This month’s story is a study of courtship with a few surprises and unexpected turnarounds along the way. In Mr and Mrs Dove by Katherine Mansfield we meet Reggie and Anne, and get to observe a scene where Reggie bills and coos over Anne in a way mirrored by the behaviour of her pair of doves. As always, you’ll get the most from this masterclass if you read the story yourself: https://writ.rs/dove.
The first thing I want you to notice about this story are some of the lovely descriptive details: the dog looking like ‘half-melted toffee’; the ‘warm star’ created by a drop of rain; a scatter of petals and pollen on a sleeve; a parasol on top of a grand piano; the ‘blue thumb’ of smoke; the reflection of a flame in the surface of a pearl and the point of a cigarette rolling around an ash tray. Be aware of how these details bring the story to life
