Kate Chopin Livres

“Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.” Kate Chopin was enjoying wide popularity as a writer, mainly of short stories, when her second novel, The Awakening, was published to widespread criticism of its immorality. A wake-up call to women all over the country, this landmark novel of early American feminism tells of a Louisiana wife who discovers the strength of her own sexuality and tries to wrench it from the hands of a patriarchal society. And just as Edna Pontellier is ostracized for trying to master her own sexual fate, so did Chopin’s reputation suffer after she wrote this book. Today The Awakening is considered a masterpiece and, along with Chopin’s short stories, has set a standard for younger generations of women who have learned to value their independence and authenticity. Edited and with an Introduction by Barbara H. Solomon and with a New Afterword by Roxane Gay.

From Louisiana's remote bayous to its gilded cities, five startling stories of awakening by one of fin-de-siécle America's most daring writers.

Set in the lush landscapes of Louisiana, this collection of stories captures the lives of diverse characters from the bayou region. Through vivid storytelling, the author explores themes of culture, community, and the complexities of rural life. The characters, ranging from the ordinary to the eccentric, navigate personal struggles and local traditions, painting a rich tapestry of Southern life. The narrative immerses readers in the unique dialect and customs of the area, offering an authentic glimpse into the heart of bayou folk.

"In works set on ruined Louisiana plantations and in bustling New Orleans, Kate Chopin wrote with unblinking honesty about the strictures of propriety, the illusions of love and the realities of marriage, and the persistence of a past scarred by slavery and war. Her stories challenged contemporary mores as much by their sensuousness as their politics. Complete Novels and Stories gathers all of Chopin's extraordinary fiction for the first time.". "The volume also contains stories Chopin never collected, including those meant for "A Vocation and a Voice," a book canceled by her publisher in 1900; stories Chopin never tried to publish, such as the erotically daring "The Storm"; and "Ti Frere," "A Horse Story," and "Alexandre's Wonderful Experience," the stories found in a long-lost cache of Chopin's papers."--BOOK JACKET.

This stunning collection of 28 stories brings readers a literary portrait of the American family from 1894 to today. A collection of works that captures the essence of American families from living together and apart to loving and letting go.Regret / Kate Chopin --The lombardy poplar / Mary Wilkins Freeman --The widow's might / Charlotte Perkins Gilman --Old Rogaum and his Theresa / Theodore Dreiser --The sorrows of gin / John Cheever --I stand here ironing / Tillie Olsen --Simple and Counsin F.D. Roosevelt Brown / Langston Hughes --The sky is gray / Ernest J. Gaines --My Coney Island uncle / Harvey Swados --My son the murderer / Bernard Malamud --Final dwarf / Henry Roth --And Sarah laughed / Joanne Greenberg --Wedding day / Roberta Silman --The legacy of Beau Kremel / Stephen Wolf --Kiswana Brown / Gloria Naylor --Tuesdays / Mary Hedin --Afloat / Ann Beattie --Winterblossom garden / David Low --Old things / Bobbie Ann Mason --Starlight / Marian Thurm --The writer in the family / E.L. Doctorow --The rich brother / Tobias Wolff --My legacy / Don Zacharia --Violation / Mary Gordon --Appropriate affect / Sue Miller --What I did for love / Lynne Sharon Schwartz --Still of some use / John Updike --Elephant / Raymond Carver

A carefully curated selection of stories from "one of the foremothers of 20th-century literature and feminist thought" (The New York Times), known for her deep emotional acuity and nuanced depictions of women Today, Kate Chopin is widely considered a pioneering and influential feminist voice in American letters. Her fiction, though not embraced in her day, has endured into our own, and grapples with fundamental questions of marriage, sexuality, race, and the role of women in a modern society. The nine stories collected here elaborate on Chopin’s timeless themes while evoking the rich Louisiana setting so often featured in her work.

Five daring tales of passion, decadence, and betrayalThe sensuality that suffuses the work of Kate Chopin (1851-1904) startles us with its modernity. Whether evoking the complex world of Creole New Orleans, where racial boundaries are burst by erotic gestures, often with tragic results, or recounting the simple sacrifices made in the name of love, she makes human emotions come instantly, dramatically alive. Her classic novel of sexual and spiritual rebirth, The awakening, is collected with her best stories in Penguin Classics.--back cover

Kate Chopin (born Katherine O'Flaherty) (1850-1904) was an American author of short stories and novels, mostly of a Louisiana Creole background. She is now considered to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. From 1889 to 1902, she wrote short stories for both children and adults which were published in such magazines as Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, The Century, and Harper's Youth's Companion. Her major works were two short story collections, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897). Her important short stories included The Father of Desiree's Baby, a tale of miscegenation in antebellum Louisiana; The Story of an Hour and The Storm. Chopin also wrote two novels: At Fault (1890) and The Awakening (1899), which is set in New Orleans and Grand Isle. The people in her stories are usually inhabitants of Louisiana. Many of her works are set about Natchitoches in north central Louisiana. In time, literary critics determined that Chopin addressed the concerns of women in all places and for all times in her literature.

A green and yellow parrot, hanging in a cage outside, repeatedly squawked, "Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!" It could speak a bit of Spanish and an unintelligible language, while a mockingbird nearby whistled persistently. Mr. Pontellier, frustrated by the noise, left his seat at the main house to find some peace. The parrot and mockingbird belonged to Madame Lebrun, who had every right to their noise, while Mr. Pontellier could escape when he wished. He settled in a wicker rocker outside his cottage, the fourth from the main building, and attempted to read a day-old newspaper. It was Sunday, and the latest papers hadn't arrived yet. He skimmed familiar market reports and editorials, occasionally glancing around. The noise from the main house intensified, where the Farival twins played piano duets, and Madame Lebrun bustled about, giving orders in a high voice. She was a fresh, pretty woman in white, her skirts crinkling as she moved. Nearby, a lady in black walked thoughtfully, counting her beads. Many guests had gone to Cheniere Caminada for mass, while some young people played croquet under the wateroaks. Mr. Pontellier's two young sons, aged four and five, were there, accompanied by a quadroon nurse who seemed lost in thought.

'At Fault', which mirrors Chopin's own life, was written at the beginning of her career and introduces characters and themes that appeared later in her accliamed novel 'The Awakening'. Set in the post-Reconstuction South against the backdrop of economic devastation and simmering racial tensions, this is the story of Therese Lafirme, a beautiful young Creole widow, who falls in love with a divorced businessman, David Hosmer. When her moral and religious convictions compel her to reject Hosmer's marriage proposal, the two are set on a tumultuous journey.