Katherine O’Flaherty was born in St. Louis on February 8, 1850 to an Irish immigrant father and a French Creole mother (Classicnotes 1). Her childhood was not very well documented, and little is known about her family life aside from death and births in the family. Chopin was enrolled in the Academy of the Sacred Heart at the age of 5. Shortly thereafter her father, Thomas O’Flaherty, was killed in a railroad accident. At this point, Chopin was taken out of the Sacred Heart School to study under her great-grandmother out of their home. Chopin showed an interest in writing to her great-grandmother, Victoire Verdon Charleville, who encouraged her to pursue it. After Charleville’s death in 1863, Chopin returned to the Academy of the Sacred Heart but continued writing. Her first known writing is a j

Kate Chopin wrote some of the most powerful pieces of literature of the nineteenth century. She wrote about unspeakable topics and themes such as “love and passion, marriage and independence, freedom and restraint” (Howard 3). “Almost a century after, America has fully awakened to Kate Chopin’s [works] and paid the respect due to a woman who had been so far ahead of her time” (Howard 7).

Chopin’s writing became known as unconventional. Her stories often deal with marriage and her point of view was frequently frowned upon by high ranking officials. After the death of the only living relative Chopin cared about offending, she set about to write a novel. The Awakening was Chopin’s first noted novel, and also her last. The novel deals with a young married woman who goes on vacation only to discover that she is her own person. She leaves her husband and has an affair with a younger man. Chopin finished writing The Awakening in January 1898. It was not published, however, until April 22, 1899. Two weeks after the original publication date, the first review was printed. The reviewer was harsh, and more reviews like the first followed. The novel became a nationwide conversation piece (Ewell 24).

Much of the influence for Chopin’s work comes from the writing of French short story master Guy de Maupassant. Chopin admired his ability to "see through the eyes of others." She tried to mimic his style and “although she did not immediately succeed in following his lead, her steady effort…” was always improving Chopin’s writing.

ournal she named the Commonplace Book, which she wrote in through-out her young life.

Chopin took these criticisms to heart. She stopped writing for months and was exiled by her literary acquaintances. Even a few of her friends avoided her. Chopin refused to apologize

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