Authors
Constance Fenimore Woolson ( 1840-1894)
Biography
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Questions for Discussion and Writing
1. At various points in the story, the narrator tells us that his “taste is peculiar,” that he “hates sensationalism,” that he is “a little obstinate” yet “goodhearted.” How well does this narrator know himself? Where do we see indications of differences between his self-image and how he really might be?
2. Read the last paragraph of the story carefully and comment on it as an epitaph for Miss Moncrief, and for anonymous women artists. The narrator seems to be celebrating “power” over polish, and affirming that Moncrief was, as she called herself, a writer of “greater power.” Would you describe this story as a powerful tale? A “polished” tale? A story that aspires to be both?
3. Situate “Miss Grief” among other stories from this time, stories about women trapped in impossible circumstances. What does this story have in common with The Awakening, “The Yellow Wall-paper,” “The Beast in the Jungle,” or “The Lost ‘Beautifulness’”? Compare the narrator of “Miss Grief” to other ostensibly compassionate males who are, consciously or otherwise, part of the problem.