Kate Chopin
《一个小时的故事》——一个女人一生的故事
《一个小时的故事》——一个女人一生的故事[摘要]《一个小时的故事》是个令人心碎的故事。
本文试图在作者简短的描述中剖析主人公一步步走向绝望无助心路历程，让我们不禁为当时妇女地位的低下而扼腕叹息。
[关键词]自由希望向往绝望一、引言Kate Chopin的短篇小说《一个小时的故事》是个令人回味无穷的故事。
短短的一千多字的文字浓缩了一个女人一生的故事。
在作者简短经济的文字中，我们读到了一个女人从漫长无边、毫无自由的婚姻生活到经受不期而至的突然狂喜，最后因绝望无助而死去的悲剧性的故事。
二、无奈的过去：缺乏自由，无力抗争对于Mrs.Mallard的以前的生活，作者并没有直接描写，但我们可以从描写她心理活动的片言只语中得到一些了解。
在婚姻生活中，Mrs.Mallard毫无自己的地位，丈夫才是家庭的主人，拥有完完全全的统治支配地位，而她却是地地道道地处于从属附庸地位。
这种没有人格，缺乏自由的家庭地位引起了Mrs.Mallard 对生活的强烈不满，以至于她在得知丈夫的死讯时不仅没有悲伤反而感到前所未有的解脱。
在没有解读她的心理感受之前，读者会有很大的困惑：丈夫死了，应该悲伤才对，怎么会高兴呢?难道是她的丈夫粗暴野蛮，虐待她了吗?但是我们却分明注意到小说中描述她的丈夫的双手时所用的词语是“kind，tenderhands”(Kate Chopin，1894)。
显然丈夫对她是温柔的，丈夫那双温柔的双手不会握成暴力的铁拳。
那么究竟是什么使她对丈夫如此地怨恨，以致丈夫的死会让她感到感到万分庆幸呢?待读到下面，我们才明白就里，原来Mrs.Mallard怨恨的不是丈夫的身体或言语的粗暴，而是丈夫的意识——唯我独尊、不可违抗的强大的意志力。
作者运用了强烈的言辞来表达Mrs.Mallard对丈夫的统治地位的不满：“blind persistence”，“im-pose”，“crime”(Kate Chopin，1894)。
丈夫的强势简直就是一种罪行让她痛苦不堪。
Kate Chopin
A Writer of Amrican Realism and Naturalism——Kate ChopinKate Chopin who was born on February 8, 1850 was an American author of short stories and novels, mostly of a Louisiana Creole background. She is now considered to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century.By the early 1890s,Chopin was writing short stories, articles, and translations which appeared in periodicals.She became known only as a regional local color writer, but her literary qualities were overlooked. In 1899, her second novel, The Awakening, was published, and the book was criticized because of its moral, as well as its literary standards. Deeply discouraged by the criticism, Chopin turned to short story writing and in 1900 she was listed in the first edition of Marquis Who's Who. However she never made much money from her writing. At the age of 54, Chopin suffered a brain hemorrhage and died on August 22,1904.Chopin’s first novel, At Fault, was published in 1890, followed by two collections of her short stories, Bayou Folk in 1894 and A Night in Acadia in 1897. Chopin also wrote two novels:At Fault in 1890 and The Awakening which was published in 1899, and by then she was well known as both a local colorist and a woman writer, and had published over one hundred stories, essays, and sketches in literary magazines.Chopin's seemingly different writing style did in fact emerge from an admiration of Guy de Maupassant. Chopin went beyond Maupassant's technique and style and gave her writing a flavor of its own. Chopin took strong interest in her surroundings and put many of her observations to words. She had an ability to perceive life and put it down on paper creatively.Chopin is considered to be a writer of Amrican realism and naturalism.。
Kate Chopin The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事 中文+英文+词汇学习注释
The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事They knew that Louise Mallard had a weak heart. So they broke the bad news gently. Her husband, Brently, was dead.“There was a train accident, Louise,” s aid her sister Josephine, quietly. Her husband’s friend, Richards, brought the news, but Josephine told the story. She spoke in broken sentences.“Richards…was at the newspaper office. News of the accident came. Louise…Louise, Brently’s name was on the list. Brently…was killed, Louise.”他们知道路易丝·马拉德的心脏不太好，所以把坏消息告诉她时非常小心。
她的丈夫布伦特里死了。
“出了一次火车事故，路易丝。
”姐姐约瑟芬轻声说道。
带来消息的是她丈夫的朋友理查兹，但告诉她的是约瑟芬。
约瑟芬在讲述时语不成句。
“理查兹当时正在报社，消息传了过来。
路易丝……路易丝，死者的名单上有布伦特里的名字。
布伦特里……遇难了，路易丝。
