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haazex's review against another edition
3.0
A German Burlesque?
An early collection of Mansfield’s short stories from 1910-11. I very much enjoyed the first half of the collection as the stories focused on life in a German pension. The guest (KM?) examines the habits and behavior of the Germans guests. KM often takes quite a humorous look at Germans – actually almost a bit sarcastic at times. The Germans appear bombastic and narrowminded. I’m not quite sure how KM stood politically at this time, but she is certainly making fun of German culture. Entertaining and colorful for sure. At times she moves to an almost Chekhovian writing style, but she remains more in the burlesque tier in these stories. The latter part of the collection focus more on being a woman and aspects of love as well as needs. These stories seemed a bit weaker in my opinion. Still, this was an interesting introduction to KM’s stories – a thread I hope to pursue by reading her collections in a chronological order.
An early collection of Mansfield’s short stories from 1910-11. I very much enjoyed the first half of the collection as the stories focused on life in a German pension. The guest (KM?) examines the habits and behavior of the Germans guests. KM often takes quite a humorous look at Germans – actually almost a bit sarcastic at times. The Germans appear bombastic and narrowminded. I’m not quite sure how KM stood politically at this time, but she is certainly making fun of German culture. Entertaining and colorful for sure. At times she moves to an almost Chekhovian writing style, but she remains more in the burlesque tier in these stories. The latter part of the collection focus more on being a woman and aspects of love as well as needs. These stories seemed a bit weaker in my opinion. Still, this was an interesting introduction to KM’s stories – a thread I hope to pursue by reading her collections in a chronological order.
blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition
2.0
The first three stories were good, but the rest of the stories are just filler with no real zing to them.
cdelorenzo's review
4.0
“—La pobre Frau Hauptmann no puede venir hoy —dijo—, ha amanecido con manchas por todas partes, a causa de los nervios. Ayer se excitó mucho escribiendo dos postales”.
“Andreas fingió reír. El doctor tenía una costumbre molesta, creía tener derecho a burlarse de todo el mundo solamente porque era médico”.
“—¿Por qué está usted tan triste? Yo también me pongo muy triste a veces, pero me parece usted lo suficientemente joven como para atreverme a decirle esto… yo… ¡también sé lo que es una gran felicidad!”
“Andreas fingió reír. El doctor tenía una costumbre molesta, creía tener derecho a burlarse de todo el mundo solamente porque era médico”.
“—¿Por qué está usted tan triste? Yo también me pongo muy triste a veces, pero me parece usted lo suficientemente joven como para atreverme a decirle esto… yo… ¡también sé lo que es una gran felicidad!”
sanrodsara's review against another edition
4.0
This is a collection of short stories, some of which happen in the same setting some that don't. I gave them a range of ratings, between 2 and 5 stars, with an overall result of 4 stars for me.
stefaniefrei's review against another edition
5.0
A great debut of an exceptional talent gone too soon - set in Germany
„In a German Pension“ suggests itself to be read by those who found Mann’s Zauberberg too self-indulgent or just too long but liked the general plot (or just would appreciate another point of view) or to those who appreciated Elizabeth von Arnim’s view of on outsider on German society.
Katherine Mansfield has her first-person narrator heroïne wittilly report on her visit to a German spa – vacation, „Kur“, told in 13 short stories, each on a different subject, linked by common location, narrator and recurring personnel. The status of this young married englishwoman as an onlooker who simply MUST compare between what would be common in England and in Germany results in a number of insightful considerations and apt remarks. So in story number 4, "Frau Fischer" remarks „Ah, that is so strange about you English. You do not seem to enjoy discussing the functions of the body. …How can we hope to understand anybody, knowing nothing of their stomachs?“ I would really enjoy re-reading the text in my doctor’s waiting room….
Mostly, you find some inherent sarcasm as in the second story on class-aware behaviour, „The Baron“: „At that moment the postman …came in with the mail. He threw my letters into my milk pudding ….The manager of the pension came in with a little tray. A picture post card was deposited on it, and reverently bowing his head, the manager of the pension carried it to the Baron.
Myself, I felt disappointed that there was not a salute of twenty-five guns.“
There are less lighthearted stories, like "Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding“, talking gloomily about nuptial days and beds and philistine indignation. And for „At Lehmann’s“ one cannot help to take the reason into account why the author herself was in Germany. There certainly is more than just a general undertone about marriage, at least some men’s behaviour and motherhood, like when Elsa shouts out “ ‘You know ever since Fritz and I have been engaged, I share the desire to give everybody, to share everthing!‘
‘How extremely dangerous‘, said I.“
Katherine Mansfield (*1988 in Wellington; t 1923 in France of tuberculosis) is often considered to be New Zealand’s most famous writer. Interested (and fluent!) in French and German language, she permanently lived in Europe after 1908 where she fell in love, married another man and left him in the wedding night, returned to her lover by whom she had gotten pregnant. She went to ‘Kur’ in Bad Wörishofen. Her visit serves as the inspiration for this, her first book of short stories which was published in 1911. Mansfield lost the baby in Bad Wörishofen after having lifted a heavy trunk.
I normally am not much into short stories – as soon as I am “in” they are over, but I do really appreciate Mansfield’s. The whole Setup in this debut has nothing to do with New Zealand but the author. Still, it is being considered to already display some of her later works’ characteristics, such as gender relations and social norms but also in some of the character types and symbols used – information from the last two paragraphs taken from
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-SteGerm.html
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Mansfield
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Mansfield
The short life, its turmoils and inglorious and early end do add a lot to the myth – but what an exceptional talent wasted all too soon.
