WOMEN IN THE SHORT STORIES OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, D. H. LAWRENCE AND KATHERINE MANSFIELD

Transcription

1 WOMEN IN THE SHORT STORIES OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, D. H. LAWRENCE AND KATHERINE MANSFIELD ABSTRACT SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KALYANI NADIA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (IN ARTS) 2014 by RAMAPRASAD ROY SUPERVISED BY DR. SARBANI CHAUDHURY, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF KALYANI

2 1 WOMEN IN THE SHORT STORIES OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, D. H. LAWRENCE AND KATHERINE MANSFIELD Ramaprasad Roy AIM Much research has been done on the novel of Virginia Woolf ( ) and D. H. Lawrence ( ), but their short fiction has been sketchily addressed and appraised. Katherine Mansfield ( ), a New Zealander who took England as her spiritual home, has the unique distinction of having only short stories to her credit. She also has the distinction of being generally admired but rarely investigated. Although they belong to different segments of society, all three are writing against the backdrop of the World Wars and are connected with the Bloomsbury Group of which Virginia Woolf is, of course, the nucleus. It was a time when the short story became increasingly popular. The First World War and its aftermath also alter permanently, the lives of women and their function in society. Both these features have been amply noted and investigated but not much attention has been paid to its manifestation in the short stories. It is this lacuna that I have addressed in general, through specific case studies of the three authors mentioned above. SCOPE Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield are educated, cultured and emancipated women from the elite section of the society. They are sensitive and highly individualistic, persuing their own visions and ideas. It is natural that this would be reflected in their stories and not merely in autobiographical projections. D. H. Lawrence, obsessed with the basic chemistry between man and woman, struggles to leave behind his lowly origins both in terms of economic standing and artistic sensibility. He considers himself a champion of women, presenting their dreams, desires, feelings and emotions. Mansfield and Woolf, on the other hand, do not claim to promote the cause of women although they do focus on a full range of

3 2 emotions and responses generated in women. Virginia Woolf speaks lucidly on the state of women and their deprivation particularly in her essays but shies away from being termed a feminist. My objective is to explore the presentation of women in the short stories of Woolf, Mansfield and Lawrence from a feminist perspective. PERSPECTIVE Woolf, Lawrence and Mansfield emerge at a time when feminist movement is gradually gathering momentum. As I have explored women characters in their short fiction, and two of the authors are women, it is interesting to see how women are presented in their stories and whether they are portrayed from a humanitarian standpoint or from a feminist point of view. Both Woolf and Mansfield are educated, enlightened and emancipated women. It is but natural that women will occupy an important place in their fiction. Lawrence writes exclusively on women characters. Prior to First World War he appeals for the feminization of the world but there is a volte-face in his post-war fiction. Keeping in mind that different authors have different tastes, temperament and technique, it would be worthwhile to trace how women are presented, and how far they resemble and differ from one another in the short stories of the three authors at a time when feminist movement is at its peak. STRUCTURE The thesis consists of five chapters apart from an Introduction and a Conclusion. INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. AUTHORS IN CONTEXT CHAPTER II. THE GENRE IN CONTEXT CHAPTER III. WOMEN IN THE SHORT STORIES OF VIRGINIA WOOLF

4 3 CHAPTER IV. WOMEN IN THE SHORT STORIES OF D. H. LAWRENCE CHAPTER V. WOMEN IN THE SHORT STORIES OF KATHERINE MANSFIELD CONCLUSION CHAPTER I Aim This chapter investigates the links between economic, political and social upheavals at the turn of the century and the consequent empowerment of women including women writers and writers on women. This is supplemented by a close look at the specific biographical details of the three writers under scrutiny. Scope The impact of the Suffragist Movement specially, Mrs. Pankhrust s Women s Social Political Union (WSPU), 1 the First World War and legislation related to women s franchise is examined. The substantial presence of women in the professional field and the changing family structure subsequent to First World War is investigated. How the general breakdown of social, familial and political barriers affects culture, specifically literature, and the writers mentioned above have been focused upon. CHAPTER II Aim This chapter traces the evolution of the short story, its origin, history and status as literary genre. Special attention is given to its varied structure, form and context to comprehend the nature of this genre s popularity during the early twentieth century. 1 Crawford, Elizabeth. The Women s Suffrage Movement. London: UCL Place, 1999.

