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Katherine finished two works in progress, The Garden Party and The Doll
House. She also had Marriage a la Mode published near the same time. With a
great many of her short stories now complete, Mansfield field had enough works
to complete yet another collection entitled The Garden Party, and Other Stories
(Vinson 486). Shortly after this publication, Katherine Mansfield suffered from
her first hemorrhage from the tuberculosis. Over the summer of 1922, shortly
after her first hemorrhage, Mansfield was able to write three new short stories:
A Cup of Tea, Taking the Veil, and The Fly (Vinson 486). In October of 1922,
Mansfield, in search of a new treatment for tuberculosis, entered the Institute
for the Harmonious Development of Man in Fontainbleau, England. While at the
Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, Katherine was lead by the
founder of the institution; his name was George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, a
self-proclaimed mystic.
While being subjected to the regimen laid forth by the
institute leader, Mansfield's condition quietly worsened, although not detected
at first by Mansfield. While staying at the institute, Katherine was subjected
to an extremely strict regimen of diet, exercise, and rest. For Murry, the
absence of Katherine was mentally draining. On Jan. 9, 1923, John Murry visited
his wife Katherine for the first time since she had left for the institute a
year ago. Shortly after Murry arrived, Katherine suffered a massive hemorrhage
and passed away. She was laid to rest at the Cemetery at Avon; she was only 34
years old (Nathan 2). Virginia Woolf remarked after the death of Katherine: I
have a feeling that I shall think of her at intervals all through life,
(Mitchell 1). Katherine Beauchamp Mansfield was and still is one of the great
short story writers of English literature. By using life experiences as
inspiration for her work, Katherine Mansfield was able to create lifelike short
stories. Remarkably, most of Mansfield's best works came from the time of her
battle with tuberculosis. Although only a few of her works have gained fame, the
legacy Mansfield began for women writers will be remembered forever.
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