A Cup of Tea
Encyclopedia
A Cup of Tea is a 1922 short story by Katherine Mansfield
. It was first published in the Story-Teller
in May 1922. It later appeared in The Dove's Nest and Other Stories.
. Before going to the car, Rosemary is approached by Miss Smith, a poor girl who asks for enough money to buy tea. Instead, Rosemary drives the girl to her plush house.
At the Fells' home, Miss Smith eats her fill. She then begins to tell Rosemary of her life when the husband, Philip, comes in. Although initially surprised, Philip recovers and asks to speak to Rosemary alone.
In the library, Philip conveys his disapproval. When Rosemary resists dismissing Miss Smith, Philip tries another, more successful, tactic. He plays to Rosemary's jealousy by telling her how pretty Miss Smith is.
Rosemary retrieves three pound notes, and, presumably, sends the girl away. This dismissal is a far cry from Rosemary's first vow to "Be frightfully nice to her" and to "Look after her."
Later, Rosemary goes to her husband and informs him "Miss Smith won't dine with us tonight." She first asks about the antique box from the morning, but then arrives at her true concern: She quietly asks him, "[A]m I pretty?
(1986) directed by Shyam Benegal
.
Katherine Mansfield
Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp Murry was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. Mansfield left for Great Britain in 1908 where she encountered Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and...
. It was first published in the Story-Teller
Story-Teller
Story-Teller was a monthly British pulp fiction magazine from 1907 to 1937. It is notable for having first published some of the works of Katherine Mansfield, G. K. Chesterton, Rudyard Kipling, H. G...
in May 1922. It later appeared in The Dove's Nest and Other Stories.
Characters
- Rosemary Fell, a rich woman
- the antiquarian on Curzon StreetCurzon StreetCurzon Street is located within the exclusive Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district and is 400 yards to the north west of Green Park tube station...
- Miss Smith, the poor girl picked up and fed by Rosemary
- Jeanne, a housemaid
- Philip, Rosemary's husband
Plot summary
Rosemary Fell, a young, wealthy woman, goes shopping at a florist's and in an antique shopAntique shop
An antique shop is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally and with the advent of the Internet found online...
. Before going to the car, Rosemary is approached by Miss Smith, a poor girl who asks for enough money to buy tea. Instead, Rosemary drives the girl to her plush house.
At the Fells' home, Miss Smith eats her fill. She then begins to tell Rosemary of her life when the husband, Philip, comes in. Although initially surprised, Philip recovers and asks to speak to Rosemary alone.
In the library, Philip conveys his disapproval. When Rosemary resists dismissing Miss Smith, Philip tries another, more successful, tactic. He plays to Rosemary's jealousy by telling her how pretty Miss Smith is.
Rosemary retrieves three pound notes, and, presumably, sends the girl away. This dismissal is a far cry from Rosemary's first vow to "Be frightfully nice to her" and to "Look after her."
Later, Rosemary goes to her husband and informs him "Miss Smith won't dine with us tonight." She first asks about the antique box from the morning, but then arrives at her true concern: She quietly asks him, "[A]m I pretty?
Literary significance
The text is written in the modernist mode, without a set structure, and with many shifts in the narrative.Adaptations
It was adapted into television series, Katha SagarKatha Sagar
Katha Sagar was a popular Indian television series that aired on DD National in 1986. The series was directed by Shyam Benegal along with many renowned directors. The series featured a collection of stories by world famous short story writers such as Guy De Maupassant, Rabindranath Tagore, Leo...
(1986) directed by Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...
.