The Themes Of Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening'?

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening and Other Stories. New York: Oxford University Press, Oxford World’s Classics, 2008. Culley, Margo, ed. “Editor’s Note: History of the Criticism of The Awakening— Contemporary Reviews.” Kate Chopin, The Awakening.

"Thanatos and Eros." A Norton Critical Edition:  Kate Chopin:  The  Awakening. Ed. Margo Culley. New York:  W.W. Norton, 1994.

2014. Schweitzer, Ivy. "Maternal Discourse and the Romance of Self-Possession in Kate Chopin's The Awakening." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.

Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” most poignantly balances the dual focus of her work, describing the incipient awakening of Mrs. Mallard, and thus exploring the possibility of feminine identity, even while, ultimately, denying the fruition of such an experience. Like all of her works, this short story reacts to a specific historical framework, the Cult of True Womanhood, in its indictment of patriarchal culture. As Barbara Welter notes, in the nineteenth century, “a women judged herself and was judged by her husband, her neighbors, and society” by the attributes of a True Woman which included, especially, “purity” and “domesticity” (372). The concept of purity, because it suggested that women must maintain their virtue, also, paradoxically, denied the... ... middle of paper ... ... Story of an Hour.’”  CLA Journal 16 (November 1994):  59-64. Bauer, Margaret.

In the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, “The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontellier and her family on a summer vacation. Edna, who is a wife and mother, is inferior to her husband, Leonce, and must live by her husband’s desires. While on vacation Edna becomes close friends with Adele Ratignolle, who helps Edna discover she must be “awakened”.

“At Fault.” Rubin 741-877. Chopin, Kate. “The Awakening.” American Literature 1865-1914. Ed. Nina Baym.

Kate Chopin's Writing Elizabeth Fox Genovese of Emory University shared in a PBS interview that “She [Kate Chopin] was very important as one of the earliest examples of modernism in the United States or, if you wish, the cutting edge of modernism in American literature” (PBS – Interviews). Kate Chopin published At Fault, her first novel, in 1890 and The Awakening, her last novel, in 1898 (Guilds 924). During these years Chopin wrote numerous other works and most, like At Fault and The Awakening, centered around upper-middle class Creole or French women involved in womanly uncertainties; such as, extramarital affairs, acceptable behavior in society for females, duties as a wife, responsibilities as a mother, and religious beliefs. Chopin was an extraordinary woman, and no indication was made, during the investigation of this research paper, reflecting her having regrets regarding her position as a wife or mother. This document is an attempt at comparing the issues the main characters experienced and presenting Chopin’s unique skill in writing about the culture she observed during her years of living in Louisiana.

Louisa May Alcott, one of the many women struggling to find her place in society managed to defy the woman stereotypes. Many events in Louisa’s life brought her to write her famous novel Little Women. Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29th 1839. Her family consisted of four other girls: Anna, Elizabeth and May Alcott. Many can say that the March family in Little Women was based on the Alcott family.

Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 6: American Naturalism: Kate Chopin (1851-1904)." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature A Research and Reference Guide. WWW URL: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap6/chopin.html (May 28, 1998). Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin, A Critical Biography.

Wyatt, Neal. “Biography of Kate Chopin.” VCU. Virginia Commonwealth University, n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2014.