Product Description

The Awakening shocked turn-of-the-century readers with its forthright treatment of sex and suicide. Departing from literary convention, Kate Chopin failed to condemn her heroine's desire for an affair with the son of a Louisiana resort owner, whom she meets on vacation. The power of sensuality, the delusion of ecstatic love, and the solitude that accompanies the trappings of middle- and upper-class life are the themes of this now-classic novel. As Kaye Gibbons points out in her Introduction, Chopin "was writing American realism before most Americans could bear to hear that they were living it."

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition includes selected stories from Chopin's Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #421474 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-14
• Released on: 2000-11-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
"A Creole Bovary is this little novel of Miss Chopin's."
--Willa Cather -- Review

Review
"A Creole Bovary is this little novel of Miss Chopin's."
--Willa Cather

From the Inside Flap
The Awakening shocked turn-of-the-century readers with its forthright treatment of sex and suicide. Departing from literary convention, Kate Chopin failed to condemn her heroine's desire for an affair with the son of a Louisiana resort owner, whom she meets on vacation. The power of sensuality, the delusion of ecstatic love, and the solitude that accompanies the trappings of middle- and upper-class life are the themes of this now-classic novel. As Kaye Gibbons points out in her Introduction, Chopin "was writing American realism before most Americans could bear to hear that they were living it."

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition includes selected stories from Chopin's Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie.

Customer Reviews

a counterpoint to the last review
I got turned on to KC in college through one story--The Storm--and a little background on her (she wrote ahead of her time, was published and then forgotten until the 1960's Feminist Movement dug her up again). She became one of those authors I lodge in the back of my head to investigate later. I happened upon this wonderful book at the book tent at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest and grabbed it. The book gives a great introduction to her and her time. I was lucky enough to read The Awakening and some of her other short stories while staying at Grand Isle. She was and is a great writer. She wrote from a viewpoint that bucked the norms of her time---the late 1800's, she wrote of women who didnt fit the mold of mommy and wife. She wrote eloquently of an area, era, and culture that I love...New Orleans, Cajun Country, and Grand Isle amongst others. I dont write many reviews, but after reading the only other review for this book I felt a different opinion should be heard. She is a good read.

Worth reading (The Awakening)
This book is certainly not for the illiterate dime novel crowd. It is a story of one woman's struggle to find herself within the narrow confines of Victorian society. The situations and characters are well developed and some literacy in French is helpful but not required. If you read a bit about Kate Chopin the main character seems to be fairly autobiographical at least where rebellion from female conformity was concerned. The book is not a new idea, a person finding their wings and learning to fly. But the idea of a female doing this in Victorian society was brand new. The book was considered obscene and subversive at the time and that alone makes it worth reading.

Beautifully crafted, evocative and poignant short stories
I actually haven't reached the Awakening yet. I find it amazing that nobody has commented on the beauty of Ms. Chopin's short pastoral stories. They remind me of the Guy de Maupassant short stories, Boule de Suif etc.

Ms. Chopin was clearly a very skilled writer of the short story and sympathetically conveys a sense of the times and lives of the Louisiana Creoles. This is the most rewarding reading of American letters that I have had for quite some time. I do wonder how I might perceive the stories without an understanding of French since the occasional patois dialogue might be alienating if not comprehended.

I will make a point of passing this book on to a friend.