Kate Chopin

"The Awakening" is the story of Edna Pontellier, an attractive twenty-eight year old woman who is a wife and mother of two sons living in the Creole south in the late 19th century. Edna finds herself trapped in her life as a wife and a mother and feels unable to express her passionate sensuality within the confines of her marriage. She seeks a spiritual and sexual awakening through an affair with a younger man during one summer while her husband is away. Liberated by this experience she...

Everything you need to make the grade! Test? Paper? Class discussion? Don't worry, we have you covered. This book has everything you need. Not only does it feature the complete text of The Awakening, it offers a comprehensive study guide that will easily help you understand Chopin's classic novel. You'll make the grade with the complete and unabridged text, scene-by-scene summaries, explanations and discussions of the plot, question-and-answer sections, Chopin biography, list of...

This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works or all the significant works – the Œuvre – of this famous and brilliant writer in one ebook – easy-to-read and easy-to-navigate: • The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories • At Fault • Bayou Folk

Unsatisfied with the expectations of Creole society and unhappy with her family life, Edna Pontellier begins to fall in love with the dapper Robert Lebrun. Lebrun's flirtations, along with the lifestyle of renown musician Mademoiselle Reisz, rejuvenates Edna's sense of freedom and independence. However, an affair with the womanizer Alcee Arobin provides Edna with a taste of the danger that comes with living outside of social convention. Trapped between the life she is expected to live...

In “The Locket”, a confederate soldier declines his fellow soldiers’ request to reveal the contents of the locket around his neck. The locket, which holds pictures of his fiancée’s parents and the date of their wedding is found on the battlefield after a battle. Later, the soldier’s fiancée visits the battlefield with the soldier’s father, both shaken with grief. The soldier’s father asks his son’s fiancée to remove her veil, as it contrasts too sharply with the beautiful day and adds that on...

In «Beyond the Bayou», La Folle, an ex-slave, lives on an island cut off from the her old home and is afraid to venture back onto the bayou. When a small drought dries up the shallow waters between her home and the bayou, she spends some time with the son of her former master. When the son, whom she calls “Cheri” accidentally shoots himself in the leg, La Folle must overcome her fear of the unknown and go back to the bayou to alert his parents. A story about a woman finding hidden strength in...

In «A Respectable Woman», Mrs. Baroda, the wife of a wealthy sugar plantation owner plays hostess to Mr. Gouvernail, a friend of her husband’s. The reserved Mr. Gouvernail is a puzzle to Mrs. Baroda who is nonetheless intrigued by the man’s retiring nature. When the two speak to each other outside one evening, Mrs. Baroda wants to get closer to her guest but realizes this would be at odds with her position as a “respectable woman”. First published in Vogue in 1894, «A Respectable Woman» is the...

In “Désirée’s Baby”, the adopted daughter of a wealthy prewar French Creole couple is courted by the son of another wealthy, respected French Creole family. After they marry, their child is born with dark skin and believed to have African ancestry, a problem for a prewar white family. Accused of dishonesty by her husband, the mother, Désirée, and her child walk off into the bayou, never to be seen again. But when the father finds a letter from his mother to his father which reveals an explosive...

In «A Pair of Silk Stockings», Mrs. Sommers, a once wealthy woman who has fallen on hard times comes into possession of a small fortune of $15. Planning to spend the money on clothing for her children, she becomes sidetracked at a shop counter, entranced by the smoothness of a pair of silk stockings. She goes on to spend the money on the stockings as well as new boots and gloves for herself. In succumbing to “mechanical impulses that direct her action”, Mrs. Sommers resembles Edna Pontellier,...

Known for her vivid portrayals of Creole life in Louisiana, Kate Chopin (1851–1904) wrote, during her brief literary career, poignant and perceptive stories about the emotional lives of women. Bypassing many of the conventions of 19th-century realism, she won praise for her realistic portraits of the inhabitants of bayou and urban areas.This collection of nine stories contains one of her most famous works, «Désirée's Baby» — a haunting and ironic tale...

The Awakening, originally titled A Solitary Soul, is the story of Edna Pontellier and her struggle between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. The novel is set in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf coast at the end of the 19th century, and it is one of the earliest American novels that focuses on women's issues without condescension. It is also widely seen as a landmark work of...

In A Pair of Silk Stockings, Mrs. Sommers, a once wealthy woman who has fallen on hard times comes into possession of a small fortune of $15. Planning to spend the money on clothing for her children, she becomes sidetracked at a shop counter, entranced by the smoothness of a pair of silk stockings. She goes on to spend the money on the stockings as well as new boots and gloves for herself. In succumbing to «mechanical impulses that direct her action», Mrs. Sommers resembles Edna Pontellier, the...

In A Respectable Woman, Mrs. Baroda, the wife of a wealthy sugar plantation owner plays hostess to Mr. Gouvernail, a friend of her husband's. The reserved Mr. Gouvernail is a puzzle to Mrs. Baroda who is nonetheless intrigued by the man's retiring nature. When the two speak to each other outside one evening, Mrs. Baroda wants to get closer to her guest but realizes this would be at odds with her position as a respectable woman. First published in Vogue in 1894, A Respectable Woman is...

In "The Locket?, a confederate soldier declines his fellow soldiers' request to reveal the contents of the locket around his neck. The locket, which holds pictures of his fiancée's parents and the date of their wedding is found on the battlefield after a battle. Later, the soldier's fiancée visits the battlefield with the soldier's father, both shaken with grief. The soldier's father asks his son's fiancée to remove her veil, as it contrasts too sharply with the...

In Ma'ame Pelagie, two women inhabit the ruins of their coastal Louisiana plantation, hoarding their pennies so they can restore it to its pre-Civil war glory. Ma'am Pelagie and her younger sister, Pauline sip coffee on the veranda and share stories about the house's glorious past and their own narrow escape from danger during the war. When their niece arrives from the city for a visit, the sisters are compelled to make a hard choice about the once proud Valmet estate.

"A No-Account Creole" by Kate Chopin. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to...

Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie are short story collections by Louisiana Creole author Kate Chopin. Many of the stories are set in Natchitoches in north-central Louisiana. The characters in stories are usually residents of Louisiana, and many are Creoles of various ethnic or racial backgrounds. Table of Contents: Bayou Folk: A No-Account Creole In and Out of Old Natchitoches In Sabine A Very Fine Fiddle Beyond the Bayou Old Aunt Peggy The Return of Alcibiade A Rude Awakening The...

"Athénaïse" by Kate Chopin. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a...

Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie are short story collections by Louisiana Creole author Kate Chopin. Many of the stories are set in Natchitoches in north-central Louisiana. The characters in stories are usually residents of Louisiana, and many are Creoles of various ethnic or racial backgrounds. Table of Contents: Bayou Folk: A No-Account Creole In and Out of Old Natchitoches In Sabine A Very Fine Fiddle Beyond the Bayou Old Aunt Peggy The Return of Alcibiade A Rude Awakening The...