Creator:
Contributor:
Gołębiowska, Urszula - red. nauk. ; Kubasiewicz, Mirosława - red. nauk.
Title:
"At the brink of a vision": epiphany in the short stories of Katherine Mansfield and Nadine Gordimer
Group publication title:
Subject and Keywords:
Mansfield, Katherine (pseud.); Mansfield Murry, Kathleen (1888-1923) ; Gordimer, Nadine (1923-2014) ; the modernist short story
Abstract:
The main aim of the article is to discuss the influence of Katherine Mansfield`s prose on the short stories of Nadine Gordimer. The article starts with an overview of short story criticism, concentrating on the theories of the modernist short story by Clare Hanson and Dominic Head. ; It is argued that the distinctive features of the modernist short story are its deemphasizing of plot, the preoccupation with the protagonist`s thoughts and emotions, its use of epiphany, as well as its distinctive vision of man`s identity. The first part of the article also provides a more detailed insight into the notion of epiphany. ; It is shown that the modernist short story often problematizes the notion of epiphany as a moment of spiritual illumination. The notion of "equivocal epiphany", introduced by Dominic Head in his analysis of Mansfield`s "The Garden Party", is later applied in a close reading of Nadine Gordimer`s story "A Company of Laughing Faces", included in her sixth volume of short stories, "Not for Publication" (1965). ; The juxtaposition of Mansfield`s and Gordimer`s stories shows a number of thematic and structural similarities which testify to the enduring influence of Mansfield`s writing, as well as the strong hold of the modernist aesthetic over more contemporary writers.
Publisher:
Zielona Góra: Oficyna Wydawnicza Uniwersytetu Zielonogórskiego
Date:
Resource Type:
Format:
Pages:
Source:
Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Zielonogórskiego: Seria Scripta Humana, tom 14