„In a German Pension“ suggests itself to be read by those who found Mann’s Zauberberg too self-indulgent or just too long but liked the general plot (or just would appreciate another point of view) or to those who appreciated Elizabeth von Arnim’s view of on outsider on German society.
Katherine Mansfield has her first-person narrator heroïne wittilly report on her visit to a German spa – vacation, „Kur“, told in 13 short stories, each on a different subject, linked by common location, narrator and recurring personnel. The status of this young married englishwoman as an onlooker who simply MUST compare between what would be common in England and in Germany results in a number of insightful considerations and apt remarks. So in story number 4, "Frau Fischer" remarks „Ah, that is so strange about you English. You do not seem to enjoy discussing the functions of the body. …How can we hope to understand anybody, knowing nothing of their stomachs?“ I would really enjoy re-reading the text in my doctor’s waiting room….
Mostly, you find some inherent sarcasm as in the second story on class-aware behaviour, „The Baron“: „At that moment the postman …came in with the mail. He threw my letters into my milk pudding ….The manager of the pension came in with a little tray. A picture post card was deposited on it, and reverently bowing his head, the manager of the pension carried it to the Baron.
Myself, I felt disappointed that there was not a salute of twenty-five guns.“
There are less lighthearted stories, like "Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding“, talking gloomily about nuptial days and beds and philistine indignation. And for „At Lehmann’s“ one cannot help to take the reason into account why the author herself was in Germany. There certainly is more than just a general undertone about marriage, at least some men’s behaviour and motherhood, like when Elsa shouts out “ ‘You know ever since Fritz and I have been engaged, I share the desire to give everybody, to share everthing!‘
‘How extremely dangerous‘, said I.“
Katherine Mansfield (*1988 in Wellington; t 1923 in France of tuberculosis) is often considered to be New Zealand’s most famous writer. Interested (and fluent!) in French and German language, she permanently lived in Europe after 1908 where she fell in love, married another man and left him in the wedding night, returned to her lover by whom she had gotten pregnant. She went to ‘Kur’ in Bad Wörishofen. Her visit serves as the inspiration for this, her first book of short stories which was published in 1911. Mansfield lost the baby in Bad Wörishofen after having lifted a heavy trunk.
I normally am not much into short stories – as soon as I am “in” they are over, but I do really appreciate Mansfield’s. The whole Setup in this debut has nothing to do with New Zealand but the author. Still, it is being considered to already display some of her later works’ characteristics, such as gender relations and social norms but also in some of the character types and symbols used – information from the last two paragraphs taken from
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-SteGerm.html
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Mansfield
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Mansfield
The short life, its turmoils and inglorious and early end do add a lot to the myth – but what an exceptional talent wasted all too soon.
alterjpt's review against another edition
3.0
https://www.academia.edu/11046510/Katherine_Mansfield_In_a_German_Pension_
piwinki's review against another edition
4.0
M'ha encantat de debò. Vull dir, m’ha rist en veu alta mentre llegia alguns contes. No em passava des de que llegia Roald Dalh. Potser he de tornar a llegir Roald Dalh.
Aquest recull és excepcional. Tret del cas de la faula “La Nena que Estava Cansada” (literalment jo), En una pensió alemanya presenta contes que se situen en la meravellosa intersecció entre la "comedy of manners" anglesa i l'exploració psicològica típica del modernisme. En aquest aspecte, llegir a Kate Mansfield de nou m'ha recordat un poc a llegir Jane Austen pels deixos irònics que ambdues empren en les seues caracteritzacions. Diria que Austen i Mansfield comparteixen una sensibilitat pel personatge que evita les crueses del cinisme, sense deixar de ser pròpiament cíniques, realment. Ho són, però amb compassió, no? Ambdues es manegen amb una ironia compassiva que manté els personatges redimibles. En el cas de Mansfield pense que sap fer-s’ho per dir implícitament que el problema no és merament del particular, sinó heretat pel particular d’un llegat abstracte i general. En altres paraules, sap fer personatges “de la societat” ridículs, sense deixar caure damunt d’ells el pes de la reua ridiculesa.
Aquest recull és excepcional. Tret del cas de la faula “La Nena que Estava Cansada” (literalment jo), En una pensió alemanya presenta contes que se situen en la meravellosa intersecció entre la "comedy of manners" anglesa i l'exploració psicològica típica del modernisme. En aquest aspecte, llegir a Kate Mansfield de nou m'ha recordat un poc a llegir Jane Austen pels deixos irònics que ambdues empren en les seues caracteritzacions. Diria que Austen i Mansfield comparteixen una sensibilitat pel personatge que evita les crueses del cinisme, sense deixar de ser pròpiament cíniques, realment. Ho són, però amb compassió, no? Ambdues es manegen amb una ironia compassiva que manté els personatges redimibles. En el cas de Mansfield pense que sap fer-s’ho per dir implícitament que el problema no és merament del particular, sinó heretat pel particular d’un llegat abstracte i general. En altres paraules, sap fer personatges “de la societat” ridículs, sense deixar caure damunt d’ells el pes de la reua ridiculesa.
sharonb's review against another edition
2.0
A collection of 13 short stories about the visitors and villagers of a German boarding house just before WW1. I read that Mansfield herself tried to distance herself from this collection thinking it was immature. I can see where she was coming from. I was bored with several of the stories. The men were all vulgar pigs, in their manners, habits and actions. I think though that I will persevere and try more of her work.