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Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf, as a contemporary of Mansfield, is another example of a pioneering modernist writer. The novel, Mrs. Dalloway (1925), deals with characters who have lived through the recent war and are now trying to move forward, as the boss is in “The Fly.” 

D.H. Lawrence, “Odour of Chrysanthemums”

Another contemporary of Mansfield, D.H. Lawrence’s short story, “Odour of Chrysanthemums” (1911), places the same focus on character over plot. The main character copes with the complexities of her relationship and ultimately the death of her husband. 

Anton Chekhov, “The Night Before Easter”

During the course of her travels, Mansfield was heavily inspired by Anton Chekhov’s style of writing. In this 1886 short story (also called “Easter Eve”), an unnamed narrator takes a ferry that is manned by someone who mourns a lost friend. The story, like “The Fly,” speaks to complex emotional beats in the guise of action.

Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants”

For those interested in the evolution of Modernist writing, Hemingway is one of the best-known authors in the movement. As in “The Fly,” characters in are “Hills Like White Elephants” (1927) named only by title, and the themes are understated, carried through the characters' communication and actions rather than being laid out for readers.

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