In the modern short story tradition, the effectiveness of a short story depends on many aspects and one of the most essential elements that go into the effective narration of a short story is its presentation of the central themes as early as possible in the short story. If the short story is to be effective, the immediate presentation of the main themes in the opening paragraphs of the story is normally considered as an essential criterion for evaluating a twentieth century short story. On this basis, we may compare and contrast two of the celebrated modern short stories – “On the Western Circuit” by Thomas Hardy and “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield. This analysis of the two short stories brings out the fact that both the writers were aware of the need for the immediate presentation of their main themes in the stories but they had their own way of presenting the themes. Hardy, it seems, introduces the main argument or the theme of his short story in the very opening sentence.
“The man who played the disturbing part in the two quiet lives hereafter depicted—no great man, in any sense, by the way—first had knowledge of them on an October evening, in the city of Melchester.” (On the Western Circuit Analysis) Here and in the following session, Hardy not only introduces a single character but the entire theme of his story as such. In the same fashion, Mansfield as well introduces the main theme of her novel, i.e. the garden, in the very opening sentences. “And after all the weather was ideal. They could not have had a more perfect day for a garden-party if they had ordered it. Windless, warm, the sky without a cloud. Only the blue was veiled with a haze of light gold, as it is sometimes in early summer. The gardener had been up since dawn, mowing the lawns and sweeping them, until the grass and the dark flat rosettes where the daisy plants had been seemed to shine.” (Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party). Though both the writers introduces the main concerns of their stories right away, the effectiveness also depends on the way they present the themes.
In an evaluation of the short story “On the Western Circuit” by Hardy, we realize that it “traces meticulously the consequences of one ill-chosen ride: disaster for a housemaid, Anna; for the admiring onlooker who woos her, Charles Bradford Raye; and for her mistress Edith Harnham, who writes Anna’s love letters to the peripatetic Charles and falls in love with him herself.”
(Motion sickness: spectacle and circulation in Thomas Hardy’s “On the Western Circuit.” by John Plotz). However, it is pretty clear that the story mainly concerns with the theme that is introduced in the very opening paragraph of the story and whatever follows this can be rightly considered an extension of the same. Judged from this criterion, Hardy is very effective in introducing the most essential theme of the story as immediately as he can and therefore the reader is in a position to read through and analyze the entire proceedings of the story. In other words, Hardy is effective in arousing the curiosity of the reader right away in his short story by declaring the most essential concerns of the story and, thereby, he finds himself a position among the modern short story writers. However, in a comparison of the way Katherine Mansfield introduces her main theme in the story “The Garden Party,” Hardy’s style seems to be very direct, subjective, on-the-point. Whereas the former gives a more modernist touch in introducing the theme in a round about manner, rightly targeting the exact point of elaboration, Hardy seems to be more on target with his clear way of setting up the theme.
Hardy also proposes to introduce as many as possible characteristics of his main concern of the story in the very opening page. As a result we find many elaborations on the theme in the very first pages of “On the Western Circuit.” Thus, we come to recognize, through the narration in the first pages, several characteristics of the man introduced in the first sentence of the story. “He had been standing in the Close… While he stood the presence of the Cathedral walls was revealed rather by the ear than by the eyes; he could not see them… He postponed till the morrow his attempt to examine the deserted edifice, and turned his attention to the noise… He might have searched Europe over for a greater contrast between juxtaposed scenes.” (On the Western Circuit Analysis). Thus, almost all the main topics of the story is introduced through the close narration of the character. We can be very sure that the writer is effective, in his own way as contrasted to that of Katherine Mansfield, in presenting the subject matter of his story.
Katherine Mansfield, one of the classical English short stories writers, My considered an example of the writers who have gained great status due to their sheer literary skill and the short story “The Garden Party” is an example of the skill of Katherine Mansfield as a short story writer. The story introduces Laura Sheridan the youngest daughter in the rich Sheridan family. As one of the notable responses to the story goes, “[t]he theme of The Garden Party is very simple. All conversations and descriptions were about the garden party and the death of the poor young man who left his wife and five children behind… I would say that the idea in The Garden Party is how marvelous life is, even a miserable and poor life. In my opinion, the author wants to tell us that it’s important to show sympathy and understanding across traditional class borders.” (A Response to Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party”).
The central concern of Mansfield’s story is the Garden Party which is clearly introduced in the opening pages and the style of her presentation is especially catchy to the reader. In introducing the main theme, she goes to the very specifications of the garden detailing every little element that is connected to garden and the party. “The gardener had been up since dawn, mowing the lawns and sweeping them, until the grass and the dark flat rosettes where the daisy plants had been seemed to shine. As for the roses, you could not help feeling they understood that roses are the only flowers that impress people at garden-parties; the only flowers that everybody is certain of knowing.” The readers interest is effectively aroused by the style and method adopted by the writer in introducing her key concern.” (Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party).
In an ultimate conclusion of this comparison, it may be considered that both Hardy and Mansfield have been concerned with the way of introducing their main theme of the short story in the very opening pages of the stories. However, they differ greatly in the way they introduce the themes and the way they treat the different concerns. Whereas Hardy is more concerned with a clear, direct and on the point setting up of the central theme, Katherine Mansfield does the same in a more refined, thoughtful, and effective way. The style of the latter’s introduction of the theme seems more convincing to the reader. However, it is apparent that both the writers have exactly felt the need for setting up, foreshadowing, or introducing the main theme of the story on the very opening pages and the stories, “On the Western Circuit” and “The Garden Party” illustrate the point.
Bibliography
On the Western Circuit Analysis. Web.
Katherine Mansfield, The Garden Party. Web.
Motion sickness: spectacle and circulation in Thomas Hardy’s “On the Western Circuit.” by John Plotz. Web.
A Response to Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party”. Web.