Indeed, she sees the world as if it were a play, and she sees herself as part of the play, with her own part to follow. For Miss Brill, the knowledge that she is part of the play is comforting and connects her to the others in the park, giving her and them a shared awareness that she still does not quite understand. The way the two she sees as the hero and the heroine talk about her, though, shatters her comfortable existence and brings back the unpleasantness she has only been able to stave off for a time.

In Mansfield's story "Je ne parle pas francais," which means "I do not speak French," Raoul Duquette is the central character and also the narrator. His word is suspect, and the author treats her spokesperson here in an ironic manner. He starts by claiming he is a true Parisian, though the...
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