”Louise did not hear the story calmly, like some women would. She could not close her mind or her heart to the news. Like a sudden storm, her tears broke out. She cried, at once, loudly in her sister’s arms. Then, just as suddenly, the tears stopped. She went to her room alone. She would not let anyone follow her. In front of the window stood a large, comfortable armchair. Into this her sank and looked out of the window. She was physically exhausted after her tears. Her body felt cold; her mind and heart were empty. Outside her window she could see the trees. The air amelled like spring rain. She could hear someone singing far away. Birds sang near the house. Blue sky showed between the clouds. She rested.路易丝听到这个噩耗，没有像有些妇女所可能表现的那样平静。
《一小时的故事》的三重反讽意涵
《一小时的故事》的三重反讽意涵摘要：在凯特·肖邦的小说里，到处布满了女权主义的痕迹，布满了女性对自由的呼声。
在短篇小说《一小时的故事》里，作者正是运用反讽手法，在貌似正常的心理分析之中，表达了美国女性对婚姻和个性独立的态度。
关键词：《一小时的故事》三重反讽凯特·肖邦中图分类号：i106.4 文献标识码：a美国女作家凯特·肖邦（kate chopin，1851-1904）是19世纪末活跃于美国文坛的著名小说家、诗人和评论家。
肖邦于1870年嫁给了一位棉花商奥斯卡·肖邦，两人搬到一个大农场和讲法语的阿卡迪亚人住在一起。
在这里，肖邦的朋友鼓励她写作，四十岁的肖邦便写出了第一本小说《故障》（at fault ，1890），她的短篇小说也开始出现在《世纪》（century）和《哈泼杂志》（harper’s magazine），随后的长篇小说《觉醒》（the awakening，1899）被称为美国女性小说的扛鼎之作。
生活在19世纪的肖邦一直试图用直白的语言去描写女性的性爱，她的大量描写性与爱的小说使美国上流社会的读者感到过于刻薄而被刺痛，她的书也曾被从书架上取下，她本人也被圣路易斯文艺社取消了会员资格。
而《一小时的故事》恰恰又是这种“过于刻薄”的容易刺痛人的作品，它是肖邦短篇小说的代表作。
该小说被评论家认为是挑战女性传统道德的小说，其内容是描述一位家庭主妇突然闻听丈夫去世的消息后，在一小时内突发的思绪变化。
在作家尽情地展现出女性内心深处的渴望、披露出她对婚姻的真实感受之后，最后又以极其戏剧化的方式收场。
《一小时的故事》是肖邦在翻译并学习莫泊桑的小说过程中，采取了莫泊桑小说的套路表现19世纪的美国女性的一个实例，肖邦坚持认为：“这是生活，不是小说。
”然而，半个多世纪后，女权主义评论家却认为其作品中存在女性对于自由和独立的渴望，也有女性自身的真实性情的披露与张扬，是19世纪女性渴望自由的社会现象的合理表现。
Kate Chopin
In 1870, at the age of twenty, she married Oscar Chopin, who is the son of a wealthy cottongrowing family in Louisiana. After their marriage, she had five boys and two girls. Oscar died of swamp fever(疟疾) in 1882. She was well-known as both a local colorist and a woman writer, and had published over one hundred stories, essays, and sketched in literary magazines. As a writer, Kate Chopin wrote very rapidly and without much revision. She usually worked in her home surrounded by her children.
Literary Achievements
Occupation--Novelist, short story writer Genres(流派)--realistic fiction Kate Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered as a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. From 1892 to 1895, she wrote short stories for both children and adults which were published in such magazines as Atlantic Monthly,The Century Magazine, and The Youth's Companion.
Kate Chopin
在19世纪后期，美国作家凯特·肖邦（Kate Chopin）在1894年的短篇小说《一个小时的故事》（The Story of an Hour）中，采用了这个幻想丈夫死去的主题。
在这部小说里，一个年轻女人得知她的丈夫在一次铁路事故中死了。
她哭泣着回到了房间里。
慢慢地，她开始意识到自己灵魂的变化：“她低声说；…自由，自由，自由！‟……她知道在度过了漫长的痛苦时刻之后，她将完全属于她自己了。
”后来，没有任何警告，她根本就没有乘坐那列火车的丈夫，开门进来了。
当她看到他的时候，她的心脏停止了跳动。
她身边的每一个人都认为她是因为高兴才会这样。
她真是因为丈夫回来高兴而死吗?这是一篇宣扬女权主义的小说.大男子主义导致了两性的不平等，女权主义的倡导也要避免极端的倾向（如小说中超越男性的幻想）。
我们乃至西方社会的女权主义的终极目标是众生平等（真正意义上的平等）。
不是任何一方的超越与凌驾。
In The late 19th century, American writer Kate Chopin (Kate Chopin) in 1894, The short Story The one Hour of Story (The Story of an hour-by-hour), adopted The fantasy theme of her husband died. In this novel, a young woman learned that her husband died in a railway accident. She wept returned to the room. Slowly, she began to realize their soul changes: "she whispered," free, free, free! '... she know in spent a long time after the pain, she will complete her own." Then, without warning, she did not take the train's husband, open the door came in. When she saw him, her heart stops beating. Around her everyone thinks she was happy will like this. She really because husband came back happy to death? This article is a feminist novels. Male chauvinist led to sexual inequality, feminism advocates also should avoid to extreme tendency (such as novel transcendence of male fantasy). We even western social feminism and the ultimate goal of equality for all (real sense of equality). Not any party surpassed and superior.<PIXTEL_MMI_EBOOK_2005>6</PIXTEL_MMI_EBOOK_2005>。
凯特肖邦
翌年，母亲去世，肖邦因此 患上了精神崩溃，家庭医生建 议她以写作平缓心情。她接受 建议，开始了她短暂的创作生 涯。
她在四十岁的时候出版了第 一本小说《过失》（1890）。
At forty, she published her first novel At Fault (1890).
