Five stories from influential women writers of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. New Zealand-born Katherine Mansfield settled in England where she wrote a series of short stories that are widely recognized as among the finest of the 20th century for their economy, clarity, sensitivity and effect. "The Garden Party" is one of her most famous, while "Daughters of the Late Colonel" shows a wonderful sense of wit.
Kate Chopin, writing in the last years of the 19th century, broke new ground with her daring view of women as individuals with human needs. "Lilacs" and "Ma'ame Pelagie" are sympathetic portraits of women with differing dilemmas.
Woolf's "A Mark on the Wall" shows, in short story form, the turmoil within the stillness which became such a mark of her later novels.
