Although Kate Chopin is regarded as an important writer today, her reputation has not always been so strong. Known primarily as a Southern regionalist writer, or "local colorist" during her lifetime, Chopin's stories and novels shocked many of her nineteenth-century readers.
In the 1960s, with the rise of the feminist movement, critics rediscovered Chopin. "The Story of an Hour," first published in 1894 in Vogue magazine, is one of Chopin's briefest and most widely read stories. Louise Mallard's response to the news that her husband has been killed and her demise upon his appearance, exemplifies Chopin's beliefs regarding women's roles in marriage and feminine identity. The story was initially rejected by Century magazine, and by Vogue as well, and it was published only after Chopin's collection Bayou Folk garnered critical acclaim.
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