Katherine Mansfield and Psychology

Explores the multiple ways in which Mansfield’s fiction resonates with the landscapes opened up by psychology and psychoanalysis
In line with the recent surge of critical interest in early psychology, the contributors read Mansfield’s work alongside figures like William James and Henri Bergson, opening up new perspectives on affect in her work. While these essays trace strands within the intellectual milieu in which Mansfield came of age, others explore the intricate interplay between Mansfield’s fiction and Freudian theory, seeing her work as emblematic of the uncanny doubling of modernist literature and psychoanalysis.
Key Features New readings of Mansfield’s work alongside figures like William James, Théodule Ribot and Henri Bergson New perspectives on the representation of affect and emotion in Mansfield's fiction The essays open up novel ways of thinking about fiction of unrivalled psychological complexity Mansfield’s work is shown to be emblematic of the uncanny doubling of modernist literature and psychoanalysis