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Kate Chopin's female characters: A study in conflict and growth

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Date Issued:
1991
Summary:
Among nineteenth-century American writers, Kate Chopin presented a new American heroine in the character of Edna Pontellier. She would not merely be a passive recipient reacting to the pressures of a male dominated society. She would actively take control of her own destiny. Chopin created her heroine in an environment that did not tolerate deviance from accepted stereotypes; therefore, many of Chopin's stories either received negative criticism or were rejected for publication because of subject matter. Chopin was sensitive to her critics; however, she was also committed to representing realistic women in their struggles for selfhood. In addition, Chopin created these repeating female characters to chronicle their quests for self-fulfillment. Conflicts, resulting from assertive action, stirred a rebellion inside the heroine and resulted in decisions that shocked and angered a society which was not prepared to accept such strong characters as Edna. Similar to her heroine, Kate Chopin concurrently experienced the dilemmas and ultimate growth that is involved in self-actualization. Kate Chopin was forced to decide how to express herself in a society which was not yet ready to hear her message.
Title: Kate Chopin's female characters: A study in conflict and growth.
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Name(s): Kunf, Marcia Ann.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Peyton, Ann, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1991
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 77 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Among nineteenth-century American writers, Kate Chopin presented a new American heroine in the character of Edna Pontellier. She would not merely be a passive recipient reacting to the pressures of a male dominated society. She would actively take control of her own destiny. Chopin created her heroine in an environment that did not tolerate deviance from accepted stereotypes; therefore, many of Chopin's stories either received negative criticism or were rejected for publication because of subject matter. Chopin was sensitive to her critics; however, she was also committed to representing realistic women in their struggles for selfhood. In addition, Chopin created these repeating female characters to chronicle their quests for self-fulfillment. Conflicts, resulting from assertive action, stirred a rebellion inside the heroine and resulted in decisions that shocked and angered a society which was not prepared to accept such strong characters as Edna. Similar to her heroine, Kate Chopin concurrently experienced the dilemmas and ultimate growth that is involved in self-actualization. Kate Chopin was forced to decide how to express herself in a society which was not yet ready to hear her message.
Identifier: 14743 (digitool), FADT14743 (IID), fau:11534 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1991.
Subject(s): Chopin, Kate,--1851-1904--Characters.
Women in literature.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14743
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.