a biography of kate chopin
A strong women in a time of men
Kate Chopin, February 8, 1850 — August 22, 1904 born in St. Louis Missouri author of novels and short stories some of the best known are At fault , The Awakening The Storm ,The Story of an Hour and meany more She is considered by some to be one of the first feminist writhers of the twentieth century.
Kate Chopin was born Kate O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850 ( although there was controversy about wether it was actually 1851 due to a mix up on her birth certificate) to Eliza and Thomas O'Flaherty. She was the third of five children, but her sisters died in infancy and her brothers (from her father's first marriage) in their early twenties. She was the only child to live past twenty-five. At the age of five she was carted of to The Sacred Heart Academy, a Catholic boarding school in St. Louis. Then two months lather she was withdrawn again when her father died when the train he was on plummeted into the water when the bridge collapsed. For the next two years she was to be schooled by her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother she was thought french and music. During this time she was surrounded by strong, intelligent, independent women. In fact Kate Chopin came from a long line of strong, intelligent, independent women her great great grandmother was the first woman in St. Louis to obtain legal separation from her husband, after which she raised her five children and ran a shipping business on the Mississippi river and this proud legacy was not to end with Kate Chopin
After Kate returned to The Sacred Heart Academy she soon proved herself to be very intelligent. She was at the top of her class, was elected into the elite children of children of Mary society, and gave the commencement speech. Later in life her wit never seemed to loose its edge as illustrated in one of her journal entries, tips on flirting, "just keep asking 'What do you think?"
In 1870, at the age of twenty, she married Oscar Chopin, twenty-five, and the son of a wealthy cotton- growing family in Louisiana. By all accounts he loved his wife, and she loved him back in a time when women just got the right to legally own what money they made or inherited and were seen as objects pretty objects incapable of thinking on the mans level, because of this he aloud her unheard of freedom. After their marriage they lived in New Orleans where she had five boys and two girls, all before she was twenty-eight not a rare thing at the time. Oscar was a less then stellar business man, and they were forced to move to his old home in a small Louisiana parish. Oscar inconveniently died of swamp fever there in 1882 and left Kate to take over the running of his general store and plantation not to mention over $12,000 in debt (approximately $250,000 in todays money) a situation that was lease then ideal.
In 1884 she sold everything and moved back to St. Louis to live with her mother. Sadly, Eliza died the next year, leaving Kate alone with her children, again. This turn of events as well as the death of her husband left Kate in a state of depression so she took to writing as a way to deal with her feelings as well as a source of income for her family. She was immediately successful and wrote short stories about people she had known in Louisiana. The Awakening was inspired by a true story of a New Orleans woman who was infamous in the French Quarter the novel was criticized of its moral the story being about a women oppressed and shackled by the confines of society it is decades ahead of its time, but she would soon learn what happens when a women questioned society she was denied admission into the St. Louis Fine Art Club because of its publication. She was very hurt by this rejection and because of this and other criticism she was to receive she would retract from society and stick to writhing short story. She very seldom made much money on her writhing on depended on her investments in Louisiana and St. Louis to support herself. Sadly While visiting the St. Louis World's Fair on August 20, 1904, Chopin suffered a brain hemorrhage and died two days later, at the age of 54. She was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.
Kate Chopin may have been silenced by an oppressive society bent on trampling on women's rights but her novels and short stores would fuel later generations of feminist writhers working toward a future with equality for all.
Kate Chopin, February 8, 1850 — August 22, 1904 born in St. Louis Missouri author of novels and short stories some of the best known are At fault , The Awakening The Storm ,The Story of an Hour and meany more She is considered by some to be one of the first feminist writhers of the twentieth century.
Kate Chopin was born Kate O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850 ( although there was controversy about wether it was actually 1851 due to a mix up on her birth certificate) to Eliza and Thomas O'Flaherty. She was the third of five children, but her sisters died in infancy and her brothers (from her father's first marriage) in their early twenties. She was the only child to live past twenty-five. At the age of five she was carted of to The Sacred Heart Academy, a Catholic boarding school in St. Louis. Then two months lather she was withdrawn again when her father died when the train he was on plummeted into the water when the bridge collapsed. For the next two years she was to be schooled by her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother she was thought french and music. During this time she was surrounded by strong, intelligent, independent women. In fact Kate Chopin came from a long line of strong, intelligent, independent women her great great grandmother was the first woman in St. Louis to obtain legal separation from her husband, after which she raised her five children and ran a shipping business on the Mississippi river and this proud legacy was not to end with Kate Chopin
After Kate returned to The Sacred Heart Academy she soon proved herself to be very intelligent. She was at the top of her class, was elected into the elite children of children of Mary society, and gave the commencement speech. Later in life her wit never seemed to loose its edge as illustrated in one of her journal entries, tips on flirting, "just keep asking 'What do you think?"
In 1870, at the age of twenty, she married Oscar Chopin, twenty-five, and the son of a wealthy cotton- growing family in Louisiana. By all accounts he loved his wife, and she loved him back in a time when women just got the right to legally own what money they made or inherited and were seen as objects pretty objects incapable of thinking on the mans level, because of this he aloud her unheard of freedom. After their marriage they lived in New Orleans where she had five boys and two girls, all before she was twenty-eight not a rare thing at the time. Oscar was a less then stellar business man, and they were forced to move to his old home in a small Louisiana parish. Oscar inconveniently died of swamp fever there in 1882 and left Kate to take over the running of his general store and plantation not to mention over $12,000 in debt (approximately $250,000 in todays money) a situation that was lease then ideal.
