The Awakening
Chopin’s best-known and most influential novel, offering a direct introduction to her themes of gender, autonomy, marriage, and social convention.
Author guide
Kate Chopin Books in Order
Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was an American writer whose fiction is chiefly set in Louisiana and the broader Creole South. She published two novels and two short-story collections during her lifetime, along with numerous stories, essays, and poems in periodicals. Her work, especially The Awakening and stories such as “The Story of an Hour” and “Désirée’s Baby,” is noted for psychological subtlety, regional detail, and its frank treatment of women’s desires and constraints. A third planned story collection, A Vocation and a Voice, was canceled during her lifetime and published posthumously in 1991.
literary fictionregionalist fictionrealismshort storiesfeminist fiction
Catalog record updated .
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Bayou Folk
A representative entry point to her Louisiana regionalism and short fiction.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (2)
- At Fault
novel · 1890
At Fault is Kate Chopin’s early novel about a young widow seeking to reconcile her own needs with those of the people she is responsible for. ([source][1]) [1]: https://www.katechopin.org/at-fault/ ---------- Also contained in: [Complete…
- The Awakening
novel · 1899
When first published in 1899, The Awakening shocked readers with its honest treatment of female marital infidelity. Audiences accustomed to the pieties of late Victorian romantic fiction were taken aback by Chopin's daring portrayal of a…
Short fiction (3)
- Bayou Folk
short-story-collection · 1894
- A Night in Acadie
short-story-collection · 1897
Contents: A night in Acadie Athenaise After the winter Polydore Regret A matter of Prejudice Caline A Dresden lady in Dixie [Neg Creol][1] The lilies Azelie Mamouche A sentimental soul Dead men's shoes At Cheniere Caminada Odalie misses…
- A Vocation and a Voice
short-story-collection · 1991
Frequently asked questions about Kate Chopin
Who was Kate Chopin, and what was her birth name?
Kate Chopin was an American novelist and short-story writer born Catherine O’Flaherty in St. Louis in 1850. Her mother’s family was of French descent, and Chopin grew up speaking both French and English.
What was Kate Chopin’s life like before she became a writer?
She married Oscar Chopin and lived in New Orleans and rural Louisiana. After he died in 1882, she returned to St. Louis, raised their six children, and began writing fiction with encouragement from a family friend.
Which writers and experiences influenced Kate Chopin?
Chopin was strongly influenced by French writers Guy de Maupassant, Émile Zola, and George Sand. Her bilingual upbringing and years living among Louisiana’s Creole and Cajun cultures also shaped her realistic regional fiction.
Sources: katechopin.org (opens in a new tab)katechopin.org (opens in a new tab)
Why was The Awakening controversial, and did it affect Kate Chopin’s career?
Published in 1899, The Awakening drew harsh criticism for its frank treatment of female sexuality, marriage, and personal freedom. The controversy effectively curtailed Chopin’s public literary career.
Sources: loa.org (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
Why is Kate Chopin important today?
Although her work was largely forgotten after her death, scholarship and new editions—especially after 1969—helped revive her reputation. She is now widely regarded as a classic American writer whose fiction remains central to discussions of women’s autonomy and literary realism.
Sources: katechopin.org (opens in a new tab)loa.org (opens in a new tab)