Introduction

Abstract

Starting from the idea that innovation in literature often results from hybridisation, the introduction focuses on nineteenth-century interart exchanges, in relation to the development of aestheticism, Impressionism, cinema and the short story. The introduction moves on to explore Mansfield’s fascination with the new medium, claiming that silent film can be used as a critical lens to reassess the author’s entire career, notably her striving after impersonality and empathy. To understand the influence of cinema on Mansfield this chapter takes into account not only the wide impact this medium had on the collective perception of reality but also concomitant phenomena such as the creation of fan magazines and incipient forms of remediation.