'Rain came suddenly from a swollen ky and with it a cold, whipping blowing in her face.'
This 1912 story by the New Zealand writer is a little masterpiece (or possibly mistresspiece) of modernist writing. A woman who has been shopping is caught in the rain and takes shelter in the porch of a house for sale. She sits down, her skirts and shoes soaked, her shopping in a poor state, and seems to drift off into a reverie as the rain pours down...
It's hard for me not to think of Katherine Mansfield's own fate. This story seems sadly prophetic. It offers a vision of domestic bliss that was often idealised in the popular fiction of the time. The author deftly illustrates just why a life of supposedly dull domesticity was so attractive to so many women, given their limited option. She also argues, quite reasonably, that love is essential to true happiness. And then comes the twist, of a sort, and the sad truth is revealed.
A pattern seems to be emerging in Women's Weird 2, a not entirely surprising one. Again and again domesticity, the traditional domain of women in all conservative cultures, is shown to be problematic What is the cosy little house turns out to be dangerous, hostile, unattainable, a place of misery? For a man, there is the open road or the sea, possibilities that may be limited but at least exist. For a woman, there is no alternative but oblivion.
And with that happy thought, here is a link to the Katherine Mansfield House in New Zealand.
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