Bliss, and Other Stories

Katherine Mansfield

Feb 2021 · Graphic Arts Books

About this ebook

When the day of Lord Saito Gonji’s birthday arrives, Gonji celebrates with dread, knowing that in a week, he will be married. Sent away in his youth for samurai training, and then to higher education, Gonji is very connected to his studies. After his intelligence is proven, his professors even tell Gonji that he would do great things for Japan one day. However, since he is the youngest son in his family, Gonji is expected to marry—a social expectation that he cannot get around. Now, on his birthday, he is expected to marry a childhood friend, Ohano in one week, which will greatly interfere with his studies. When his family notice how upset Gonji is over the arranged marriage, they grant him one week of pure freedom, allowing him to do whatever he chooses. Soon into the week, Gonji meets a famous dancer. Known by the stage name of Spider, the dancer was at the height of her career after being trained by the most celebrated geisha in Japan. When Spider and Gonji become intimate during the week, their fleeting encounter soon proves to complicate the plans Gonji’s parents made for him.

Featuring complex and memorable characters as well as detailed descriptions of Japanese customs and landscapes, The Honorable Miss Moonlight depicts a vivid portrait of 20th century Japan. With themes of gender, sexuality, identity, and a close perspective of the honor/shame culture of Japan in the 1900s, The Honorable Miss Moonlight is as enlightening as it is entertaining.

First published in 1912, The Honorable Miss Moonlight is one of Onoto Watanna’s most famous works, yet is rarely found in print. This special edition features a stunning cover design and is printed in an easy-to-read font. With these accommodations, this edition caters to contemporary readers by restoring the novel to modern standards while preserving the original intricacy of Onoto Watanna’s work.

About the author

Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923) was born into a wealthy family in Wellington, New Zealand. She received a formal education at Queen’s College in London where she began her literary career. She found regular work with the periodical Rhythm, later known as The Blue Review, before publishing her first book, In a German Pension in 1911. Over the next decade, Mansfield would gain critical acclaim for her masterful short stories, including “Bliss” and “The Garden Party.”