The Garden Party
The Garden Party is a 1922 short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published in the Saturday Westminster Gazette on 4 February 1922, then in the Weekly Westminster Gazette on 18 February 1922. It later appeared in The Garden Party and Other Stories.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Characters in The Garden Party
3 Major themes
4 References to other works
5 Literary significance
6 References
7 External links
[edit]Plot summary
The Sheridan family is preparing to host a garden party. Laura is supposed to be in charge, but has trouble with the workers who appear to know better, and her mother (Mrs. Sheridan) has ordered lilies to be delivered for the party without Laura 's approval. Her sister Jose tests the piano, and then sings a song in case she is asked to do so again later. After the furniture is rearranged, they learn that their working-class neighbor Mr. Scott has died. While Laura believes the party should be called off, neither Jose nor their mother agrees. The party is a success, and later Mrs. Sheridan decides it would be good to bring a basket full of leftovers to the Scotts ' house. She summons Laura to do so. Laura is shown into the poor neighbors ' house by Mrs. Scott 's sister, then sees the widow and her late husband 's corpse. She is enamored of the young man, finding him beautiful and compelling, and when she leaves to find her brother waiting for her she is unable to complete the sentence, "Isn 't life..."
[edit]Characters in The Garden Party
Mrs. Sheridan, Mr. Sheridan 's wife and mother of Laura, Laurie, Meg, and, Jose. She is in charge of the household on a daily-basis.
Laura Sheridan, one of three girls(main)
The workers, who put up a marquee in the garden
Mr. Sheridan, who goes to work that day to join the party later that eve
Meg Sheridan, a second daughter
Jose Sheridan, a third daughter
Laurie, a brother
Kitty Maitland, a friend of Laura and a party guest
Sadie, a female house servant
Hans, a male
Contents [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Characters in The Garden Party
3 Major themes
4 References to other works
5 Literary significance
6 References
7 External links
[edit]Plot summary
The Sheridan family is preparing to host a garden party. Laura is supposed to be in charge, but has trouble with the workers who appear to know better, and her mother (Mrs. Sheridan) has ordered lilies to be delivered for the party without Laura 's approval. Her sister Jose tests the piano, and then sings a song in case she is asked to do so again later. After the furniture is rearranged, they learn that their working-class neighbor Mr. Scott has died. While Laura believes the party should be called off, neither Jose nor their mother agrees. The party is a success, and later Mrs. Sheridan decides it would be good to bring a basket full of leftovers to the Scotts ' house. She summons Laura to do so. Laura is shown into the poor neighbors ' house by Mrs. Scott 's sister, then sees the widow and her late husband 's corpse. She is enamored of the young man, finding him beautiful and compelling, and when she leaves to find her brother waiting for her she is unable to complete the sentence, "Isn 't life..."
[edit]Characters in The Garden Party
Mrs. Sheridan, Mr. Sheridan 's wife and mother of Laura, Laurie, Meg, and, Jose. She is in charge of the household on a daily-basis.
Laura Sheridan, one of three girls(main)
The workers, who put up a marquee in the garden
Mr. Sheridan, who goes to work that day to join the party later that eve
Meg Sheridan, a second daughter
Jose Sheridan, a third daughter
Laurie, a brother
Kitty Maitland, a friend of Laura and a party guest
Sadie, a female house servant
Hans, a male
References: ^ Katherine Mansfield, Selected Stories, Oxford World 's Classics, explanatory notes ^ Katherine Mansfield, Selected Stories, Oxford World 's Classics, explanatory notes [edit]External links Full Text [hide] v t e Short stories by Katherine Mansfield Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding The Woman at the Store How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped Millie Something Childish But Very Natural The Little Governess Revelations The Escape An Indiscreet Journey The Wind Blows Prelude Mr Reginald Peacock 's Day Feuille d 'Album A Dill Pickle Je ne parle pas français Sun and Moon Bliss Psychology Pictures The Man Without a Temperament The Stranger Miss Brill The Daughters of the Late Colonel Life of Ma Parker The Young Girl Mr and Mrs Dove Her First Ball The Singing Lesson Bank Holiday An Ideal Family The Lady 's Maid Marriage à la Mode At The Bay The Voyage A Married Man 's Story The Garden Party The Doll 's House The Fly A Cup of Tea The Canary This short story-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.