Cole Callahan

 Daughter  Sister  Student  Wife  Mother  AUTHOR

 Kate Chopin was born as Katherine O’Flaherty on February 8, 1850 to Thomas O’Flaherty & Eliza Faris.

 Kate’s father: Thomas O’Flaherty was a businessman who emigrated from Galway, Ireland.  Kate’s mother: Eliza Faris was a well-known member of the French community in St. Louis.  Third of Five Children to Thomas and Eliza.  When her father passed away in 1855, she developed a close relationship with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

 In September 1855 Kate was sent to The Sacred Heart Academy of St. Louis.  Kate was homeschooled by her grandmother for 2 years after her fathers passing.  In 1865 Kate returned to Sacred Heart and graduated in 1868.

 One June 9, 1870 Katherine O’Flaherty married Oscar Chopin and became Kate Chopin.  The Chopin’s moved to New Orleans in order to manage Oscar’s cotton brokerage.

 1879: Cotton brokerage failed and the family moved to Natchitoches Parish to manage several small plantations and general stores.  January 1882: Kate becomes a widow.  1884: Kate sells Oscar’s general store and moves back to St. Louis.

 By the age of 29 Kate was finished having all 6 of her children.

 Kate began writing after the loss of her husband and mother.  Her literary skills were overlooked at first.  1889: Wiser Than God & A Point At Issue are published  In the early 1890’s Kate started writing for the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  Kate’s first novel is published in 1890: At Fault

 Kat struggles with publishing Young Dr. Grosse  January 4, 1893: Desiree’s Baby is published

 1894: Bayou Folk published  1894: The Story of an Hourglass

 1897: A Night in Acadie published

 Kate continues to write poems, essays and short stories for the St. Louis Periodicals.  1898 Kate writes The Storm. It does not get published until  1899: The Awakening is published  1900 Kate appears in the first edition of Who’s Who in USA after writing The Gentleman from New Orleans.

 Kate had different lifestyles throughout her life  Her writing emerged from Guy de Maupassant  Her concentration and emphasis was on womens lives and struggles.  She created identity for each character  Willingly took in bold topics  Discussed real life

 1904: Two days after attending the World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, Kate suffered a stroke and passed away on August 22,1904.

 145/ 145/  Check out this link. This is a film based off of Chopin’s short story, “The Storm” and it is naturally named “The Storm”. It is about a woman’s infidelity to her husband with her neighbor while her husband and son are waiting for a storm to pass in a local diner.

At the Kate Chopin Star in the Delmar Loop in St. Louis, Mo.

 “ I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe?”  I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to say that many readers would be surprised, perhaps shocked, at the questions which some newspaper editors will put to a defenseless woman under the guise of flattery."

 "To be an artist includes much; one must possess many gifts-- absolute gifts--which have not been acquired by one's own effort. And, moreover, to succeed, the artist much possess the courageous soul." - Kate Chopin - The Awakening - Chapter 21

 "Kate Chopin International Society." Kate Chopin. Org. Kate Chopin International Society, Web. 11 Oct  "Kate Chopin: A Woman Ahead of Her Time." Angelfire. N.p., Web. 08 Oct  "Kate Chopin ( )." Photograph. Kate Chopin. First Last. St. Louis: Find A Grave, Web. 11 Oct  “Kate Chopin.” Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 02 October 2011.