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WORKSHOPS » FICTION » KATHERINE MANSFIELD, "BLISS" » RE-READING
Katherine Mansfield, "Bliss"
BIOGRAPHY
Reading » Re-Reading » Explorations
Re-Reading Questions
Text on p. 692 of the full Ninth Edition
Re-Reading Questions
1. What is the point of view of the story? If you are unfamiliar with the various types of point of view, read more about them in Chapter 2 of your textbook. How does the point of view in this story influence how you feel about Bertha? How does it control what you know about other characters?
2. How is the plot of "Bliss" ironic? Is it an example of dramatic irony, or is the audience unknowledgeable as well? How does the point of view contribute to the irony?
3. At the end of the story, Bertha experiences an epiphany, a sudden revelation of knowledge and truth. When does the epiphany occur? What is the truth, literal and psychological, that she learns? What does the truth reveal about the "bliss" that she felt before?
4. What do you believe the pear and the pear tree symbolize? Do they have the same meaning for Pearl as Bertha?
5. Underline the passages which that refer to the word "modern." What do you imagine would have been considered "modern" in 1921, when this story was published? What sorts of things does Bertha consider to be modern? Do you think she is really as "modern" as she appears to be?
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