“What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!”
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”
My Writing Process:
- I initially struggled with a topic for this paper. Dr. Pennington suggested that we use a text we’ve already written an essay on so that we already had background information. Eventually, I decided that I would write an essay on the deaths of Louise Mallard and Edna Pontellier in “The Story of an Hour” and The Awakening, respectively.
- The proposal I wrote was… weak if I’m being honest. My working thesis wasn’t awful, but after doing a ton of research, I knew that I would have a hard time connecting the two stories effectively. Dr. Pennington commented that my proposal was too general and needed to focus on a specific social issue of the time. My peer review group also had some really great and helpful suggestions on how to expand on my ideas.
- Before I started on any more research, I made the decision to focus only on “The Story of an Hour” and first-wave feminism. Then, it was time to research. Four hours spent in the library on a Saturday, and I didn’t feel any closer to knowing what I was doing. After rifling through source after source, I focused closer in on the New Woman, rather than the general idea of first-wave feminism.
- I put together a revised outline before starting on my first draft and realized that I completely over-researched and had way too many sources and source quotes. It was a struggle trying to figure out which quotes were the best and most effective, but I eventually finished a draft and handed it in, feeling less than confident.
- Dr. Pennington said that my draft was strong but tended to report more than analyze and that my actual analysis of the short story was pretty general. He suggested that I pick a specific thing that drove the New Woman movement forward and analyze the story based on that.
- In my first revision, I completely revamped my analysis of “The Story of an Hour,” making it about women’s fight for autonomy in marriage. I also tried to be more specific when referring to different works, adding publication dates and context where necessary.
- This time, Dr. Pennington commented that my essay was ready for my portfolio but could be more specific in my opening paragraphs about the history of the New Woman and early feminism. I decided to put this essay through one more revision, introducing feminists like Sarah Grand and Margaret Fuller and their works, rather than just quoting from them.
- After adding these details, my New Historical essay was really ready for portfolio consideration, and I could finally be done with it. Yay!
