Sexuality of women of color in Kate Chopin's writings

Essai , 2016 , 6 Pages , Note: 1,7

Didactique de l'Anglais - Littérature, Œuvres

In her writings Kate Chopin (1851 – 1904) creates a variety of woman figures: the stereotypical woman, the mother woman, the artist, or the sensual woman. Some of them seem distant, not caring very much about their relationships, others seem to be flirting all the time, and with a different man on each page, there seems to be no in between. So who are the flirty woman? When taking a closer look one can see that there are differences between social classes and ethnic background of these women. And in her two short stories “At the 'Cadian Ball” and “The Storm” and in her novel “The Awakening” Kate Chopin ascribes sexuality to women of color.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Sexuality of women of color in Kate Chopin's writings
• Who is considered a woman of color in Kate Chopin's works?
• Calixta in "At the 'Cadian Ball" and "The Storm"
• Mariequita in "The Awakening"
• Conclusion and comparison

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the portrayal of sexuality in the works of Kate Chopin, focusing on the characters of women of color. It aims to analyze how Chopin ascribes sexuality to these women and how their racial and social backgrounds contribute to their representation.

• The definition of "woman of color" in Chopin's works
• The representation of sexuality in women of color through physical descriptions and actions
• The role of social class and ethnic background in shaping the characters' expressions of sexuality
• The potential consequences of women of color embracing their sexuality in the context of societal norms and expectations

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• The paper begins by defining the term "woman of color" in the context of Chopin's writings, drawing on the Merriam Webster Dictionary and analyzing the descriptions of racial and ethnic backgrounds of the characters.
• The analysis then focuses on the character of Calixta in the short stories "At the 'Cadian Ball" and "The Storm," examining how her physical appearance, actions, and interactions with men are used to portray her sexuality.
• The paper further investigates the character of Mariequita in the novel "The Awakening," analyzing her flirtatious behavior, her interactions with Robert, and how her social class and racial background contribute to her representation.
• Finally, the paper concludes by comparing the two characters and suggesting that Chopin presents women of color as more openly embracing their sexuality compared to white women in her works.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key themes and concepts explored in this paper include sexuality, women of color, social class, ethnic background, racial stereotypes, and the representation of female characters in American literature.

• Université: University of Potsdam
• Note: 1,7
• Auteur: Anonym (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2016
• Pages: 6
• N° de catalogue: V354405
• ISBN (ebook): 9783668406865
• ISBN (Livre): 9783668406872
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: sexuality, kate, chopin