HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE H0086 10/18/00 "HARDY AND KATHERINE MANSFIELD" ========================================================== Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 11:20:20 +1000 From: David Cornelius Subject: Information please--Renamed "Hardy and Katherine Manssfield" I wonder if someone might help me with information on the following: Is there any evidence of Hardy meeting with or knowing of Katherine Mansfield at the time he was writing his fiction? What was Hardy's attitude to naturalism and realism in the writing of fiction, and where might I find information? Thank you, Regards, David Cornelius David Cornelius 5 Caltowie Place Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia. dcorney@midcoast.com.au Carpe diem!========== Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 11:09:52 -0300 From: Richard Nemesvari Organization: St. Francis Xavier University Subject: Re: Information please There is no mention in any of the major biographies (Gittings, Millgate, Smith) of Hardy meeting Mansfield; whether he was familiar with her work is another question. Someone with the *Collected Letters* more easily to hand might be able to find something, although I can say that there are likewise no references to her in the *Literary Notebooks.* Hardy's position on naturalism and realism is a very large topic, and one that has been covered extensively. For a pretty good overview, and a challenging contemporary perspective on the topic, I'd recommend Chapter 1 of Peter Widdowson's *Hardy in History: A Study in Literary Sociology,* entitled "The Critical Constitution of 'Thomas Hardy'". A quotation from the *Life* which is receiving increasing play by critics (including, I confess, myself) is the following: "Art is a disproportioning--(i.e., distorting, throwing out of proportion)--of realities, to show more clearly the features that matter in those realities, which, if merely copied or reported inventorially, might possibly be observed, but would more probably be overlooked. Hence 'realism' is not Art." (*Life and Work*, ed. Millgate, p. 239) Hope that helps. Richard Nemesvari Department of English St. Francis Xavier University ========== From: erb@segr.demon.co.uk (Roy Buckle) Subject: Re: Information please Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 15:38:50 GMT For Mansfield (via husband) see 'Thomas Hardy: Interviews and Recollections' ed. James Gibson, Macmillan:London 1999 and St. Martin's press: New York 1999. Page 154 et seq. -- Roy Buckle ========== From: "SCHWEIK" Subject: Re: Re: Information please Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 15:06:55 GMT The *Collected Letters* does include reference to Mansfield. In a letter of 15 February 1923 to John Middleton Murry Hardy expresses his condolences to him on his wife's death and says, "We were, of course, quite familiar with Mrs Murry's books." There is also a reference to her in a letter to Floryan Sobieniowski of March, 1924. Bob Schweik ========== From: Martin Ray Subject: Re: Information please Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 16:07:37 -0400 (EDT) : There are some references to Mansfield in the Letters and in Jim Gibson's marvellous Interviews and Recollections edition. I've also come across a reference to H's knowledge of KM in a letter written by her husband. I'm sorry I'm so busy just now (middle of a class) but I'll post the information at the weekend. Do remind me if I forget. Best wishes Martin Ray Dr Martin Ray Department of English University of Aberdeen Aberdeen Scotland, UK m.ray@abdn.ac.uk ========== Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 12:21:00 -0400 From: Rosemarie Morgan Subject: Re: Information please David, I doubt that Hardy met KM during his novel-writing years although it appears (later) that he knew of her work. When Middleton Murry first approached Hardy in 1919 for contributions to the Athenaeum (of which MM was the newly appointed editor), it doesn't seem, from their correspondence that they had met previously despite the fact that Murry had long since worshipped TH and never ever lost his profound admiration for his verse. And then Murry's wife, KM, died, tragically, of tuberculosis (1922?), a few years after Murry's first contact with Hardy. So....? But this is all way beyond Hardy's novel-writing years so not of much use to you I'm afraid. Good luck, Rosemarie Morgan ========== From: Martin Ray Sender: enl090@abdn.ac.uk Subject: Re: Information please Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 17:09:49 -0400 (EDT) : Here is a quotation from C. A. Hankin, ed., *The Letters of John Middleton Murry to Katherine Mansfield* (London: Constable, 1983), p. 338. John Middleton Murry (1889-1957), critic and author, visited Max Gate in May 1921. Below, he writes a letter to his wife, dated 26 May 1921, describing the visit. START There are two important things. We got on well. He was so splendidly simple. It was exactly as you thought - jam and egg-wegs - a condition of life into which one slides with a sigh of relief. The old man was everything I had dreamed - everything. The second thing was that he had read 'Bliss' & 'The Daughters of the Late Colonel' - and with regard to this second he told me to take you this message. He thought it wonderfully well done - you had given him those two women - and you were to go on, treating that as a prelude, and continue the story of their lives. Mrs Hardy told me he had laughed & laughed at the interview between Cyril and the old man. That ought to be sweet to you, darling. END Note: Katherine Mansfield, his wife, had written to Murry shortly before his visit to the Hardys that 'I feel they are simple. There'll be no need to explain things. The kind of people who understand making jam ... I liked so what she said about their way of living. It was almost egg-weggs for tea' (p. 339n.). 'Bliss' (1918) and 'The Daughters of the Late Colonel' (1921) were recent stories by Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923); Hardy's comments all refer to the latter of the two. Best wishes Martin Ray Dr Martin Ray Department of English University of Aberdeen Aberdeen Scotland, UK m.ray@abdn.ac.uk ========== Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 11:02:48 -0700 From: Betty Cortus Subject: Re: Information please : David, in the _Oxford Reader's Companion to Hardy_ under "Murray, John Middleton" it states that Katherine Mansfield shared her husband's enthusiasm for Hardy's poetry, and her _Journal_ (1927) contains references to her reading of it. Betty Cortus ========== Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 19:54:01 +1000 From: David Cornelius Subject: Thank you Thank you all for your prompt and valuable responses. Regards, David Cornelius David Cornelius 5 Caltowie Place Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia. dcorney@midcoast.com.au Carpe diem! ==========