5 4 Scope The rise of the short story in Britain, America, Russia and France has been critically documented. Special attention is given to prominent short story writers like Poe, lrving, Hawthorne, Maupassant, Chekhov, Gogol and their influence on the short story genre in general, and specially, in Britain. The location of the three writers mentioned above in the cannon of the short story, the influences under which they work and ways in which they make a distinct mark for themselves is investigated. CHAPTERS III, IV, V Aim These three chapters form the major focus of my thesis. They investigate separately the presentation of women in the short stories of Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence and Katherine Mansfield from a feminist perspective. Scope Each chapter investigates separately the centrality/marginality of women in the short stories of the respective writers, authorial perceptions and intended responses. The locational importance and function of women and the manner of their projection have been examined against (a) the existing status of women in society and (b) the representation of women in literature in general and specifically in the short story. The aim and scope of the specific chapters are as follows: CHAPTER III: Women in the Short Stories of Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf, better known as a novelist and an essayist, also tries her hand in the realm of short fiction. The number of short stories produced by her is not great but the form is

6 5 especially appropriate to her vision because she finds her greatest skill in portraying moments of illumination. She has a lyrical gift that fits the short form. As Joseph M. Flora opines, The moment is her subject; the moment is her method. Perhaps there never was another short story writer for whom form and content were thus merged (57). Woolf appeals for a functional form that can well render what life is like. She is, in fact, interested in inner characterization. This conflict between convention and innovation is palpable in the spirit of several stories like A Society, The New Dress and Miss Prym. The impact of these features on the presentation of women in Woolf s short stories is investigated. CHAPTER IV: Women in the Short Stories of D. H. Lawrence D. H. Lawrence, better known as a novelist like Virginia Woolf, also writes short fiction. His gift of narrative powers and exciting curiosity are revealed in his short stories. In his pre-war stories like Her Turn, A Modern Lover and Shades of Spring he appeals for the feminization of the world and champions the causes of women. But a bitterness against women and women s emancipation is noted in the post-war stories like Tickets, Please, The Horse-dealer s Daughters and Monkey Nuts. The possible causes for this shift in stance and its impact on his ideological make-up are the objects of study in this chapter. CHAPTER V: Women in the Short Stories of Katherine Mansfield Unlike Woolf and Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield is exclusively dedicated to the short story form and in her brief span of life, she produces a sizeable and important body of short fiction. A definitive collection of her work has not yet been published. In her brief career as a writer, she grows markedly in intellectual discernment, aesthetic accomplishment, and emotional maturity. Her main theme is the relationship between men and women and the isolation of women. The young Mansfield is angry about the women s lot. She has self-

7 6 devouring anger that runs to bitterness, and is palpable in stories like Prelude, The Singing Lesson, and Miss Brill. Often her girls and women suffer unfairly. The chapter investigates the links between Mansfield s personal experiences and the projection of women in her stories and the nature of that projection.

8 7 BIBLIOGRAPHY Arneil, Barbara. Politics and Feminism. Oxford: Blackwell, Print. Crawford, Elizabeth. The Women s Suffrage Movement. London: UCL Place, Print. Chatterjee, Atul Chandra. The Art of Katherin Mansfield. New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd., Print. Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich. The Short stories of Anton Chekhov. Calcutta: Rupa, Print. Daly, Saralyn. Katherine Mansfield. Boston: Twayne Publishers, Print. Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich. The Collected tales and plays of Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol. New York: Octagon, Print. Gross, John. Modern Movement. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Print. Flora, Josheph. M. The English Short Story. Boston: Twayne Publishers, Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Stories. London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Print. Hill, Katherine C. Virginia Woolf and Leslie Stephen: History and Literary Revolution. Modern Language Association 96.3 (May 1981): JSTOR. Web. 10 Jan Hormaszi, Norman. Katherine Mansfield: An Appraisal. London: Collins, Print. Irving, Washington. Tales of Washington Irving. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Print. Lawrence, D. H. The Colleccted Short Stories of D. H. Lawrence. Kolkata: Rupa and Co., Print. Maupassant, Guy de. The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant. Calcutta: Rupa: Mansfield, Katherine. The Garden Party and Other Stories. London: Penguin, Print. Millett, Kate. Sexual Politics. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, Print.

9 8 Mukherjee, Sucheta & Aditi Dasgupta. Cross-currents in the Modern Short Story. Kolkata: Loreto College, Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. Stories. London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Print. Woolf, Virginia. The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf. Ed. Susan Dick. London Hogarth Press, Print.