THE TRAGEDY OF LONELINESS BEHIND THE SHIELD OF ILLUSION IN KATHERINE MANSFIELD'S "MISS BRILL"

This article analyzes Katherine Mansfield’s short story “Miss Brill” with a focus on the themes of loneliness and illusion. The study examines how imagination operates as a psychological defense mechanism against social isolation, using close textual analysis of key symbols such as the fur necklet and the public garden. Particular attention is paid to Mansfield’s narrative technique, especially free indirect discourse, to reveal the protagonist’s inner consciousness.