In 1884 she sold everything and moved back to St. Louis to live with her mother. Sadly, Eliza died the next year, leaving Kate alone with her children, again. This turn of events as well as the death of her husband left Kate in a state of depression so she took to writing as a way to deal with her feelings as well as a source of income for her family. She was immediately successful and wrote short stories about people she had known in Louisiana. The Awakening was inspired by a true story of a New Orleans woman who was infamous in the French Quarter the novel was criticized of its moral the story being about a women oppressed and shackled by the confines of society it is decades ahead of its time, but she would soon learn what happens when a women questioned society she was denied admission into the St. Louis Fine Art Club because of its publication. She was very hurt by this rejection and because of this and other criticism she was to receive she would retract from society and stick to writhing short story. She very seldom made much money on her writhing on depended on her investments in Louisiana and St. Louis to support herself. Sadly While visiting the St. Louis World's Fair on August 20, 1904, Chopin suffered a brain hemorrhage and died two days later, at the age of 54. She was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.
Kate Chopin may have been silenced by an oppressive society bent on trampling on women's rights but her novels and short stores would fuel later generations of feminist writhers working toward a future with equality for all.
Timeline
The Life of Kate Chopin:
1851
February 8--Katherine O'Flaherty was born to Thomas O'Flaherty, an Irish immigrant, and Eliza Faris, a Creole.
1855
Kate's father dies in a train accident leaving Kate devastated
Kate begins school at Academy of the Sacred Heart and is best in class 1863
Kate's great-grandmother, Victoire Verdon Charlesville, dies a heavy blow for Kate who looked up to her
Kate's half-brother, George O'Flaherty, a Confederate soldier, dies of typhoid fever.
1868
Kate graduates from the Academy of the Sacred Heart with full honors
1870
June 9--Kate marries Oscar Chopin on in St. Louis.
October--The couple moves to New Orleans where the groom is from 1871
May 22--Jean Chopin is born.
1873
Oscar Chopin Jr. is born.
1874
The Chopins move to the Garden District of New Orleans, and visit Grand Isle in the summer
1879
Oscar's cotton business fails, and the Chopins move to Cloutierville, Louisiana.
Lelia Chopin born.
1882
December 10--Oscar dies leaving chopin whit meany thousands in debt 1884
Kate moves to St. Louis after sealing everything
1885
June--Eliza O'Flaherty, Kate's mother, dies.
1888
Kate writes her poem, "If it Might Be," and begins the story, "Euphraisie." 1889
"If It Might Be" is published in the literary and political journal America. Two stories, "Wiser than a God" and "A Point at Issue" are published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
1890
Kate's first novel, At Fault, is published privately.
1893
"Désirée's Baby" is published in Vogue.
1894
Bayou Folk is published. Kate writes "Story of an Hour."
1895
"Athénaise" is written.
1896
"Athénaise" is published.
1897
A Night in Acadie is published.
June--Kate begins work on The Awakening.
1898
January--Kate completes The Awakening.
1899
The Awakening is published, and is met with scathing reviews.
1900
Kate writes "The Gentleman from New Orleans."
She is listed in the first edition of Who's Who in USA.
1904
August 18--Kate visits the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and suffers from a stroke. She dies two days later.
1851
February 8--Katherine O'Flaherty was born to Thomas O'Flaherty, an Irish immigrant, and Eliza Faris, a Creole.
1855
Kate's father dies in a train accident leaving Kate devastated
Kate begins school at Academy of the Sacred Heart and is best in class 1863
Kate's great-grandmother, Victoire Verdon Charlesville, dies a heavy blow for Kate who looked up to her
Kate's half-brother, George O'Flaherty, a Confederate soldier, dies of typhoid fever.
1868
Kate graduates from the Academy of the Sacred Heart with full honors
1870
June 9--Kate marries Oscar Chopin on in St. Louis.
October--The couple moves to New Orleans where the groom is from 1871
May 22--Jean Chopin is born.
1873
Oscar Chopin Jr. is born.
1874
The Chopins move to the Garden District of New Orleans, and visit Grand Isle in the summer
1879
Oscar's cotton business fails, and the Chopins move to Cloutierville, Louisiana.
Lelia Chopin born.
1882
December 10--Oscar dies leaving chopin whit meany thousands in debt 1884
Kate moves to St. Louis after sealing everything
1885
June--Eliza O'Flaherty, Kate's mother, dies.
1888
Kate writes her poem, "If it Might Be," and begins the story, "Euphraisie." 1889
"If It Might Be" is published in the literary and political journal America. Two stories, "Wiser than a God" and "A Point at Issue" are published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
1890
Kate's first novel, At Fault, is published privately.
1893
"Désirée's Baby" is published in Vogue.
1894
Bayou Folk is published. Kate writes "Story of an Hour."
1895
"Athénaise" is written.
1896
"Athénaise" is published.
1897
A Night in Acadie is published.
June--Kate begins work on The Awakening.
1898
January--Kate completes The Awakening.
1899
The Awakening is published, and is met with scathing reviews.
1900
Kate writes "The Gentleman from New Orleans."
She is listed in the first edition of Who's Who in USA.
1904
August 18--Kate visits the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and suffers from a stroke. She dies two days later.
By: Petra Andrei