking collection of short stories about the lives of women from youth to age. All show familial relationships with a few focusing on sisters. I found each satisfying in different ways.
August 12, 2021
mark on the wall!!
August 16, 2021
The last two stories - Lilac and the one by Virgian Woolf, did not enjoy the rest of the book.
August 20, 2021
Narration was excellent!
November 21, 2022
enjoyed reading the short story format again. It is remarkable how quickly the authors relate so much of the character and stir strong emotions in such a brief context
Read
April 13, 2023Lilacs by Kate Chopin was 😭😭😭 but very good
May 27, 2023
This collection of stories are so peaceful, it’s like ASMR. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 8, 2023
This was alright - a little underwhelming, but quite a nice change of pace after reading too much Philip K. Dick.
September 5, 2023
I was expecting fun and light. This book was neither fun nor light!
October 10, 2023
Two of the stories are quite good: the vergina wolf and the girl her father died.
The others are boring or pointless.
However I am glad I listened to the audiobook, as this is a Harvard book.
The others are boring or pointless.
However I am glad I listened to the audiobook, as this is a Harvard book.
August 21, 2024
The aesthetic? 10/10 The stories themselves? I'm so bored I could cry, and I usually like historical women's fiction. I refuse to pretend all "classics" are good.
January 5, 2025
This collection having introduced me to them, I will definitely read more from Mansfield and Chopin after this. This was a lovely mix of short stories. Highly recommend.
June 21, 2025
Nice sampling of some short stories I don’t think I would have read otherwise.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews