Writers such as Kate Chopin and William Faulkner were criticized for their works as they showed the true picture of society and how societal norms controlled women’s' lives. Their work approached the idea of feminism. Short stories “The Storm” and “A Rose for Emily” written by Chopin and Faulkner are an example of the eighteenth century Southern society. These short stories revealed that women of that era tried to control the society by means which were not acceptable. The two protagonists of these stories; Calixta and Emily tried to control the societal norms which initially controlled them. Feminism and depiction of sex were finely blended by Chopin and Faulkner by writing about real life struggles of women. In “A Rose for Emily” Faulkner portrayed that society tried to play a vital role in controlling others’ lives. When Emily started to roam around with Barron, people of the town called her ‘Poor Emily’ and said her kinsfolk should come to her” (717). These statements show the societies reaction as they fear for her sanity. They cannot believe that a southern traditional family girl would like to mix with a working class Northerner. In that era women were defined by a society which was ruled by men. For example in the beginning of the story Calixta, a wife and mother, is described by her son in an orthodox manner stating that she would be scared of the storm later agreed by Bobinot. Moreover due to the societal norms Alcee and Calixta were not able to unite. According to the “At the Cadian Ball” the prequel of “The Storm”: “Laballieres were rich-that there were resources East, and more again in the city” (Chopin 223). Chopin describes Calixta: “Her white dress was not nearly so handsome or well-made as Fronie’s nor were slippe... ... middle of paper ... ...rol womens' lives and women did not have the right to express themselves. These stories show how a woman could try and escape from the control of society. Some were lucky enough to die while others lost their minds. Works Cited Berkove, Lawrence I. "'Acting Like Fools': The Ill-Fated Romances of 'At the 'Cadian Ball' and 'The Storm'." Critical Essays on Kate Chopin. Ed. Alice Hall Petry. New York: G. K. Hall & Co., 1996. 184-196. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale, 2004.Literature Resource Center. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. Chopin,Kate and Per Serversted. “At the Cadian Ball.” The complete works of Kate Chopin.2006. 219-227. Books.google.com. Web. 2 April, 2014 Larsson, Donald F. "Kate Chopin." Critical Survey of Short Fiction: American Writers. Ed. E. May Charles, 4th ed. Salem Press, 2012. Salem Literature Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Cambridge UP, 1988. Papke, Mary E. Verging on the Abyss: The Social Fiction of Kate Chopin and Edith Wharton. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1990. Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening and Selected Short Stories of Kate Chopin. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
William Faulkner and Charlotte Gilman are two well known writers for intriguing novels of the 1800’s. Their two eccentric pieces, "A Rose for Emily" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" are equally alluring. These authors and their works have been well recognized, but also critized. The criticism focuses on the society that is portrayed in these novels. The modern readers of today’s society are resentful to this dramatic society. These two novels are full of tradition, rebellion and the oppression over women’s rights. Both of these novels share the misery of the culture, but there is some distinction between the two. "A Rose for Emily" is a social commentary while "The Yellow Wallpaper" is an informative novel about the writer herself. The authors outlook focus on the gloomy structure in society during that time frame and therefore, create down hearted, reckless characters that offer stimulation for women of all generations.
William Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily" is perhaps his most famous and most anthologized short story. From the moment it was first published in 1930, this story has been analyzed and criticized by both published critics and the causal reader. The well known Literary critic and author Harold Bloom suggest that the story is so captivating because of Faulkner’s use of literary techniques such as "sophisticated structure, with compelling characterization, and plot" (14). Through his creative ability to use such techniques he is able to weave an intriguing story full of symbolism, contrasts, and moral worth. The story is brief, yet it covers almost seventy five years in the life of a spinster named Emily Grierson. Faulkner develops the character Miss Emily and the events in her life to not only tell a rich and shocking story, but to also portray his view on the South’s plight after the Civil War. Miss Emily becomes the canvas in which he paints the customs and traditions of the Old South or antebellum era. The story “A Rose For Emily” becomes symbolic of the plight of the South as it struggles to face change with Miss Emily becoming the tragic heroin of the Old South.
Chopin, Kate. ?The Storm.? The Norton Anthology. Ed. Nina Baym, et al. New York: 1999. 1612-1615
Wyatt, Neal "Biography of Kate Chopin" English 384: Women Writers. Ed. Ann M. Woodlief Copyright: 1998, Virginia Commonwealth University. (26 Jan. 1999) http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/katebio.htm
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston:
In “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner, the story starts out with a distinctive split between the motivations of men and women: “The men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity” (Faulkner 121). At the funeral of Emily, the narrator appoints men in the category of attending out of respect, and women attending simply because they are curious and nosy. The immediate distinctive division between men and women suggests the story has a “stance towards patriarchal societal structures” (Curry) in which men are dignified and women are shallow. An additional example of how women are treated as sub-par to men is when the women complain of the smell from Emily's house but are not taken seriously until a man complains; women are portrayed as unheard. Although Faulkner compares the jurisdiction between men and women, the main component of the story is the expectations society has on a “lady”(Curry). Even after the men and women have complained about the smell from Emily's house, confronting Emily about the issue would invalidate her status as a lady; “a 'lady' would not have such a house” (Curry). In a patriarchal society, it is never the goal to destroy a lady. In such a society, ladies are entitled to act a certain way. Later in the story, Emily is able to illegally purchase arsenic without a valid reason, but the cashier assumes she is committing suicide. After Homer, Emily'...
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” An Introduction to Literature. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 15th ed. New York: Longman, 2008. 193-199
Storytelling has been a common pastime for centuries. Over the years it has evolved into different styles containing different themes. Kate Chopin, a well-known author of the 20th century, wrote stories about the secrets in women’s lives that no one dared to speak of. Her work was not always appreciated and even considered scandalous, but it opened up a world that others were too afraid to touch. In Chopin’s story “The Storm,” a woman has an affair that causes an unlikely effect. The story’s two themes are portrayed greatly through an abundance of imagery and symbolism, along with the two main characters themselves.
In “ A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner tells the complex tale of a woman who is battered by time and unable to move through life after the loss of each significant male figure in her life. Unlike Disney Stories, there is no prince charming to rescue fallen princess, and her assumed misery becomes the subject of everyone in the town of Jefferson, Mississippi. As the townspeople gossip about her and develop various scenarios to account for her behaviors and the unknown details of her life, Emily Grierson serves as a scapegoat for the lower classes to validate their lives. In telling this story, Faulkner decides to take an unusual approach; he utilizes a narrator to convey the details of a first-person tale, by examining chronology, the role of the narrator and the interpretations of “A Rose for Emily”, it can be seen that this story is impossible to tell without a narrator.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. 535-625. Print.
Chopin, Kate. Complete Novels and Stories. Ed. Sandra M. Gilbert. New York: Library of America, 2002. Print.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. Vol 2. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.487.Print.
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. “Kate Chopin.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, Sep2013. Academic Research Database. 1 Nov. 2013