Analysis of Articles about Kate Chopin's Works - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography Arner, Robert. "Kate Chopin's Realism in At the Cadian Ball' and The Storm'." Markham Review, 2.2 (1970 41. Arner contends that Chopin was a realist and her two stories, "Cadian Ball" and "The Storm" are a study in realism. Arner supports this view through a close textual analysis of both stories. As regards "The Storm" he maintains realism to be primarily expressed in the illicit incident of adultery and both lovers' expressions of feelings and emotions throughout. Within the context of the stated scene, Arner insists that Chopin let the two speaks and act for themselves, with hardly any noticeable authorial intervention. While the article contains valuable insights into "The Storm," Arner's persistent interpretation of the story solely through the lens of realism detracts from it, because it disallows the interpretation of its symbolic meaning. Within the context of the stated, the act of adultery is just an illicit sexual encounter and not one woman's symbolic defiance of society's shackles. Bender, Bert. "Kate Chopin's Lyrical Short Stories." Studies in Short Fiction. 11.3 (1974), 257-66. Bender critically analyses mood, symbolism and language in several of Kate Chopin's short stories, including "The Storm." As he contends, Chopin carefully selects language, not only to reflect mood but to convey atmosphere. As an example of this, Bender highlights the language used to describe the love scene, illustrating the extent to which it echoes both the raging weather and the storm of emotions exploding from within the depths of either of the two characters. According to Bender, there is an undeniable lyrical/poetic quality to Chopin's writing. Readers may independently arrive at a similar conclusion. A reading of the scene in question indicates that, length-wise, it is really quite sparse but, nevertheless, language selection communicates meaning behind words. Quite simply stated, insofar as the scene is preceded by the rescue of Bobinot's trousers (Sunday suit, implying church and reminiscent of marital vows) by Alcee and accompanied by a storm which quite effectively seals the lovers from the outside world, it is pregnant with symbolism and unspoken, but implied, meaning. There is, indeed, a lyricism to Chopin's selection of language and construction of scenes. Chopin, Kate. "The Storm." Kate Chopin: The Complete Works. Ed. Per Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana University Press, 1969. Written in 1898, Chopin's "The Storm" is highly unconventional, to say the least. Standing as a testament to both Chopin's liberationist viewpoints and her ability to have her characters tell their tale without authorial intervention, judgement and censure, the story is about an a single incident of adultery. The female protagonist, as the male, is married and while her marriage gives the impression of calm and solidity, it is hardly an emotionally fulfilling one. Therefore, in a single moment of honesty' with herself, the protagonist gives into her true desire and has sexual relations with an old boyfriend. The story is not unconventional in that it tells of an adulterous affair but that it does so without the passage of moral judgement or, indeed, punishment. Within the context of the stated, its boldness is remarkable. Clatworthy, Joan M. Kate Chopin: The Inward Life That Questions. NY: New York UP. This book is not simply a biography of Kate Chopin. Clatworthy exposes and critically analyses Chopin's life for the purpose of identifying the constituent elements of her worldview and the factors which influenced her thinking and psyche. In so doing, Clatworthy provides her readers with the tools necessary for a better understanding of Chopin's stories. Indeed, she illustrates the extent to which Chopin's life influenced her stories by relating biographical incidents and their relationship to her fictional characters and plots. As regards "The Storm,' Clatworthy argues that Chopin's views on liberation and the importance of being who you are, are the primary forces behind the affair. If Alcee, as a male, was allowed to transgress, then why should not Calixta This line if thinking is quite evident in "The Storm." While it may have been an expression of Calixta's ownership over her own body, as Clatworthy argues, it was unacceptable for the age in question. Indeed, this scene is not simply Calixta's defiance of societal shackles but Chopin's own rebellion against the limitations which societal norms impose upon her, as a female author. Farca, Paula Anca. Academic Exchange Quarterly. 11.1 (Spring 2007): 120(4). Farca uses Focault's theory on power and authority as a framework for her reading of Chopin's "The Storm." Focault maintained that the traditional power holders laud down the law and established social structures and norms. Within the context of Chopin's times and the setting of her stories, the traditional power holders were the males and society was, accordingly, patriarchal. Chopin's characters rebelled against patriarchy and, in a very real sense, chipped away at its foundations. Farca establishes the stated with regards to Calixta's relationship with her husband and her son, establishing her as the powerholder within the family, and again in her affair with Alcee, positioning her as an autonomous thinking being, irrespective of gender. The use of Focault's theory as an interpretative framework is a very interesting strategy as it allows for a much deeper exploration of the story's meaning and authorial message. Fluck, Winfried. "Tentative Transgressions." Studies in American Fiction. 