Kate Chopin appears to have a very interesting way of writing. I have read a few of her other pieces in the past, and these two seem to follow suit. I like the way she uses little (or big) twists to keep the reader interested and looking for more.
Chopin was a very different writer for her time, which probably explains why many of her pieces were not widely published right when they were written, for example “The Storm.” Chopin writes about things that were virtually unspoken of in the 1800’s.
“The generous abundance of her passion without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature that had never yet been reached. When he touched her breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her mouth was a fountain of delight...” (307-8).
Most likely if we were to read 100 books published in the 1800’s, very few would be on the topic of such passion, and even fewer would use such language. I think that this is strange. Looking at this section from a twenty-first century point of view we would not call this graphic, but considering the time and place, it was.
Not only was this short story on an unspoken of topic, but this particular display of passion was out of class, which adds to the reasons why it would not have been very popular at the time it was written. I think Kate Chopin was trying to prove something with her writing. She knew there were things going on which many people were either unaware of, or did not even want to think was happening, and I think she was trying to kind of say “look! This is how it is. Get used to it!”
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5 comments:
You are very right; Chopin is the embodiment of all things taboo. In addition to the sexual content and crossing of class barriers that you mention, I think the fact that Calixta and Alcée in The Storm go on about their lives happily and are seemingly unspoiled by guilt is what makes this story particularly unacceptable for the time period in which she wrote. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, published in the same century in which Chopin wrote, the main character is an adulterous woman who is exiled for her sin and whose partner physically tortures himself because he is so consumed by guilt. Chopin’s work is clearly atypical, and even today’s works do not usually show adulterers going unpunished. Perhaps, in this case, Chopin is not just trying to say that men and women are sexual beings in order to justify Alcée and Calixta’s sexual affair, but maybe she is saying that they go without remorse because what kept them apart, class barriers, is an artificial and unjust device imposed by society.
Its funny how the times change and how during that time your quote would be considered so graphic, yet now it is just another statement that people would not find offensive at all. I agree with your reasons for Kate Chopin’s pieces not being widely published. If they were widely published she may have received a backlash from the community. Putting ideas such as crossing classes, affair and the “graphic” descriptions used were not publicly accepted and were not ideas that people of this time period wanted to be brought to attention. This began to make me wonder what it would have been like if Chopin discussed this situation but added the community finding out. I believe that discussing a community’s outrage for an act like this happening would have been perfectly fine. It would have been disturbing to the community, but overall accepted because it would have displayed the consequences of the actions. Chopin on the other hand did not display consequences, and therefore if the public were to read it at this time would have been upset.
Yes I tottally agree with you. She is an aothor that makes you want to kep reading. She keeps you interested. I like how she wrote about a topic that no one would have even dared to discuss back her time or back in the time where it happen. It happened then and it happens now. People marry because of social reasons but they end up cheating on eachother because in all reality they are not happy.
I agree with your post and how Chopin wrote about things that were unheard of for her time. It's actually pretty amazing that she was willing to say these outlandish things just for a story. It kind of made me think that maybe she had some kind of hidden romance with someone who was out of her social standings, or someone in her family.
I think coming from a mixed background I really enjoyed these stories because without something like this going on, I would have never been born!
I liked how you said, Chopin was trying to tell people this is the way it's going to be, because I feel like more and more mixed background families are starting to emerge. Kate Chopin saw the "wave of the future" and wrote about it in a way that is timeless.
Well after reading your post i really think you are right. That you would never have really heard of anything like this back in the 1800's. It was just not right. I think the amount of passion in her writings makes it special and unique and the twists at the end make you wanting even more. I think if someone was to read this back in the 1800's it may offend somebody. So i think her writing is great for this time and also keeps me wanting more.
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