The Garden Party

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Stream-of-Consciousness Narrative for the Sheridan Family”

In this activity, students will use Mansfield’s writing style and text details to create their own stream-of-conscious narrative based on one of the other Sheridan family members.

Although Mansfield uses a third-person perspective to narrate “The Garden Party,” she allows for some limited insights into the protagonist Laura’s ways of thinking. These insights are often written in a “stream-of-consciousness” format, where Laura’s thoughts begin to wander in the realm of considering and questioning social norms before being snapped back into reality. As a result, the reader is given further insight into Laura’s transitional journey from adolescence into adulthood.

Based on Mansfield’s structure and writing style, select another character from the Sheridan family and plan a narrative that shares their perspective of the same day. This narrative should be written in a similar style (third-person perspective with limited insight into the character’s thinking and opinions) and should focus on the same story timeline (the day of the garden party). Use the questions below to guide the preparation for your story.