Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Friday, November 5, 2010

"Honesty" by Katherine Mansfield

"Honesty" by Katherine Mansfield (1922,  5 pages)


"Honesty" by Katherine Mansfield (New Zealand, 1888 to 1923) was first published in 1922 and was then republished in a posthumous collection of some of her late in life stories in  The Dove's Nest and Other Stories edited by her husband, John Middleton Murry in late 1923.

There are only two characters in "Honesty", Rupert Henderson and Archie Cullen.    Rupert and Archie have lived together for a long time.   The narrator of the story tells us it is strictly a business arrangement.    Neither one owns the apartment but because Rupert was the first one to live in the apartment it has evolved over time that it is Rupert's apartment.   Each man has his own bedroom and they share a bath.   

Mansfield does a good job showing the dynamics of power between the two men.   We see how their relationship is defined over a series of petty to us matters.   I would say "Honesty" is a decent worth reading story but it is not a leading star in the Mansfield constellation.   

"Honesty" can be read online here

Mel u

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