Realism, Regionalism, & Feminism?

Women Know Your Limits What stereotypes are presented? How do the women in the clips defy and reinforce the stereotypes? What was the response at their defiance?

Feminism In the late 19th century women begin to break free of the “Romantic” mold that had come to define their gender in popular fiction. Instead of female characters fulfilling the secondary roles assigned to them by male authors, women (and their particular struggle) are given center stage by a new and emerging group of authors: women. While writing in authentic, often local colors, they also portray the universal struggle for female independence—sometimes openly but often quite subtly given the cultural climate. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899) is a defining moment.

Social Norms for Women 19th century upper and middle class women were completely dependent on their husbands and fathers, and their lives revolved around their role as respectable daughter, housewife, and mother. Emphasis on female wholesomeness Ideal of the "true woman" as wife, mother, and keeper of the home. the home was the basis of morality and a sanctuary free from the corruption of the city. As guardian of the home and family, women were believed to be more emotional, dependent, and gentle by nature.

No! I am not crazy! This perception of femininity led to the popular conclusion that women were more susceptible to disease and illness, and was a basis for the diagnosis of insanity in many female patients during the 19th century. Rather than being viewed as a bad and immoral woman, honor and reputation could be maintained by the diagnosis of a medical condition and commitment to an asylum. Women who spoke out against their defined roles were often deemed as having a mental problem. Kate Chopin’s characters typify women’s struggles with breaking free from social norms, and those expectations for wife, mother, woman.

Kate Chopin (1850-1904)

Meet Kate Chopin First female writer in the United States to frankly portray the passions and discontents of women confined to traditional roles as wives and mothers. For this she was severely condemned in her time and is widely praised today.

Katherine O’Flaherty Born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri Her father, Thomas O’Flaherty, was of Irish descent Her mother, Eliza Faris, was of French descent

Early Education Sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart at age 5, she left after only 2 months when her father died. Her great-grandmother taught her music, history, French, and the need to “live life clearly and fearlessly.” Two years later, Kate returned to school. Academy of the Sacred Heart Grand Coteau, Louisiana

Chopin: The Woman Met Oscar Chopin at 19 and married him on June 9, 1870. Moved to New Orleans. The cosmopolitan city suited her. After the failure of his business, he moved his family to Natchitoches Parish. Oscar died in 1883 after contracting swamp fever. He left Kate with 6 children. House in Cloutierville. Burned to the ground in 2008, all that is left is the chimney.

Chopin and Four of Her Children

Strong Women While most women of this time period would be devastated by the loss of their husband, Chopin was not. She came from a family of strong women. Chopin’s mother – Eliza O’Flaherty – A member of the French-Creole community. Widowed at age 27, she never remarried. Chopin’s grandmother, Madame Charleville, and great-grandmother had both been widowed at an early age and never remarried. Her great-great-grandmother and her great-great grandfather were the first couple to be granted a legal separation in St. Louis. Kate’s father died in a train accident when a bridge collapsed while the train was on it.

Chopin: The Writer After having moved back to St. Louis, Chopin’s mother died. Chopin started writing to ease her pain and to help support her children. She is best known for her 1899 novel, The Awakening.

Chopin: The Writer The Awakening, a once-scandalous account of one woman's growing feminism in the American South during the Victorian era. For this novel, Chopin faced critical abuse and public denunciation as an immoralist. Chopin said, “I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly; but I have got into the habit of expressing myself. It doesn't matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like.” Kate Chopin is considered among the most important women in nineteenth-century American fiction Kate died on August 20, 1904.

The Story of an Hour Published in Vogue magazine Provided an audience when book publishing houses were unwilling to do so. Written during the 1890s, a period of social tension. Organizations were pushing women’s suffrage.

The Story of an Hour Many women, however, especially in the south, were being raised with a special sense of “a woman’s place” at home. Women had few legal rights. Chopin criticized the institution of marriage and wrote about women who struggled against social convention to be individuals.