The Stranger (Katherine Mansfield short story)
Encyclopedia
"The Stranger" is a 1921 short story
by Katherine Mansfield
. It was first published in the London Mercury
in January 1921, and later reprinted in The Garden Party and Other Stories.
, Mr Hammond is waiting for his wife, back from Europe. After talking to some other people waiting at the harbour, she lands in but takes her time, leading him to wonder if she was sick during the voyage - she was not.
In the hotel, Hammond says they will spend the next day sightseeing in Auckland, before going back to Napier
, where they live. She then appears distant, and eventually reveals that she took a while to leave the ship because a man had died onboard, and she was alone with him when that happened. The husband is put off.
Their daughter.
Back from Europe.
The harbour master.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Katherine Mansfield
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 London Mercury
London Mercury
The London Mercury was the name of several periodicals published in London from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. The earliest was a newspaper that appeared during the Exclusion Bill crisis; it lasted only 56 issues...
in January 1921, and later reprinted in The Garden Party and Other Stories.
Plot summary
In AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Mr Hammond is waiting for his wife, back from Europe. After talking to some other people waiting at the harbour, she lands in but takes her time, leading him to wonder if she was sick during the voyage - she was not.
In the hotel, Hammond says they will spend the next day sightseeing in Auckland, before going back to Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
, where they live. She then appears distant, and eventually reveals that she took a while to leave the ship because a man had died onboard, and she was alone with him when that happened. The husband is put off.
Characters
- Mr Scott
- Mrs Scott
- Jean Scott
Their daughter.
- Mr John Hammond
- Mrs Janey Hammond
Back from Europe.
- 'Mr Gaven
- Captain Johnson
The harbour master.
- The dead man