Read the introduction to Kate Chopin and The Awakening.

The Awakening is also available in this text. Read additional texts by any other the writers included in this section that you consider turn-of-the century. For this lesson you might again want to look at the Norton Websource to American Literature at http://www.wwnorton.com/naal. In particular, you might look at http://www.wwnorton.com/naal/frame/1914.htm for more detailed information on Chopin.

1. Find out more about the life of Kate Chopin and write a two-page essay relating it to her work. (20 points)
2. Kate Chopin, although best known for The Awakening wrote many other stories and for magazines and journals. Find out more these works and report what you have. (15 points)
3. Although The Awakening is hardly a captivity narrative, some of the characters in this novel are entrapped both by their culture and by their internal psychological makeup. Choose one character that you believe is entrapped and explain why he or she is entrapped. (20 points).
4. Like Stowe and Jewett, Chopin is a master of "local color." Jewett is particularly known for her portraits of New England women; what "kinds" of women make their appearance in Chopin’s work? What particularizes them? How does this text fit into this category? How is this text more generalized? (25 points)
5. Explain the psychological import of this novel in terms of the burgeoning women’s movement. Look at this text in relation to either "The Yellow Wallpaper" or to your reading of the "Diary" of Alice James. (20 points)
6. Look the relationship between friends in this novel. Who is a friend of whom? Who are true friends? Who are false friends? Relate the ideas about friendship between women as they appear in this novel with some of the earlier works you have read. (15 points)
7. What are the various attitudes towards motherhood in this text? For some, motherhood enhances creativity? For others, it blocks creativity? Choose two mothers in this text and explain their reactions to motherhood. How "good" are they as mothers? (20 points)
8. Husbands and wives relate to one another in different ways in different cultures. Major differences exist between French Creole and Anglo culture. Explain these differences as they appear in this text. (15 points)
9. Sexuality is always a touchy subject—especially in the Victorian morality of American turn of the century culture. How does sexuality, marital fidelity and infidelity play an important part in this text. (20 points)
10. Write your own story based on a part of The Awakening. (15 points)
11. What various types of diction does Chopin use to express herself? How does the imagery and dialogue add to the authenticity of her novel? Write a two-page essay explaining your position on this subject. (20 points)
12. Edna Pontellier suffers in this narrative. What kinds of suffering does she undergo? Neurasthenia, hysteria and various other "women’s" illnesses were prominent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Often these mental illnesses were related to the circumscribed lives of middle class women—particularly their circumscribed creative lives. Do you believe that frustrated creativity leads to her suffering? How does she deal with this suffering? Do you find her an effective heroine? If so, why? If so why not? (20 points)
13. Which of the characters in this novel do you find most attractive or fascinating? Who are the "bad guys"? Look at this novel in terms of plot and character and evaluate both in terms of the poison they eject into their society or the balm they place on the wounds of society. (20 points)
14. The women in this text are not always victims. Choose a character that is NOT a victim and explain why you believe this to be so. (15 points)
15. What do you make of the male characters in this text? Choose one that you feel is sympathetic (or particularly unsympathetic) and explain how Chopin delineates his character.
16. This text has been considered both romantic and realistic by various critics. In which ways is this a romantic text? In which way is this a realistic text? (20 points)
17. What do you make of the ending to the novel? Is it a "release" or a "cop out"? Explain in a two-page essay (quoting from the text) your reasons for your opinion.
18. Write a short story based a segment of this novel or pretending that you are a book illustrator, create several illustrations elucidate some of the pain points of the text. (20 points)

1. A Celebration of Women Writers has links Chopin. See http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women. Of particular interest if the Chopin home at Cloutierville, Louisiana at http://www.literarytraveler.com/summer/south/clout.htm. This site also leads to more southern writers and more Chopin sites. Also for local color short stories that are simply wonderful go to the Bayou Folk site at http://metalab.unc.edu/docsouth/chopinbayou/menu.html
2. Several excellent ones can be accessed from the Norton Anthology of American Literature site for Kate Chopin at http://www.wwnorton.com/naal/frame/1914.htm. Particularly look at A Selected Chopin Bibliography and Three Online Texts by Chopin. In addition to an e-text of The Awakening, many of Chopin’s Lousiana short stories are available. Questions and issues posed on these pages are also "fair game" for extra credit questions that you may submit.