65 Kate Chopin (1850-1904)
Ilse Schrynemakers
Introduction
Kate Chopin (1850-1904), often called one of the first feminist writers of the
twentieth century, is best known for the novel The Awakening (1890) and her short story,
“The Story of an Hour” (1894). Her writing career began as result of personal tragedy,
after the sudden death of her husband when she was only thirty-two and raising six
children. As a form of therapy, her doctor and family friend urged her to begin writing.
She drew inspiration from Guy de Maupassant and other French and American writers,
given her background. Born in St. Louis, to an Irish father and a mother with French
ancestors, a young Catherine learned both French and English. As a young girl, Chopin
excelled academically and was mentored by many strong women—her mother,
grandmother, and great grandmother, all helping a young Kate through the difficult time
following her father’s tragic death in a railroad accident when she was five.
Further tragedy marked her young life. In 1863, her beloved French-speaking
maternal great grandmother died, and then during the Civil War, her half brother passed
away from typhoid fever. In 1870, at age twenty, Chopin married Oscar and moved to
Louisiana, the Creole life later becoming an inspiration for her writings, notably The
Awakening. However, malaria took her husband’s life in 1882, and at the urging of her
mother, Kate moved back to St. Louis, where her mother hoped to assist in raising Kate’s
children. But her mother died soon after Kate’s arrival. To support herself, Kate wrote
rapidly and discovered immediate success as a local colorist and women’s writer.
Chopin’s short stories, about a hundred, received much literary acclaim and
appeared in numerous quality magazines such as Vogue and The Atlantic Monthly.
Her short story collections were praised critically: Bayou Folk (1894), A Night in Acadie
(1897), and published 87 years after her death, A Vocation and a Voice (1991). Her two
novels, At Fault (1890) and The Awakening, which depict a woman’s conflict between
her inner and outer life, were not well received and forgotten by the time of her death.
Not until the 1950s did critics reassess the merit and importance of The Awakening. Her
reputation grew exponentially with the 1969 publication of Per Seyersted’s Chopin
biography and his edition of Chopin’s complete works. Since then, critics have
compared her work to the American Romantic tradition and touted Chopin as a feminist
writer with an authentic voice about the female experience in late nineteenth-century America.
Works Cited
Koloski, Bernard, editor. “Biography.” KateChopin.org, Kate Chopin International Society. www.katechopin.org. Accessed 3 Jan. 2018.
Robinson, Marilynne. Introduction. The Awakening with a selection of short stories, by Kate Chopin, Bantam Classics, 1988, pp. vii-1.
Wyatt, Neal. “Biography of Kate Chopin.” Archive.vcu.edu/ English/engweb/webtexts/hour/katebio.html. Accessed 31 Dec. 2017.
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