My Presentation Portfolio contains four of the strongest essays I wrote in Literary Theory and Writing. They cover two of Kate Chopin’s works: “A Story of an Hour” and The Awakening. Using new critical theory, psychoanalytic theory, gender criticism, and new historical theory, I interpret these works using a variety of different topics.
The essays included in this portfolio are:
1. Close Reading (New Critical): Writing about Form – In this essay, I take a look at the paradoxical nature of the sea as a symbol in The Awakening and make the claim that Edna’s suicide is an act of rebellion.
A Final Act of Rebellion: The Paradox of the Sea in Chopin’s The Awakening
2. Psychoanalytic: Writing about Character and Motivation – In this essay on “The Story of an Hour,” I explore the inner workings of Louise Mallard’s mind, arguing that the internal struggle that occurs between her superego and id is what ultimately leads to her death.
Battle for Dominance: A Freudian Analysis of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
3. Gender Studies: Writing about Gender and Sexuality – In this essay, I use queer theory to explain the homoerotic nature of Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz’s relationship in The Awakening. I show how Reisz represents the lesbian artist of the time period and how she encourages Edna to break free of the patriarchal society in order to become who she truly is.
4. New Historical: Writing about History and Culture – In this essay, I argue that Louise Mallard of “The Story of an Hour” is representative of the New Woman and that her desire for autonomy aligns with other feminists’ desires at the time. However, because Louise dies at the end, Chopin paints a bleak picture of feminism at the time.
“Why All This Talk About Women?”: The New Woman in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
