- Mr Reginald Peacock's Day
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Mr Reginald Peacock's Day is a 1920 short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published in the New Age on 14 June 1917, and later reprinted in Bliss and Other Stories.[1]
Contents
Plot summary
Reginald is woken up by his wife for breakfast. He has a bath, sings for a bit and fathoms he could be an opera singer. The couple then have a minor spat over the fact that she cooks for him, instead of having a servant doing it for them. After receiving a letter of admiration from Aenone Fell, he gives a lesson to Miss Brittle, then to the Countess Wilkowska, and to Miss Marian Morrow. He then goes to Lord Timbuck's party with his students for dinner. When he gets home he thinks his wife an ingrate for not celebrating his 'triumph', whilst it so happens that he did not even tell her he would be away for dinner.
Characters
- Reginald Peacock, a singing teacher.
- His wife
- Adrian, Reginald's son.
- Aenone Fell, a student of Reginald's.
- Miss Betty Brittle, a student of Reginald's.
- The Countess Wilkowska, a student of Reginald's.
- Miss Marian Morrow, a student of Reginald's.
- Lord Timbuck
Major themes
- Married life
Literary significance
The text is written in the modernist mode, without a set structure, and with many shifts in the narrative.
References to other works
- Reginald says George Meredith's poem Love in the Valley in his morning bath, though it is misquoted.[2]
- He also refers to Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin
- With the Countess Wilkowska, he sings John Dowland's song from The Third and Last Booke of Songs or Aires, though it is misquoted.[3]
Footnotes
External links
Short stories by Katherine Mansfield Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding · The Woman at the Store · How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped · Millie · Something Childish But Very Natural · The Little Governess · Revelations · The Escape · An Indiscreet Journey · The Wind Blows · Prelude · Mr Reginald Peacock's Day · Feuille d'Album · A Dill Pickle · Je ne parle pas français · Sun and Moon · Bliss · Psychology · Pictures · The Man Without a Temperament · The Stranger · Miss Brill · The Daughters of the Late Colonel · Life of Ma Parker · The Young Girl · Mr and Mrs Dove · Her First Ball · The Singing Lesson · Bank Holiday · An Ideal Family · The Lady's Maid · Marriage à la Mode · At The Bay · The Voyage · A Married Man's Story · The Garden Party · The Doll's House · The Fly · A Cup of Tea · The CanaryCategories:- Modernist texts
- 1920 short stories
- Short stories by Katherine Mansfield
- Works originally published in The New Age
- Story stubs
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