Experiments in Narrative: Katherine Mansfield and the Close-up

Abstract

In the publications dedicated to Katherine Mansfield’s oeuvre, the traces of the cinematic in her narratives and, in particular, the importance of close-up are duly noted. However, despite the fact that the writer’s interest in close-up is earlier than her mature interest in cinema, the discussions do not devote much consideration to the beginnings of the technique visible in Mansfield’s early works. The comparative analysis of two stories, i.e., “At ‘Lehmann’s’” and “The Little Governess,” exemplifies, therefore, the development of Mansfield’s close-up technique and, most importantly, describes how exactly the writer develops it. The essay points to the traces of this particular cinematic tool in the writer’s pre-cinematic period and considers Mansfield’s verbal close-ups with a close reading method. The analysis adds to the critical conversations over Mansfield’s cinematic interests and their influence on her narrative technique. It demonstrates how the development of close-up enhances what is to become Mansfield’s central point, i.e., the subject-object relationship, and how it influences the emotional reception of the character.