1. 19th vs. 21st Century Women
Female Realism

2. 19th Century
CLOTHING
21st Century

3. 19th Century
CAREER
21st Century

4. 19TH Century
HOUSE DUTIES
21st Century

5. Writers broke barriers as women’s roles slowly shifted due to:
women’s ___________ movement reemerged
university education became more available to women
Writing reflected society’s limitations : unhappy women who find life dull, but discover touches of joy and beauty in life
FEMALE REALISM
A New Role for Women

6. Touches of Romanticism in Female Realism
According to the Oxford Companion to American Literature, “In [female realism] one finds the dual influence of romanticism and realism, since the author frequently looks away from ordinary life to distant lands, strange customs, or exotic scene, but retains through minute detail a sense of fidelity and accuracy of description.”
Female writers develop a lyrical, poetic style with beautiful use of _______________
Touches of Romanticism in Female Realism

7. Faithful Wife and Mother: husband supported her independent streak - she smoked cigarettes, explored the city unescorted, wrote short stories and novels
A Budding Writer: developed an interest in complex issues such as longing for freedom and self-fulfillment among women
Kate Chopin

8. A Late-Blooming Classic
1899 Chopin published The ____________ about a housewife’s adulterous affair and suicide as a last, desperate act of freedom
Reviewers reviled the novel as immoral & novel remained languished out of print for 50 years & ended Chopin’s career
1950s novel rediscovered & sparked renewed interest
The Awakening among the top five most-read American novels today
A Late-Blooming Classic