Kate Chopin was a nationally acclaimed short story artist of the local-color school when, in 1899 she shocked the American reading public with THE AWAKENING, a novel that much resembles MADAME BOVARY. Though the critics praised the artistic excellence of the book, it was generally condemned for its objective treatment of the sensuous, independent heroine. Deeply hurt by the censure, Mrs. Chopin wrote little more and became largely forgotten. For decades,...

The stories, poems, sketches and essays of a Southern woman, who defied traditional morality and conventions at the turn of the century.