Women and Autonomy in Kate Chopin's Short Fiction offers close readings of some thirty stories
- Chopin's most significant short works - the majority of which have never received analytical
scrutiny. These works predominantly grim portray the difficulties women confront as they seek
autonomy in a social framework that typically constrains them whether they are married in the
midst of courtship or seeking to live independently. This groundbreaking book makes it
apparent that Chopin's short fiction is no less significant than her famous novel The
Awakening and that her stories also provide a valuable context for that work.
