Abstract

Katherine Mansfield is a prominent New Zealand-born English writer of the twentieth century, who is called one of the most influential writers in New Zealand during 100 years. She left her bourgeois family at 19 to make a solitary sail for London so that she could establish her independence as a woman writer. As a female writer, most of her works focus on the women world, including their living experience, marriage problems. She is famous for her short stories, such as Bliss, The Garden Party, The Dove’s Nest and so on. She portraits the depression of women in the bourgeois society, with thick impressionism in general.

Though she had never proclaimed herself a feminist, nor did she publish any feminist theories, in her writing the woman problem is always the current theme. By displaying her contemporary women’s unsatisfactory social status in her stories, she has helped to arouse modern women to self consciousness, to whole self identity and to a free, whole life. Consequently, she has made great contribution to the study of feminism.

Bliss is one of Mansfield’s famous works. The main character, Bertha, is a thirty-year-old married woman, who has the feeling of bliss. Though in her thirties, Bertha still has a beautiful vision for life, and the fire in her heart sparks as the symbol of her bliss. However, when she finally discovers the love affair between her husband and her friend, the fire of bliss is put out and the theme of disillusionment emerges. This thesis studies the writing features in Bliss, exploring Mansfield’s personal affections through descriptions of characters, and finds out the women theme hidden in the plot, thus, proving that Katherine Mansfield is closely associated with feminism and she is definitely a great feminist writer.

Key words: Katherine Mansfield, feminism, Bliss, women theme