Victimization or self-inflicted hurt: Double narrative movements in Katherine Mansfield’s The Little Governess

Abstract

The paper aims to study the double narrative movements in Katherine Mansfield’s short story “The Little Governess” which has received limited critical attention because of its seemingly simple plot. Most of the previous interpretations concentrate on the victimization of the little governess by patriarchal forces. But the study of Mansfield’s subtle stylistic choices, together with intertextual comparison and the connection with the author’s personal life, reveals that behind the ‘overt plot,’ there exists a ‘covert progression’ in which another countervailing theme springs out: the victimization of the little governess by her class prejudice. By laying bare the heroine as a girl who is victimized by her distinct class consciousness, this essay exposes Mansfield’s criticism of the deep-rooted class division.