Current Search:  Chopin, Kate, 1851-1904 (x)

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Hanging in the balance
Title
Hanging in the balance: the lure of Nietzsche's Apollonian and Dionysiac impulses in Kate Chopin's The Awakening.
Creator
Salamin, Jessica., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description
This thesis represents a study of Kate Chopin's groundbreaking novel, The Awakening. Further, it applies Nietzsche's principles of Dionysiac and Apollonian impulses to the literary analysis of the novel. I argue that the protagonist of the novel, Edna Pontellier, embarks on a quest to determine how she may live an authentic life - that is, a life whereby she is true to herself above all others. Ultimately, her search for self is overwhelmed by the imbalance of the Apollonian and Dionysiac...
Show moreThis thesis represents a study of Kate Chopin's groundbreaking novel, The Awakening. Further, it applies Nietzsche's principles of Dionysiac and Apollonian impulses to the literary analysis of the novel. I argue that the protagonist of the novel, Edna Pontellier, embarks on a quest to determine how she may live an authentic life - that is, a life whereby she is true to herself above all others. Ultimately, her search for self is overwhelmed by the imbalance of the Apollonian and Dionysiac impulses against which she struggles. Because Edna cannot successfully mediate this struggle, she reaches the conclusion that she may only attain a truth to her self if she finds that truth in death.
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Date Issued
2009
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/216407
Subject Headings
Criticism and interpretation, Aesthetics, Self in literature, Women and literature, History
Format
Document (PDF)
Disturbers of the peace: Representations of women in the stories of Kate Chopin
Title
Disturbers of the peace: Representations of women in the stories of Kate Chopin.
Creator
Caldwell, Eleanor Mitchell., Florida Atlantic University, McGuirk, Carol
Abstract/Description
Beyond the Victorian and Southern myths of women existed other levels of female autonomy and strength. In the stories of Kate Chopin, women characters perform social roles as wives, mothers, and hostesses; in addition, they live out other layers of existence in which they have greater control and freedom. Some, like Edna Pontellier in The Awakening, find an "inward life which questions." Others, like the protagonists of "The Kiss," "The Respectable Woman," "Lady of Bayou St. John," "At the ...
Show moreBeyond the Victorian and Southern myths of women existed other levels of female autonomy and strength. In the stories of Kate Chopin, women characters perform social roles as wives, mothers, and hostesses; in addition, they live out other layers of existence in which they have greater control and freedom. Some, like Edna Pontellier in The Awakening, find an "inward life which questions." Others, like the protagonists of "The Kiss," "The Respectable Woman," "Lady of Bayou St. John," "At the 'Cadian Ball," "The Storm," and "Athenaise," find an outer life characterized by intrigue and manipulation. Chopin's women characters enact a stratified female consciousness that begins with manipulation and ends with a failed attempt at independent survival.
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Date Issued
1988
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14423
Subject Headings
Chopin, Kate,--1851-1904--Characters--Women, Women in literature
Format
Document (PDF)
Kate Chopin's female characters: A study in conflict and growth
Title
Kate Chopin's female characters: A study in conflict and growth.
Creator
Kunf, Marcia Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Peyton, Ann
Abstract/Description
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...
Show moreAmong 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.
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Date Issued
1991
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14743
Subject Headings
Chopin, Kate,--1851-1904--Characters., Women in literature.
Format
Document (PDF)