“THE STORY OF AN

HOUR”
by Kate Chopin
REMEMBER TO READ THE STORY:

This should be your FIRST STEP, before reading through the rest of the
power point slides.

There is a link, in this week’s section of your Course Outline Syllabus, to Kate
Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” but here it is again:
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/
 Kate Chopin
(1851-1904)
--She lived only 14 years in
Louisiana (during her
marriage, before her
husband died) but the people
of that region became central
to her short stories and
novels
--She supported herself and
her 6 children by means of
her writing, when her
husband died young
--Her writing was ahead of
its time: her female
characters were strong,
sensual / sexual, and
“Kate Chopin was a forgotten American voice until her literary rebellious at a time when a
reputation was resuscitated by critics in the 1950s.” woman was expected to be an
“angel in the house.”
Wilson, Charles Reagan, and William Ferris, eds. Encyclopedia of Southern Culture,
University of North Carolina Press, 1989.
 A concept that is important to understand, in our
But what do
story, is the idea of a woman being the “Angel in the you mean by
House.” “Angel in the
House”?
This phrase refers to both:
• a poem by the 19th-century writer, Coventry Patmore
--He wrote it in 1864, to praise his wife, Emily.

• a concept to describe the 19th century’s ideal of femininity.

What Patmore “praises” his wife for is her willingness to sacrifice herself
for her family: to give up her own happiness, needs, autonomy, and independence in
order to keep the lives of her husband and children orderly, easy, and comfortable.

She is an “angel” because, in a real sense, she is super-humanly unselfish in her devotion to her
family. She does everything for them, and therefore she is “the angel in the house.”
◦ The “Victorian” time period in history refers to the period from 1820-1914 that
roughly encompasses the reign of Queen Victoria in England (1837-1901). She is What was the
pictured on this slide. Notice that our “Story of an Hour” falls within this time
period, since it was written in 1894.
Victorian notion
◦ When we speak of “Victorian” beliefs and ideals of behavior, we mean the beliefs
of “Separate
and ideals that were considered normal and acceptable during this time period. Check Spheres”?
out: https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era#ref1274694

One such belief system was “Separate Spheres.”*

◦ Definition from the link above:
“This stated that men and women were different and meant for different things. Men
were physically strong, while women were weak. For men sex was central, and for
women reproduction was central. Men were independent, while women were
dependent. Men belonged in the public sphere, while women belonged in the
private sphere. Men were meant to participate in politics and in paid work, while
women were meant to run households and raise families. Women were also “Separate Spheres” is at
thought to be naturally more religious and morally finer than men (who were the centre of the concept
distracted by sexual passions by which women supposedly were untroubled).” of idealized womanhood
https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era#ref1274694 that defines “the angel in
*Although the notion goes back to the ancient Greeks, it became common practice after the Industrial Revolution. the house.”
◦ The Better Question to ask is:
What were women NOT allowed to do in
the 19th-century?

In England and the United States, middle and

What Rights
upper-class women: did 19th-
• could not vote century
• could not buy or own property
• could not control their own Women Have?
finances
• could not respectably pursue higher
education, for fear of being
considered a “blue-stocking” or
having their ovaries dry up like
prunes (i.e., the belief that too
much education negatively affects
the ability to bear children)
• could not actively pursue a man for
fear of being considered “loose”; Short answer:
• if unmarried, could not go out
without a chaperone Not very many.
• could not respectably hold a job https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/a-19th-cen
tury-verse-on-womans-rights
outside the home
◦ For upper and middle-class women in the 19th century, life would have
consisted of making oneself attractive in order to get a husband, and then
being submissive to that husband, for the rest of the wife’s life.
So, from a young age, women would be concerned with: A 19th-century
◦ dressing well Woman’s Life
◦ having minor accomplishments (like speaking a bit of French, playing the piano,
being able to do needlepoint) This video, by Professor
◦ limiting their knowledge so that they don’t threaten men Kathryn Hughes, is an
excellent resource for you to
◦ never making important, real decisions, about anything. They are not allowed to better understand the position
do so. All decisions are made for them, by men. of middle-class women in
Victorian times:
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-a
nd-victorians/videos/gender-in
◦ All this would have been the reality for the woman in our -19th-century-britain

story, Louise. It’s important to understand this about Louise’s

It uses England as its example,
milieu, so that we can understand why she reacts the way she but the expectations for
does, in the story. women’s behavior were the
same in the United States,
where our “Story of an Hour”
is set.
ANALYZING “THE STORY OF
AN HOUR”
• SETTING
• PLOT
• CHARACTER
 SETTING
When we try to make sense of stories, one of the more important aspects to So how does the
consider is the SETTING. historical information
◦ A good definition of setting includes much more than just the standard question “Where in the previous slides
does the story take place?” relate to
“The Story of an
Hour”?
Setting—is the physical, temporal, and/or psychological and moral One way is because the
background against which the action takes place. SETTING includes the time
period in history and the
Elements that make up the setting can include: social conditions through
◦ the actual geographic location (e.g., a city, solar system, house, etc.) which the characters move, in
the story.
◦ the physical elements of a space (e.g., aspects of weather, locations of doors and
In other words, the position of
windows in a room, etc.) women in society at this time
◦ the time or period in which the action takes place (e.g., the epoch in history, the in history (the late 19th-
century) is relevant to the
season of the year, the time of day) SETTING and therefore
◦ the general environment of the characters (e.g., the mental, moral, religious, and influences our interpretation of
social conditions through which they move in the story) the story.
 PLOT
When we try to make sense of stories, one of the most obvious aspects to consider
is the PLOT.

