The Singing Lesson is a modernist short story, and it uses a number of elements typical of the genre. Modernism took shape after World War I, as writers and artists—having lived through great destruction—shifted away from Romanticism's idealized notions. Modern psychological theories were also developed around this time and influenced literature. Writers like Mansfield strayed away from the "objective truths" that had defined prior works, and narrators (including Miss Meadows) became less reliable and stories more emotionally fraught. This is evident in The Singing Lesson, which focuses heavily on Miss Meadows's troubled interior self and the factors that influence her feelings.
The story also starts in medias res (meaning "in the middle of things"): a technique often employed in modernist fiction, and particularly in short stories, as a means of engaging the reader by thrusting them into the action. As in similar works of the time, The Singing Lesson's action is dichotomous, tracking Miss Meadows's physical journey through the corridors and her emotional journey through despair.
