This document provides an overview and analysis of Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour". It summarizes the plot, which involves a woman named Louise Mallard who is told of her husband's death in a railroad accident. However, she later discovers that the news was false when her husband returns home. The document also outlines the themes of irony, female self-discovery and identity, and the role of women in marriage. It analyzes stylistic elements like tone, motifs, and the use of irony in revealing truths. Finally, it discusses the cultural context of the story and Chopin's exploration of the "Woman Question" in 19th century America.

1. Presented By: Monir Hossen
Lecturer
Department of English
CCN University of Science and
Technology,
Comilla Bangladesh

2. Kate ChopinKate Chopin
The Story ofThe Story of
an Houran Hour

3.  American author Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was born in St.
Louis in 1850.
When her father was four, he died in a train accident.
 Started writing at age 39
 Southern regionalist writer, most of her fiction is set in
Louisiana – her writing themes of class relations, relationships,
and feminine sexuality shocked her 19th
century readers.
 Died of a brain hemorrhage in St. Louis on August 22, 1904.
Catherine (Kate)

4. Family – Kate raised 6 childrenFamily – Kate raised 6 children Husband - Oscar ChopinHusband - Oscar Chopin

5.  Written in 1894, published the same year by Vogue
magazine
 The story of an hour in the life of Mrs. Louise Mallard
 Deals with the issues of female self-discovery and identity
Story of an Hour - FactsStory of an Hour - Facts

6. Mrs. Louise Mallard: Protagonist with “heart trouble”
Brently Mallard: Husband of Louise – Assumed dead after a railroad disaster.
Josephine: Sister of Louise – She tells Mrs. Mallard of her husband’s death.
Josephine embodies the feminine ideal.
Richards: Friend of Brently Mallard – first hears word of Brently’s death.
CharactersCharacters

7.  Assumed during Chopin’s lifetime 19th
century
amongst Cajun and Creole societies in Louisiana
 in the home of Louise Mallard. More about the
location is not specified.
SettingSetting

8. ThemesThemes
• Irony
• Female self-discovery
• Identity and selfhood
• Role of Women in Marriage

9. ToneTone
Ironic detachment, melancholy. The unrecognized or unspoken
unhappiness that seems to rule her life is realized only upon word
of her husband's demise, and swiftly taken away again at his
arrival.

10. MotifsMotifs
 Broke/Broken
The window
Her heart trouble

11. IronyIrony
What is understood to be true by the characters within the story – and
what is understood by the reader?
Reveals the distance between what appears to be true and what is
actually true.

12. StyleStyle
 Simple action
Detached point of view
Third person limited.

13. The Story in Context: American experience and literaryThe Story in Context: American experience and literary
genregenre
 Published in 1894 in an era with many social and cultural questions
occupied American’s minds, Chopin’s work shocked her 19th
century
readers. The story was initially rejected by Century and Vogue magazine.
The “Woman Question” involved which roles were acceptable for women to
assume in society. Women were not allowed to vote until 1920.
 Since the 1960’s rise of the feminist movement, Chopin’s work has been
rediscovered and is now acclaimed for precisely the reasons it was
denounced during her lifetime.