Marriage a la Mode

How does Katherine Mansfield’s depiction of the story’s characters reflect broader feelings about 1920s society and artistic circles? Is she wholly critical, or is she critiquing a certain type of figure?

What roles do memory and desire play in the story? How are they enacted and/or frustrated?

“Marriage á la Mode” shares themes with other short stories by Mansfield. Choose two of her other short stories and compare them with this one; what elements do they share, and how does this story deviate through structure, literary devices, etc.?

The Modernist era is well-known for the variety of literary experiments between writers. Choose another Modernist writer and compare Mansfield’s work to theirs. How do their experiments differ? What different techniques do they use, and to what effect?

The children are mentioned in this story but are absent. Analyze their role; how do they affect their parents’ decisions, and what do they represent more broadly?

Consider William’s and Isabel’s differing views of their old house. What does the old house represent, and what do their different perspectives show?

“Marriage à la Mode” elaborates on the contrasts between old and modern as well as nature and city. What do these elements mean in relation to each other? Does Mansfield speak definitively about the value of old, new, natural, and industrialized?

Consider the relationship between William and Isabel and their different desires and perspectives on family life. Can the story be read from a feminist perspective?