10.2 (1982): 151-171. Fluck's articles focuses on Calixta's transgression against her marital vows, her responsibilities as a mother and her duties as a wife. To all intents and purposes, Calixta transgressed against all societal norms regarding acceptable behaviour for wives, mothers and females. There is no doubt that any who read the story at the time it was written would have arrived at that conclusion. More importantly, readers would have also concluded that the main transgressor was Chopin herself for writing such a story. By drawing the reader's attention to Chopin's own transgressions, Fluck opens the way for a better understanding of the story. It is not simply about a moment of weakness but a story which questions societal norms. None were harmed by the incident and, indeed, as it made its perpetuators happier, it made those around them happier. Therefore, the question is: is it really wrong Grover, Dorys C. "Kate Chopin and the Bayou Country." Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas. 15 (1984): 29-34. Grover's primary focus is the love scene. Interpreting it in relation to the storm that is raging on the outside, she defines it as an internal storm, as much an uncontrollable act of nature as the rain. Drawing attention to the naturalness of the act and the apparent uninhibited happiness of both of the characters, Grover claims that the source of joy is not the act of sex but the liberation both feel in expressing their feelings and being given the opportunity to act as they feel and want. This is an interesting and convincing reading of the scene in question, although one which is predicated on the assumption of Chopin's approval of the act of adultery in question. Ladenson, Joyce. "The Return of the St. Louis Prodigal Daughter." Mid-America. 2 (1975): 24-34. According to Joyce, Chopin is unique for her times and especially her gender. This is not just because she wrote of cross-racial affairs but because she apparently condoned a woman's engagement in sex outside of marriage and adultery. Within the context of her times, this was an unheard of position and probably the reason why "The Storm" was not published when it was written but several decades later. Indeed, as Ladenson helps her readers understand, Chopin was far ahead of her times in terms of her views on female behaviour and rights. During the era in question, adultery in males was condoned but in females it was condemned. For Chopin to not condemn this act on Calixta's part constitutes a defiance of the norm. As such, the delay in publication is perfectly understandable. Manning, S.L. "Kate Chopin Reconsidered: Beyond the Bayou. " The Review of English Studies. 46.n183 (August 1995): 433(2). Manning's article focuses on gender in Kate Chopin's works. Her stories may unfold within a Creole setting and they may be uniquely representative of Creole culture but to read them within this particular context is to fail to appreciate their real meaning. That meaning, accordingly to Manning, derives from Chopin's perspective on gender relations and respective status. A reading of "The Storm" validates this Manning's assertion. The work makes no mention of gender equality or, indeed, of women's rights. To all intents and purposes, Calixta is a prototype of the early twentieth century female. She is a wife and mother and defines herself in those terms. This, however, is not the way that Chopin chooses to portray her. Yes, she does emerge as a wife and a mother but, more importantly, she is a thinking and feeling emotional being who makes her own decision regarding her own body just as Alcee makes his. If judgement is to be passed against Calixta it similarly must be passed against Alcee. This is Chopin's conception of gender and the relation between the sexes and this is why Manning insists on a reading which looks beyond the bayou.' Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography. Baton Rouge: LA State University Press, 1969. Seyersted's biography combines between Chopin's life and her stories. He offers an in-depth and highly persuasive analysis of the interrelationship between Chopin's life and her works and how her experiences, or those of people around her, ultimately contributed to the formulation of plots and the creation of her fiction. From a reader's perspective, this work is an invaluable accompaniment to Chopin's fiction as it serves to help readers uncover their hidden/underlying meaning. This is especially true in relation to "The Storm." Seyersted recounts Chopin's views on female equality and emphasises her belief that the female should not be governed by either a male or by marriage but by her own free will. This is precisely what Calixta does in the story in question. She may have engaged in an act of betrayal but she is never condemned for doing so because, as portrayed by Chopin, Calixta acted in all honesty towards herself and, in so doing, refused to have her freedom constrained by her husband, child or marriage. Read More