Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin’s novel, a landmark work of early feminism, is seen as a precursor to the works of American novelists such as William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway.....

On vacation in Grand Isle, Louisiana, a married woman falls in love with a charming, attentive young man. The relationship spurs Edna Pontellier to explore her longing for independence....

Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was a Louisiana-based author of short stories and novels, and is considered a forerunner of 20th-century feminist authors from the South....

Set in New Orleans at the close of the 19th century, The Awakening follows Edna Pontellier, who, while vacationing with her husband and their two sons, finds liberation from her prudish behavior and repressed emotions and desires....

This short story begins with a woman trying to get rid of letters which are the only evidence of her having an affair outside her marriage. Having burned some of them, she cannot proceed with burning the rest because emotions overwhelmed her....

In this story of a woman’s plan to get a wealthy husband, Nathalie’s plans are almost spoiled by the action of a family friend, but she explains the situation on time. In the end, she marries Mr Brantain and his millions....

"Beyond the Bayou" is about La Folle, an African American woman and former slave, who overcomes her crippling and irrational childhood fear of passing an imaginary territorial line or going beyond the bayou....

The short story focuses on two lovers torn apart by the American Civil War and the locket that inexorably binds them together....

Mrs. Baroda, somewhat reluctantly, is playing the gracious host to her husband’s surprise guest, Gouvernail, an old friend of her husband’s from college. The story delves into Mrs. Baroda’s psychology as she struggles with her desires versus her self-made image and self-opinion....

An intense story of love, lust, and betrayal set amidst an intense storm in the American South, The Storm is the sequel to At the 'Cadian Ball by American novelist Kate Chopin....

 One of the earliest feminist works in American literature, "The Awakening" tells the story of Edna Pontellier. Unsatisfied with societal expectations and unhappy with her family life, she begins to fall in love with the dapper Robert Lebrun....

In The Locket, a confederate soldier declines his fellow soldiers’ request to reveal the contents of the locket around his neck. The locket, which holds pictures of his fiancée’s parents and the date of their wedding is found on the battlefield after a battle....

In The Kiss, a beautiful young woman, Nathalie, has decided to marry the unattractive and uninteresting but very wealthy Mr. Brantain. When an old friend kisses her passionately in front of Mr. Brantain, Nathalie must control the damage done by this kiss....

In Beyond the Bayou, La Folle, an ex-slave, lives on an island cut off from the her old home and is afraid to venture back onto the bayou. When a small drought dries up the shallow waters between her home and the bayou, she spends some time with the son of her former master....

In Désirée’s Baby, the adopted daughter of a wealthy prewar French Creole couple is courted by the son of another wealthy, respected French Creole family. After they marry, their child is born with dark skin and believed to have African ancestry....

First published in Vogue in 1897, A Pair of Silk Stockings features Mrs. Sommers, a once wealthy woman who comes into possession of a small fortune of $15. Planning to spend the money on clothing for her children, she becomes entranced by a pair of silk stockings....  

First published in Vogue in 1894, A Respectable Woman is the story of a woman struggling to understand her desires....

The Awakening was first published in 1899. The plot centers on Louisianan Edna Pontellier and her struggle with her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood....

A Pair of Silk Stockings is the tale of a frazzled housewife and mother, Mrs. Sommers, who has come into a small fortune of $15....

Although originally published in 1899, this book's leading character, Edna Pontellier, could be mistaken for a modern day liberated woman...