Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin. Also includes "Regret." In these selections, two women examine their lives, one looking forward to the future, the other regretting the past. 34 pages. Tale Blazers.

The Story of an Hour

Aurore

There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

“What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!”
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This is by far the best Chopin piece I have read, and perhaps has become one of my favorite short stories. She is so very good at taking a scandal and turning it into a feminist victory (no matter how short-lived), and it has never been clearer than in this story.
The immediate grief and the strange sense of freedom to follow are both expressed superbly in such few words, creating a simple yet powerful piece.
And that delivery of the unexpected punch, came just at the right moment.
Really, really well-done.

short, direct to the point, amazing prose, it all happened in a span of an one hour of Louise's life.

a true roller coaster of emotions. reading about her joy was like breathing fresh air and experiencing first time freedom firsthand and not through words. Very short story but truly moving. The end lost me little bit because i’m confused over wether the “joy” she died from was upon seeing her husband truly alive (because it happened at that exact moment) although she did sound happy some time after realizing he died  or because of the freedom and ecstasy she felt when she found out she was finally living for herself (which sounds more accurate but the fall was delayed) or because she was in shock and it was just cardiac arrest 

Nedu

Wow!

" There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination. "

madina

oh, it's such a cruel but realistic take (view spoiler)[- to know you are free. to know, after an hour, that it was a lie (hide spoiler)]. reading through i actually prefer the original title "the dream of an hour". because that's what it was for louise then - a dream. i'm so glad (at least for some of the world) our ending isn't like that.

Neveen Badr

Story by a significant feminist with a very sad ending.
This was read for my University Literary course.

Jess

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

Interesting. Nice twist at the end.

For ENGL101.

Mrs. Louise Mallard, afflicted with a heart condition, reflects on the death of her husband from the safety of her locked room. Originally published in Vogue magazine, “The Story of an Hour” was retitled as “The Dream of an Hour,” when it was published amid much controversy under its new title a year later in St. Louis Life. “The Story of an Hour” was adapted to film in The Joy That Kills by director Tina Rathbone, which was part of a PBS anthology called American Playhouse. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

The Story of an Hour

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