Topic: Kathleen Mansfield: A Cup of Tea

Subject: Short Fictional Narratives

Week/Lecture # 8
Class: BS English
Semester: 3rd
Teacher: Saima Perveen
Department of English
Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan
 Outline

Introduction to Kathleen Mansfield

Title significance of A Cup of Tea
Plot analysis of A Cup of Tea
Setting & character of A Cup of Tea
Literary Elements and Themes A Cup of Tea
 Kathleen Mansfield Murry
Kathleen Mansfield Murry was a New Zealand writer, essayist and
journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important
authors of the modernist movement
 Katherine was born on October 14th 1888 in Wellington, New
Zealand, into a Middle-Class Colonial family.
Her father, Harold Beauchamp, became the chairman of the bank of
New Zeleand and eventually became knighted
She was the middle child of three sisters and one brother
Her first story was published when she was nine years old
Her works are celebrated across the world, and have been published in
25 languages.
The Mansfield family moved from Thorndon to Karori in 1893,
where Mansfield would spend the happiest years of her
childhood; she later used her memories of this time as an
inspiration for the "Prelude" story.
Her first published stories appeared in the High School Reporter
and the Wellington Girls' High School magazine in 1898
and1899.
She moved to London in 1903, where she attended Queen's
College, along with her two sisters. Mansfield recommenced
playing the cello, an occupation that she believed, during her
time at Queen's, she would take up professionally, but she also
began contributing to the school newspaper, with such a
dedication to it that she eventually became editor during this
period
1908: settled in London
1911: met John Middleton Murry
(marriage in 1918)
 1915: her brother Leslie died in WW1
1917: diagnosed as tubercular
1923: died at Fontaine bleau
WORKS

 A German Pension and Other Stories 1911

 Prelude 1918
Bliss and Other Stories 1920
 The Garden Party and Other Stories 1922
The Doves’ Nest and Other Stories 1923
 Something Childish and Other Stories 1924
 Writing Style
Mansfield's writing is characterized by having a third person
narrator who can travel in and out of a character's mind.
She wrote about the characters' internal world and struggles and often
focused on women.
The language of the characters is in harmony with their ages, level of
education.
description of details is more atmosphere than plot
Her writing has blend of feeling and setting
She uses of interior monologue and symbol and similie.
language linear prose style enhanced by a deeply poetic voice.
 A Cup of Tea
by
Kathleen Mansfield

A Cup of Tea is a short story written by New Zealand’s prominent

short fiction writer and poet Katherine Mansfield in 1922. This
story was written on the 11th of January back in early 1922, which
was first published in the famous Story-Teller magazine and later
appeared in Mansfield’s short story collection The Dove’s Nest.
Plot Analysis of A Cup of
Tea
 Exposition
Rosemary goes shopping.
Inciting incident: Miss Smith approaches
Rosemary
 Rising Action

Miss Smith asks for money to get a cup of

tea, Rosemary takes Miss Smith back to
her home.
 Climax

Philip tells Rosemary how pretty

Miss Smith is and Rosemary gets
jealous.
 Falling Action
Rosemary asks Miss Smith to
leave
 Resolution

Miss Smith has left; Rosemary reveals her

insecurity in the last conversation with
Philip and resolves to her old lifestyle – i.e.
being content with buying stuff rather than
being altruistic
 Characters
ROSEMARY FELL
PHILIPS FELL
MISS SMITH
THE SHOPKEEPER
 ROSEMARY FELL

• A socially poised, rich married woman with a devoted and loving

husband, who has a great lifestyle. She is well-dressed and well off
with all the luxuries she desires for. Her interest is mainly in reading
books, always indulged and above all greatly inspired by the characters
and their adventurous lives which she comes across in the stories.
• Her inspirational interest can be judged by the decision she takes when
she interacts with a poor soul called Miss Smith. She took her home
with a mere thought of it being an adventure for her recalling the
stories of Dostoevsky. Apart from this possession and insecurity can be
sensed in her character.
 PHILIPS FELL

• The husband of Rosemary is in fact one of the richest persons

of his society. He loves his wife devotedly and cares for her a
lot. He calls Miss Smith pretty much to his wife’s chagrin,
just to make her send Miss Smith away as she refuses to do
so when he asks her in the first place even though making his
wife feel insecure about herself and her beauty.
• MISS SMITH
She is a lean and thin poor girl of just the age of Rosemary. She can’t
even afford a single cup of tea and comes to ask Rosemary to pay her
the price of a cup of tea. She is an odd person, frightened and confused.
She is shocked when Rosemary asks her to have a cup of tea with her at
her home. In Mr. Philips’ point of view, Miss Smith is very attractive
and pretty.
• THE SHOPKEEPER
The owner of a beautiful antique ornaments shop which in fact was one
of Rosemary’s favorite shops. He would always be looking forward to
having Rosemary at his shop and always saving a lovely piece of art for
her, just like he had been saving the eye-catching blue velvet box. He is
kind of an ingratiating character.
 Tone and Setting
Tone & Genre
Cheerful and enthusiastic tone. However, in the
end, tone changes into disgruntled and bitter.
Setting
The small antique shop on Curzon Street
Fell’s house
 Symbols
Box
A cup of tea
Hat
Imagery
Rosemary's house
Weather and surroundings
Literary Devices

• PERSONIFICATION
• METAPHORS
• SIMILES
• OXYMORON
• ALLUSION
• HYPERBOLE
• IRONY
 Themes
• Selfishness
• Appearance vs. Reality
• Jealousy and Insecurity
• Materialism
• Class distinction
• Feminism
• Shallowness
Review of Lecture

• Introduction to O’Henry
• Title significance of Hearts & Hands
• Plot analysis of Hearts & Hands
• Setting & character
• Literary Elements and Themes