THE VOYAGE

by Katherine Mansfield
Please, before you continue, make sure you have access to the
audio posted in the virtual campus. You should listen to it as
you read this powerpoint.

Uploading the audio and the powerpoint as different files can

look a bit strange at first, but the quality of the audio is by far
superior to the audios recorded for powerpoint.
 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

 The Voyage was written by Katherine Mansfield, who lived

during the late-Victorian, early-Edwardian eras.

 The turn of the century was a time of social unrest.

 The Victorians faced a “social crisis” as many of their more

important beliefs and traditions were questioned.

 On the Origin of Species (1859), by Charles Darwin, was one

among many scientific texts that shaped the turn of the
century.
 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

 Science, medicine, technology, transport, debates on

human rights and feminism, etc. are growing and evolving at
an incredibly fast pace.

 There is a radical change in mentality during the first decade

of the XXth century that influences the way people lived and
thought, and all kinds of artistic disciplines.

 All of this culminated in the rise of modernism.

 MODERNISM

 A strong emphasis on subjectivity.

 A blurring distinction between genres.

 A new interest in fragmented forms.

 Rejection of traditional realism in favor of experimentation

and innovation.

 A strong sense of asceticism.

 KATHERINE MANSFIELD

 Born in 1888, in Wellington,

New Zealand.

 Raised by her grandmother.

 A bohemian, careless youth.

 Suffered a severe, painful illness

during most of her adult life.

 Died in 1923, aged 34.

 THE VOYAGE

 The theme of The Voyage is growing up.

 This story can be considered a bildungsroman, a genre

focused on the growth of the main character, that usually
starts the novel as a child and evolves through the years
until they reach maturity.

 Mansfield’s great success in The Voyage is how she manages

to give us a full narrative of maturity and growth in just a
few pages thanks to her narrative skill and the use of
symbolism.
 THE VOYAGE

 Symbols in literature: one thing that is taken to represent

something else. For example, a dove can be a symbol for
peace.

 Voyages and journeys are usually symbols of personal

growth, advancing to new stages in life, or acquiring
experience.

 The stars, the umbrella, the sea and darkness as also

symbols in the story that help understand Fenella’s story of
growth and maturing.
AND NOW…
 Please, complete the worksheet for The Voyage that you
will find in the new task in the virtual campus and submit it
before Thursday the 23th.

 This is not an optional activity.

 Don’t worry if some answers are not perfect, I will give you
the answers (fully explained) next week so you can correct
your notes.

 Be warned: The anti-plagiarism system is on.

 If you have not done so already, I suggest you start
reading Fanny and Annie by D.H. Lawrence. We will start
working on it next week.

 If you have any questions or doubts, do not hesitate to

contact me.
Stay home and stay safe!