Plot—not just the series of events in a story / film / play, but also the artful
arrangement of those events.

The classic elements of plot appear, in traditional narratives, in the following order:

Exposition (an opening portion that establishes the scene, the characters, and any
necessary background information) BUT before we
Crisis (driven by a narrative’s tension or conflict, this can be described as the
turning point of the action and often leads to the climax) look at SETTING
Climax (the point of greatest tension, during which the outcome is decided) in detail, we need
Conclusion (also called the resolution or denouement—“the untying of the knot”)
to make a quick
In many stories, however, these elements of plot are either absent or are greatly manipulated. detour into the
PLOT, in essence, is WHAT HAPPENS in a story. PLOT of the
story …
 Plotting “The Story of an Hour”
Aspect of Plot Example from the Story
◦ EXPOSITION –establishing scene, ◦ introduced to Louise Mallard, who has heart trouble
(background information)
characters, background information ◦ told that her husband has been killed in a train wreck
◦ introduced to her sister and her husband’s friend
____________________________________
______________________________________________________
◦ CRISIS--turning point of the action that ◦ Louise realizes, alone in her bedroom, that she can begin a new
leads to the climax life, now that her husband is dead
◦ This is the part of the plot that readers often do not
______________________________________ understand: why does Louise not remain heartbroken?
_____________________________________________________
◦ CLIMAX—point of greatest tension, where ◦ Brentley Mallard, the husband, walks in the door as Louise is
the outcome is decided coming down the staircase
◦ He had not been in a train accident at all
______________________________________ _____________________________________________________
◦ Louise suffers a heart attack and dies
◦ CONCLUSION—the resolution, denouement
◦ Doctors attribute the heart attack to her joy in seeing her
husband alive again
 Using Clues in
◦ In order to discover WHY Louise changes so drastically, the Story to
after pondering the news of her husband’s death, we need to Figure out
look more closely at what goes on during that time she Meaning
spends alone in her room.

◦ One of the ways to do this is to go back to aspects of

SETTING in the story.

◦ Another way to do this is to consider what is revealed about

the CHARACTER of Louise.
 Important Settings in our story
(We will return to these in a moment …)

Louise’s bedroom, with its open window The staircase

 CHARACTER
When we try to make sense of stories, one of the more interesting aspects to consider is
CHARACTER.
How is character
revealed in
fiction?
Character—is the imagined person who inhabits a story (though in some stories, a character
may be an animal, or an element like the wind or the sun).
• through a
character’s
◦ Stock characters—have only one dominant characteristic (like the Prince Charming of
fairytales, the mad scientist of horror films, the greedy explorer, the fearless detective, etc.)
own thoughts,
but the characters of good fiction tend to be multi-faceted. words, and
◦ Flat and Round Characters—British novelist, E.M. Forster, gave us this distinction to
actions.
describe characters, depending on whether an author has briefly sketched or extensively • through the
painted them. thoughts, words,
◦ A flat character has only a single function; this character does not grow or and actions of
change. A stock character would qualify as flat, but so would Charles characters
Dickens’ Tiny Tim (who invokes blessings and reminds others of their around them.
Christian duties).
◦ A round character is presented in greater depth and detail. Round characters
tend to grow and change; they learn, become enlightened, or deteriorate.
 Questions:
Distinguishing
between Flat
◦ 1) Are there any “flat” characters in the story? Who and Round
are they? Why would you consider them to be Characters
“flat”?

◦ 2) Are there any “round” characters in the story?

Who? Why? How would you
describe Louise?
We know that Louise changes profoundly, while in Nothing
her bedroom; therefore we presume that she is a operates in
isolation in a
round character, and that her change is significant. short story …
Consider Setting + Character:
--How is she feeling when she first sinks into the armchair?
--What does she gradually notice? Character and
--What seems to be suggested by the sights and sounds that come from Setting, together,
the open window? can help us to
--What does she feel coming to her, as if from the sky? answer the
--When she leaves the room to join her sister at the top of the staircase, question of
why is she described as “a goddess of victory”?
WHY Louise
--What might the top of the staircase represent?
acts the way she
does.
◦ If someone asked you to explain WHY Louise does not
appear to be heartbroken about her husband’s death, when Putting it all
she leaves her room, what would you say? together
--What evidence could you use, from the story, to back up your
argument?

Questions for
◦ If someone asked you to explain WHY Louise has a heart you to consider,
attack on the staircase, when she realizes that her husband is for our
not dead after all, what would you say? Thursday Zoom
◦ --What evidence could you use, from the story, to back up your class …
argument?
SEE YOU ON THURSDAY, 3 p.m.,

◦
… for our next class!