The Awakening and Selected Stories (Kate Chopin, 1899)

This is the latest in my ongoing method classic literature reading project. I really don't think this would be something I would choose to read if it wasn't on the list. However, that's half the fun, reading stuff you normally wouldn't.

This book was very scandalous back in 1899, so much so that Chopin's career was ended and she was all but erased from literary history. However, twentieth century readers rediscovered Chopin and found her less scandalous and more of a prophetess of role of women in American society.

I can't say I was quite as blown away and thought the whole book to be a bit too melodramatic for my tastes. However The Awakening, I will agree, was her masterpiece. The other stories included here don't even touch it. I also learned I still remember a lot of French words. This helps when reading Chopin, but get ready for the "dialogue in dialect" that is very thick in the short stories.