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Year 9

Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’

I can present a convincing argument about how to interpret Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘The Fly’ (1922).

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Year 9

Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’

I can present a convincing argument about how to interpret Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘The Fly’ (1922).

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. You could argue that Mansfield is critical of the older generation in ‘The Fly’.
  2. At points, Mansfield seems to present the older generation as complacent, infantile and vacuous.
  3. These criticisms could stem from the idea that the older generation were not impacted by war as deeply as the younger.
  4. However, there is no one correct interpretation of ‘The Fly’.

Keywords

  • Vacuous - empty, having no thought or intelligence

  • Generation - refers to people of about the same age: grandparents, parents and children are all different generations

  • Complacent - smug, self-satisfied, uncritical of yourself

  • Infantile - childish

  • Criticism - expressing disapproval or disappointment with someone or something

Common misconception

There is one interpretation of a text and it is your job as a student of English to find the correct interpretation.

Texts rarely have one interpretation, and part of your job as a student of English is to consider the range and then select which one you think is the strongest, whilst still allowing for the idea that some might disagree with you.

Consider if you have particular sentence stems or other structures which your pupils are more familiar with than learning cycle 2's 'ABC'. If so, use these in order to make for a more productive discussion.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of Katherine Mansfield's short story 'The Fly', which can be found in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match these dates, all important to ‘The Fly’, to their event.
Correct Answer:1888,Katherine Mansfield is born

Katherine Mansfield is born

Correct Answer:1914,World War One starts

World War One starts

Correct Answer:1915,Katherine Mansfield’s brother is killed in a military accident

Katherine Mansfield’s brother is killed in a military accident

Correct Answer:1918,World War One ends

World War One ends

Correct Answer:1922,‘The Fly’ is published

‘The Fly’ is published

Correct Answer:1923,Katherine Mansfield dies

Katherine Mansfield dies

Q2.
Katherine Mansfield and Wilfred Owen are both important writers to the unit World at war: short stories. What is true of both writers?
They are remembered for their poetry about the realities of trench warfare.
Correct answer: They both used World War One as stimulus for their writing.
They were both significant British figures in the early 20th century.
They both died during the war.
They are best remembered for their poetry.
Q3.
Starting with the first, put these plot points relating to Mr. Woodifield from Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’ in chronological order.
1 - Mr. Woodifield admires the boss’s office.
2 - We find out Mr. Woodifield is quite frail.
3 - The boss enjoys showing off his office to Mr. Woodifield.
4 - Mr. Woodifield enjoys the whiskey that the boss gives him.
5 - Mr. Woodifield mentions his family were in Belgium.
6 - Mr. Woodifield says his family saw the boss’s son’s grave.
7 - Mr. Woodifield leaves, unaware he has upset the boss.
Q4.
In Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, what is Mr. Woodifield compared to at the start of the story?
Correct answer: a “baby”
a “fly”
a “lady”
a “soldier”
a “dog”
Q5.
In Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, how is the boss described at the start of the story?
as “snug”
as “wistful”
Correct answer: as “proud”
Correct answer: as “exultant”
as “trembling”
Q6.
In Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, why hasn’t the boss visited Belgium to see his son’s grave?
His son has only just died – there hasn’t been time.
Correct answer: We are never given a specific reason.
He didn’t know where his son was buried – Woodifield tells him.
It is too expensive.
The boss is too frail to travel.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Arguably, at points in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, the older generation are presented as , that is, empty, and having no thoughtfulness or intelligence.
Correct Answer: vacuous
Q2.
Arguably, at points in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, the older generation are presented as , that is, smug and self-satisfied.
Correct Answer: complacent, arrogant, proud
Q3.
Arguably, at points in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, the older generation are presented as , that is, childish.
Correct Answer: infantile
Q4.
Arguably, at points in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, the older generation are presented as materialistic. Which quotations best prove this?
Correct answer: “New carpet,” […] “New furniture,” […] “Electric heating!”
“Poor old chap, he’s on his last pins, thought the boss.”
Correct answer: “The boss turned the bottle and lovingly showed him the label.”
““I’ll see nobody for half an hour, Macey,” said the boss.”
Q5.
Arguably, at points in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, the older generation are presented as infantile. Which quotation best proves this?
Correct answer: “On Tuesday he was dressed and brushed and allowed to cut back to the City”
““Y'are very snug in here,” piped old Mr. Woodifield”
“that frail old figure”
“His hands began to tremble”
Q6.
Arguably, at points in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’, the older generation are presented as complacent. Which quotations best prove this?
““Quite right, quite right!” cried the boss”
Correct answer: “we know a bit more than the ladies”
“only a quiver in his [the boss's] eyelids showed that he heard”
Correct answer: “It gave him [boss] a feeling of deep, solid satisfaction to be planted there”

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