At the Bay

• Engels
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Goals for today 

Considering Stream of consciousness 

Characters and relationships in the vignettes 

Looking at some vignettes in "At the Bay" 

Other features of Mansfield's writing style 

• Most stories reflect the point of view of women: many who feel isolated from mainstream society. 
  
• Mostly uses third-person narrative style along with stream of consciousness and free indirect discourse, which allows her to present a character's perspective effectively. 
  
• Use of epiphany: many of her stories feature a character who has a dramatic insight, which marks a shift in their developmental arc. 
  
• Use of vivid, detailed imagery & symbolism 
  
• Her characters usually find it hard to clearly articulate their experience: there is a gap between experience and language. 
  

Using the short story "Miss Brill", find examples of these stylistic choices. Give quotes and page numbers to support your ideas. 

Common themes and topics  

• Entitlement of the wealthy
  
• Divisions of social classes; the gap between rich and poor; class consciousness
  
• Marginalization of people by society
  
• Coming of age
  
• Alienation and self-deception (Appearance vs. Reality)
  
• The patriarchy and male entitlement; marriage and unhappy marriages
  
• Female sexuality (in society and in social norms)
  

Narrative POV & narrative voice 

• Past tense 
• 3rd persons omniscient narrator 
• Sometimes limited - at the end limited to Beryl's perspective 
• The narrator takes on the character and personality of the main person in the scene. 
• Descriptions that do not focus on a character, for example, setting description are neutral in demeanour.  

play-like structure 

1. This short story is divided into 12 parts, rather like a play. 
   
2. In your groups make an overview of who the 'principle actors' are in each part. 
   
3. Additionally, write a single sentence summary of the main events in that part. 
   
4. Now see if you can find a relationship between the paired parts.

1. Shepherd, sheep & dog 

2. Stanley Burnell & Jonathan Trout swim 

3. Beryl, Stanley & Kezia 

4. Children - "emerald" (Burnell and Stanley Josephs) 

5. Linda Burnell - baby 

6. Beryl & Mrs Kember 

7. Mrs Fairfield & (grandmother) & Kezia (uncle William) 

8. Mrs Stubbs & Alice 

9. Children playing cards

10. Linda Burnell & Jonathan Trout 

11. Stanley and Linda 

12. Harry Kember & Beryl 

Beryl

Lottie, Kezia & Isabel

Mrs Stubbs

Mrs Fairfield

Stanley Burnell 

Jonathan Trout

Mrs Harry Kember

Pips & Rags

Harry Kember 

Alice

Join the characters together and write on the line what their relationship is. You can draw a family tree if you think you have enough familial relationships. 

Linda 

Goals for today 

Revisiting your image 

Symbolism in the short story 

Characters and relationships in the vignettes 

from "At the Bay" 

Writing in a stream of consciousness style

Affixes 

SPECT 

Root of the week 

spect- Latin root meaning to "look at" or "see" 

We can remember this word through spectacles - a way of "seeing" or "looking at" 

Rate the word 1 to 4

1. I do not know the word, and I have never seen it before. 

2. I've heard or seen the word before, but I'm not sure what it means. 

3. I know the word and can recognise and understand it while reading, but I probably wouldn't feel comfortable using it in writing or speech. 

4. I know the word well and can use it correctly in writing or speech. 

Introspective 

Word of the day

Introspective (adj) - examining and considering your own ideas, thoughts, and feelings, instead of talking to other people about them. 

OUOSRTSUEICD

Connor Zwetsch is famous for his introspective songs about failed relationships.

 "At the Bay"

1. Find a quote from the short story that you feel is connected to your image. 
2. Share your quote with the class. 
3. What is the significance of this part of the short story to the story as a whole? 

What is the main message of this short story?

Write it down in a sentence. 

What concepts or ideas do these images symbolise for you? 

Symbolism 

 “In literary usage a symbol is a specially evocative kind of image that is, a word or phrase referring to a concrete object, scene, or action which also has some further significance associated with it [...] to say that a literary symbol 'stands for' some idea as if it were just a convenient substitute for a fixed meaning; it is usually a substantial image in its own right, around which further significances may gather according to differing interpretations." Oxford dictionary of literary terms.  

 

Symbolism 

Writers can use all sorts of things to represent a deeper meaning that contributes to the understanding of the overall piece of writing. Symbols always have a literal (concrete) meaning and a figurative (abstract) meaning.

An object can symbolise different things to different people and the context can change what an object symbolises. Some symbols have a universal meaning. However, writers can also create their own specific symbols in their writing by referring to something repeatedly, emphasising it through the language used to describe it or by the attention given to it. 

Symbols in "At the Bay"

What elements, characters or actions do you feel are symbolic. What abstract idea could they symbolise?

Presentation short story choices

1. Read the instructions
   
2. Find the people you will present and work with (4 groups of 3 and one group of 2) 
   
3. Sit in your group 
   
4. Make a plan and divide the work
   
5. Next week your English lessons will be cancelled due to oral exams. Use this time to work on your interactive presentation. 
   

Presentation short story choices

Character interactions "at the Bay"

1. You will be given a number. That is the character interaction that you will explore. 

2. What happens between the characters? If you were filming this scene what would the viewer see? 

3. What aspect of relationships is explored. For example, regret, embarrassment, distrust, disappointment, alienation etc

4. Does  your exploration add to the idea discussed in class that the short story is exploring human relationships? 

5.  What is being explored how is it supported through references to nature? 

 "At the Bay"

1. Linda & Jonathan Trout 
   
2. Stanley Burnell & Jonathan Trout 
   
3. Linda & her baby son 
   
4. Alice & Mrs Stubbs 
   
5.  Mrs Fairfield & Kezia

6. Beryl & Harry Kember 

7. Beryl & Mrs Harry Kember 

8. Lottie, Kezia, Isabel, Pips & Rags 

9. Stanley & Linda 

 "at the Bay"

"'I'm here!' that happy smile seemed to say. 'Why don't you like me?' There was something so quaint, so unexpected about that smile that Linda smiled Herself. But she checked herself and said to the boy coldly, 'I don't like babies.'"pg 20

 "At the Bay"

Try your hand at the stream of consciousness style. Use one of the  characters or animals in this short story. Write a passage in which the thoughts of the character or animal are reflected in the stream of consciousness style. Put that text in your class notebook.