| "A Cup of Tea" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Katherine Mansfield | |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Story-Teller |
| Publication date | May 1922 |
"A Cup of Tea" is a 1922 short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published in The Story-Teller in May 1922. It later appeared in The Doves' Nest and Other Stories (1923).[1] Her short stories first appeared in Melbourne in 1907, but literary fame came to her in London after the publication of a collection of short stories called In a German Pension.
The character Rosemary Fell is a "fictional reconstruction" of Mansfield's wealthy first cousin, once removed, the writer Elizabeth von Arnim.[2]
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Transcription
If you’re still struggling with consent, just imagine instead of initiating sex, you’re making them a cup of tea. You say “hey, would you like a cup of tea?” and they go “oh my god, I would LOVE a cup of tea! Thank you!” then you know they want a cup of tea. If you say “hey, would you like a cup of tea?” and they're like “um I’m not really sure…” then you can make them a cup of tea or not, but be aware that they might not drink it, and if they don’t drink it then – then and this is the important part – don’t make them drink it. Just because you made it doesn't mean you are entitled to watch them drink it. And If they say “No thank you” then don’t make them tea. At all. Just don’t make them tea, don’t make them drink tea, don’t get annoyed at them for not wanting tea. They just don’t want tea, ok? They might say “Yes please, that’s kind of you” and then when the tea arrives they actually don’t want the tea at all. Sure, that’s kind of annoying as you've gone to all the effort of making the tea, but they remain under no obligation to drink the tea. They did want tea, now they don’t. Some people change their mind in the time it takes to boil that kettle, brew the tea and add the milk. And it’s ok for people to change their mind, and you are still not entitled to watch them drink. And If they are unconscious, don’t make them tea. Unconscious people don’t want tea and can’t answer the question “do you want tea” because they're are unconscious. Ok, maybe they were conscious when you asked them if they wanted tea, and they said yes, but in the time it took you to boil that kettle, brew the tea and add the milk they are now unconscious. You should just put the tea down, make sure the unconscious person is safe, and this is the important part again – don’t make them drink the tea. They said yes then, sure, but unconscious people don’t wanttea. If someone said yes to tea, started drinking it, and then passed out before they’d finished it, don’t keep on pouring it down their throat. Take the tea away and make sure they are safe. Because unconscious people don’t want tea. Trust me on this. If someone said “yes” to tea around your house last Saturday, that doesn't mean that they want you to make them tea all the time. They don’t want you to come around unexpectedly to their place and make them tea and force them to drink it going “BUT YOU WANTED TEA LAST WEEK”, or to wake up to find you pouring tea down their throat going “BUT YOU WANTED TEA LAST NIGHT”. If you can understand how completely ludicrous it is to force people to have tea when they don’t wanttea, and you are able to understand when people don’t want tea, then how hard is it to understand it when it comes to sex? Whether it’s tea or sex, Consent Is Everything. And on that note, I am going to make myself a cup of tea.
Plot summary
Rosemary Fell, a wealthy young married woman, goes to Curzon Street to shop at a florist's and an antique shop (in which she admires, but does not buy, a beautifully painted small ceramic box). Before going to the car, Rosemary is approached by Miss Smith, a poor girl who asks for enough money to buy tea. Instead, Rosemary drives the girl to her plush house, determined to show her "that dreams do come true" and "that rich people did have hearts." At the Fells' home, Miss Smith eats her fill of food and tea. She then begins to tell Rosemary of her life until Rosemary's husband, Philip, comes in. Although initially surprised, Philip recovers and asks to speak to Rosemary alone.
In the library, Philip conveys his disapproval. When Rosemary resists dismissing Miss Smith, Philip tries another, more successful, tactic: He plays to Rosemary's jealousy and insecurity by telling her how pretty he thinks Miss Smith is. Rosemary retrieves three pound notes and, presumably, sends the girl away (a far cry from Rosemary's first vow to "look after" and "be frightfully nice to" Miss Smith). Later, Rosemary goes to her husband and informs him that "Miss Smith won't dine with us tonight." She first asks about the antique box from the morning, but then arrives at her true concern, quietly asking Philip, "Am I pretty?" The story ends with this question.
Major themes
References to other works
- Rosemary decides to help the poor woman as she feels inspired by stories by Dostoevsky that she has been reading.
Adaptations
An adaptation of "A Cup of Tea", directed by Shyam Benegal, was included in the Indian television series Katha Sagar in 1986.[3]
The story was read by Emilia Fox, as part of the BBC Radio 4 The Montana Stories, broadcast January 2019. This was a series of readings of four short stories written by Mansfield when she lived in the Montana region (now Crans-Montana) of Switzerland between May 1921 and January 1922, and later from June to August 1922.[4][5]
References
- ^ Katherine Mansfield, Selected Stories, Oxford World's Classics, explanatory notes
- ^ Maddison, Isobel (2016) Elizabeth von Arnim: Beyond the German Garden, pp. 89–90. Abingdon: Routledge. Retrieved 22 July 2020 (Google Books)
- ^ Awaasthi, Kavita (16 May 2016) A touch of class: Shyam Benegal remembers the stories of Katha Sagar in Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 July 2020
- ^ A Cup of Tea. Katherine Mansfield. The Montana Stories. BBC Radio 4, 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2020
- ^ Mansfield, Katherine (2001) The Montana Stories. London: Persephone Books ISBN 978-1-903155-15-8
External links
- A Cup of Tea. Katherine Mansfield. BC Open Textbooks
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This page was last edited on 13 May 2023, at 08:04