Bliss - Classic Text | Alexandria
Bliss by Katherine Mansfield is a poignant short story, ostensibly about the ecstatic joy experienced by Bertha Young at a dinner party, but subtly unraveling into a complex exploration of female identity, hidden desires, and the illusion of understanding. Often misinterpreted as a simple depiction of marital contentment, Bliss offers a much darker and more unsettling narrative beneath its shimmering surface.
First appearing in The English Review in 1918, amid the social upheaval and disillusionment following World War I, the story’s publication coincided with a surge of modernist experimentation in literature. Mansfield herself, in letters to her husband John Middleton Murry, expressed a desire to capture the essence of fleeting emotional states truthfully. This historical context is crucial. The war irrevocably shattered Victorian ideals, giving rise to a generation grappling with unprecedented uncertainty and questioning conventional morality. The story subtly mirrors this unrest, reflecting the societal shifts that urged writers to explore the complexities of human consciousness.
Over time, critical interpretations of Bliss have moved beyond superficial readings of Bertha's happiness. Feminist critics, in particular, have highlighted the story's exploration of female repression and the constraints placed upon women in early 20th-century society. The symbolic use of the pear tree, initially perceived as a beacon of beauty and shared understanding between Bertha and Pearl Fulton, has been reframed as a symbol of forbidden desires and unfulfilled potential. Did Bertha truly experience "bliss," or was she merely projecting her own fantasies onto a reality that was far more complex and ultimately, isolating? The unresolved ending, where Harry and Pearl are revealed to be having an affair, leaves the reader questioning the authenticity of Bertha's feelings and the nature of her relationships. The story's impact can be seen in the burgeoning of modernist literature that explored themes of alienation, subjective experience, and the search for meaning in a fragmented world.
Bliss continues to be a widely studied work, its themes resonating powerfully in contemporary discussions of gender, sexuality, and the performative aspects of social life. It serves as a stark reminder that behind the façade of happiness lies a world of hidden desires and unspoken truths. The ongoing fascination with Bliss lies not in its celebration of joy, but in its subtle yet unsettling depiction of the human capacity for both profound connection and profound loneliness, even amidst apparent bliss. Is "bliss" then only a fleeting, self-deceptive illusion?