Awakenings: The Story of the Kate...
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One of the most often repeated anecdotes about the direction of literary studies over the past three decades concerns a graduate student who complained of reading Kate Chopin's Th…
Book Summary
Awakenings: The Story of the Kate Chopin Revival, edited by Bernard Koloski, gathers twelve prominent Chopin scholars who recount how they helped rescue her work from obscurity after 1969. Part memoir, part literary history, it explains how Seyersted's Complete Works, the women's movement, and determined teaching and publishing turned Chopin into a canonical American writer. A valuable behind-the-scenes account of canon formation.
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About Awakenings: The Story of the Kate...
Bernard Koloski's Awakenings collects essays by twelve scholars who participated directly in the remarkable revival of Kate Chopin's reputation. Though Chopin enjoyed national success in her lifetime as a Louisiana local-color writer, her work faded after her 1904 death until Norwegian scholar Per Seyersted published The Complete Works of Kate Chopin in 1969. These contributors describe staking their careers on the belief that Chopin belongs among America's essential writers, writing books and articles, giving interviews, teaching her fiction, and building a network of teachers, librarians, editors, and journalists. The essays stress why timing mattered: the women's movement and changing sexual norms of the 1960s created an ideal context for Chopin's reception in the 1970s and 1980s. Together they offer a candid, first-hand case study in how a literary canon is remade and how scholarly advocacy shapes what students read.
Who should read Awakenings: The Story of the Kate...?
This book suits graduate students and scholars of American literature, especially those studying Kate Chopin, canon formation, or feminist literary history. It will appeal to professors who teach The Awakening and want context for how it entered the curriculum, and to academic librarians and editors interested in reception history. Readers curious about how scholarly reputations are built, and fans of Chopin seeking insight into the people behind her revival, will also find it rewarding.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ First-hand accounts from twelve scholars who drove the Chopin revival
- ✓ Illuminates how literary canons are formed through advocacy and teaching
- ✓ Explains the pivotal role of Per Seyersted's 1969 Complete Works
- ✓ Situates the revival within the women's movement and changing sexual norms
- ✓ Useful companion for courses teaching The Awakening and Chopin's stories
Cons
- ✗ Narrowly focused on Chopin and academic reception history
- ✗ Essay collection format means uneven voices and some repetition
- ✗ Assumes familiarity with Chopin's fiction and literary-studies debates
- ✗ More memoir and historiography than close literary analysis
- ✗ Limited appeal outside university and serious-reader audiences
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Frequently asked questions
Is this a novel by Kate Chopin?
No. It is a collection of essays by scholars about how Chopin's work was rediscovered and promoted, edited by Bernard Koloski.
Do I need to have read The Awakening first?
It helps. The essays discuss Chopin's fiction and its teaching, so familiarity with The Awakening and her stories makes the book more meaningful.
What triggered Chopin's revival?
Per Seyersted's 1969 publication of The Complete Works of Kate Chopin, combined with the women's movement and changing cultural norms of the 1960s and 1970s.
Who contributed the essays?
Twelve prominent Chopin scholars who participated in the revival during the 1970s and 1980s and reflect on its impact on their careers.
Is it suitable for classroom use?
Yes, particularly in graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on American literature, Chopin, or literary reception and canon formation.
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