Miss Brill Teaching Guide

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Topics for Further Study

(Short Stories for Students)

Explain how the narration of the story can be both third person and stream-of-consciousness. How would the story be different if it had been written m first person? Do you think it would have been as successful?
If the story was written today, where might it take place and how might Miss Brill be dressed?
Mansfield stated that "one writes (one reason why is) because one does care so passionately that one must show it—one must declare one's love." Miss Brill is a character who desperately seeks love, but is incapable of giving or receiving it. What events in the story illustrate this?

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How does the literary device "point of view" operate in Mansfield's "Miss Brill"?

Point of view is interesting in Mansfield's "Miss Brill." The opening line indicates clearly for us that the point of view is focalized through a limited third person narrator who tells us about...
What is the setting of "Miss Brill"?

The setting for Miss Brill is in France. In an unspecified town, Miss Brill goes to the Jardins Publiques. The means quite simply the Public Gardens. In the Jardins Publique, a band plays to which...
What function does Miss Brill's fur play in the story and can it be called a character?

Miss Brill's fur is an extension of herself. If we think about it, we can see some striking parallels. For example, Miss Brill lives in a "cupboard" of a room. The fur lives in a box. Miss...
What is Miss Brill's nationality in "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield?

The character of Miss Brill in the short story of the same name Miss Brill, by Katherine Mansfield, is a single, middle-aged woman (we could categorize her as a "spinster") who dedicates herself to...
How old is Miss Brill? What are her circumstances? Why does she listen in on conversations?

Miss Brill is likely fairly elderly. She seems not to be in the best of health, as after walking to the park, "She felt a tingling in her hands and arms [...]." This is not a typical sensation...