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The Rise and Fall of Kate Chopin The Rise and Fall of Kate Chopin Kate Chopin once stated that the only true subject for great fiction is "human existence in the
society, suggesting that individual morals can remain independent from societal morals. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Heath Anthology of American Literature:
by Kate Chopin are examples of novels that demonstrate this modern style. This period of modernism ended in the mid-1940's, and was expanded into ideas of what is
Submitted by msmoore on May 16, 2008
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The Rise and Fall of Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin once stated that the only true subject for great fiction is “human existence in the subtle, complex, true meaning, stripped of the veil with which ethical and conventional standards have draped it” (Foy 1991). Likewise, Chopin has written almost one hundred short stories, three novels, and one play: all about the people she knew and places she had experienced in her lifetime. Chopin’s work was categorized as local color, which is fiction focusing on the region and its characteristics. Because Chopin wrote openly about what she observed around her, her literary career was ruined by the critical response of her readers to her last novel, The Awakening.
Kate Chopin was born Katherine O’Flaherty in St. Louis, MO in 1850 to a wealthy Irish-French family. When Chopin was five years old, she was sent to a catholic boarding school only to be sent home two months later when her father was killed in a tragic train accident. For two years she was raised in a household dominated by smart, independent, single women who not only taught her piano and French but also how to be independent as well. Consequently, Chopin became very close with her great grandmother who regaled her with stories of other independent women in their history which made a great impression on her. In fact, Howard notes that her great grandmother, Mme. Victoire Verdon, “told tales of her own grandmother who had run a ferry service on the Mississippi and entertained the young girl with lively stories of women who dared and seldom remarried. (1)” Furthermore, Chopin’s great-great grandmother ran her own business, was separated from her husband, and had children out of wedlock. The influences of these strong women provided Chopin with an understanding of women’s independence and strength she brought forth in her writing. Due to the manner in which she was raised that led to her independence, Chopin did not follow some of...
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