Synopses & Reviews
Written with grace, delicate humor and a keen understanding of the female psyche are 9 portraits of black and white inhabitants of Louisiana's bayou and urban areas. Includes "A Night in Acadie," "A Respectable Woman," "The Dream of an Hour," and the title story. A masterful collection of Chopin's short stories.
Synopsis
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, "Desiree's Baby" -- a haunting and ironic tale of miscegenation. Additional stories include "Madame Celestin's Divorce," "A Gentleman of Bayou Teche" and "At the 'Cadian Ball," from Bayou Folk; "A Respectable Woman," "A Night in Acadie" and Azelie" from A Night in Acadie; "The Dream of an Hour" and the title story. Written with grace, delicate humor and a keen understanding of the human -- especially the female -- psyche, these stories are a superb introduction to an important American writer whose literary career was cut short by the harsh criticism directed at her novel The Awakening (1899).
Synopsis
Includes 9 masterful portraits of black and white inhabitants of Louisiana's bayou and urban areas. Written with grace, delicate humor, and a keen understanding of the female psyche.
About the Author
A precursor of the 20th century's feminist authors, Kate Chopin (1850-1904) wrote short stories and novels for children and adults. The St. Louis native lived in New Orleans for a dozen years and set most of her tales amid Louisiana's Creole culture. Many of her stories were well ahead of their time, and she achieved widespread acclaim only after her death.
Table of Contents
From
Bayou Folk (1894)
Désirée's Baby
Madame Célestin's Divorce
At the 'Cadian Ball
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
From A Night in Acadie (1897)
A Night in Acadie
Azélie
A Respectable Woman
From Vogue
The Dream of an Hour (December 6, 1894)
A Pair of Silk Stockings (September 16, 1897)