Kate Chopin A Pair of Silk Stockings and Other Stories

Known for her vivid portrayals of Creole life in Louisiana, Kate Chopin (1851-1904) wrote, during her brief literary career, poignant and perceptive stories about the emotional lives of women. Bypassing many of the conventions of 19th-century realism, she won praise for her realistic portraits of the inhabitants of bayou and urban areas. This collection of nine stories contains one of her most famous works, D sir e's Baby -- a haunting and ironic tale of miscegenation. Additional stories include Madame C lestin's Divorce, A Gentleman of Bayou T che and At the 'Cadian Ball, from Bayou Folk ; A Respectable Woman, A Night in Acadie and Az lie from A Night in Acadie ; The Dream of an Hour and the title story. Written with grace, delicate humor and a keen understanding of the human -- especially the female -- psyche, these stories are a superb introduction to an important American writer whose literary career was cut short by the harsh criticism directed at her novel The Awakening (1899).