20100121-930 Chopin and Realism (Group 2)


Summary

After the railroad, the most influential inventions are the photograph, telegraph, phonograph, and cinematograph, all of which capture an event in real time. These new analog technologies were a catalyst for the literary movement realism, and its subdivision regionalism.  Authors became interested in capturing life as it was by using local dialect and landscape, and placing an emphasis on the mundane elements of everyday life.

 

In his "The Art of Fiction," prominent realist Henry James claims that writing a good novel employs personal experience and an acute sense of reality.  He establishes that realism literaturecan go deeper than the surface and give a psychologically accurate portrait.  In Daisy Miller: A Study, James gives a psychological portrait, while also commenting on social distinctions, such as what defines an American.  We questioned if Daisy Miller is a tragedy; most of the class said no because she does not evoke enough sympathy. 

 

Kate Chopin's "The Storm" explicitly describes adultery committed by Calixta, while her husband and son were detained by a storm. "The Storm" took around 70 years to become published; the content proved to be too much for the society of the time period. The affair between Calixta and Alcee is unique in that Alcee doesn't directly pursue Calixta, but is instead drawn to her uncontrollably by contact with her body. It is interesting that she is sexually enticing to him because she is married and not a virgin. He ironically claims that she is "free to be tasted."  In the end, the lovers are not caught and there is contentment; Calixta embraces her family as they return from the storm, while Alcee writes to his wife, telling her it is alright if she extends her vacation, which she is happy to do, for temporary freedom of sexual obligations to her husband.

Word Count: 300

 

Passages

"So the storm passed and every one was happy." -p. 534. The last line of "The Storm" contains a great deal of irony. Society tells us that adultery should not make people happy because it is breaking the rules. In addition, the happiness is created by both women, Calixta and Alcee's wife, Clarisse, being in control of their own sexuality, which is a completely different portrayal of women at that time.

 

"Her firm elastic flesh that was for the first time knowing its birthright...."- p. 533. This line explicitly embraces women's sexuality, and makes it clear that Calixta was meant to experience sexual pleasure. Chopin is describing a new kind of sexually liberated woman who reflects women who were working for liberation in many facets of life at this time, such as suffrage rights, property rights, and birth control use.

 

Key Terms

Realism: a literary movement characterized by a fascination with surfaces, everyday life, dull details, representative characters, emphasis on artistic impartiality 

Tragic Hero: a character in a story who is destined for a downfall; usually characterized as having a tragic flaw, traditionally called "hubris" that brings about the destruction. (Is Daisy Miller a tragic hero?)