1899年第二部长篇小说 《觉醒》出版，同时遭到文 学和道德角度的批评。此书 是凯特最知名的作品.
ENIM
ENIM
凯特年仅五岁时,父亲便死 于火车事故。此后，话、诗歌、宗教托寓以 及古典、当代小说。
At the age of 13, Kate's great grandmother and brother George died. George was the soldier of Confederate States of America, died from malaria as a prisoner of war. So Kate dropped out of school, more engrossed in the world of book. 凯特 13 岁时，曾祖母和哥
In 1899, her second novels was published The Awakening which was criticised by people at the point of view of literature and moral at the same time. The book is Kate's best-known work.
凯特深受批评的打击，转往短篇小 说创作。1900年写成《新奥尔良绅士》. 然而，她从未自写作获得多少收益。
”
Death
凯特肖邦
Next year, her mother died so that Chopin had a nervous breakdown, the family doctor suggested that she relax herself by writing. She accept proposal, and started her short writing career.
“
Kate suffered severe criticism, so she began to write short stories. New Orleans gentleman was finished in 1900, however, she seldomly got much money from writing.
两年后，凯特复学，开始纪录备忘札记。最后18岁自圣心学院 毕业,尚未有显著的成就——但是说故事的技能提升不少。
When Kate was twenty, she married with Oscar Chopin(a cotton merchant), and lived in New Orleans. Nine years later, Oscar failed at his business. Then the whole family moved to Charleville, and run planting and grocery stores. They gradually became active in the community, so
Kate Chopin
The Awakening (1899)
The Awakening, originally titled A Solitary Soul, is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. Set in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf coast at the end of the 19th century, the plot centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle to reconcile her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. It is one of the earliest American novels that focuses on women's issues without condescension. It is also widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism, generating a mixed reaction from contemporary readers and critics.
Kate Chopin
• Her father, Thomas O'Flaherty, was a who had emigrated from Galway, Ireland.
• Her mother, Eliza Faris, was a well-connected member of the French community in St. Louis.
Kate Chopin The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事 中文+英文+词汇学习注释
The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事They knew that Louise Mallard had a weak heart. So they broke the bad news gently. Her husband, Brently, was dead.“There was a train accident, Louise,” s aid her sister Josephine, quietly. Her husband’s friend, Richards, brought the news, but Josephine told the story. She spoke in broken sentences.“Richards…was at the newspaper office. News of the accident came. Louise…Louise, Brently’s name was on the list. Brently…was killed, Louise.”他们知道路易丝·马拉德的心脏不太好，所以把坏消息告诉她时非常小心。
她的丈夫布伦特里死了。
“出了一次火车事故，路易丝。
”姐姐约瑟芬轻声说道。
带来消息的是她丈夫的朋友理查兹，但告诉她的是约瑟芬。
约瑟芬在讲述时语不成句。
“理查兹当时正在报社，消息传了过来。
路易丝……路易丝，死者的名单上有布伦特里的名字。
布伦特里……遇难了，路易丝。
”Louise did not hear the story calmly, like some women would. She could not close her mind or her heart to the news. Like a sudden storm, her tears broke out. She cried, at once, loudly in her sister’s arms. Then, just as suddenly, the tears stopped. She went to her room alone. She would not let anyone follow her. In front of the window stood a large, comfortable armchair. Into this her sank and looked out of the window. She was physically exhausted after her tears. Her body felt cold; her mind and heart were empty. Outside her window she could see the trees. The air amelled like spring rain. She could hear someone singing far away. Birds sang near the house. Blue sky showed between the clouds. She rested.路易丝听到这个噩耗，没有像有些妇女所可能表现的那样平静。
朱永涛《英语国家社会与文化入门》配套题库【课后习题】（美国文学）
朱永涛《英语国家社会与⽂化⼊门》配套题库【课后习题】（美国⽂学）第7章美国⽂学Ⅰ. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):1. American literature is mainly about the seeking of the American people for success and happiness. _____【答案】T【解析】美国⽂学主要是关于美国⼈民追寻成功和幸福。
2. Rip Van Winkle was a character created by James Fenimore Cooper. _____【答案】F【解析】《瑞普·凡·温克》是⼩说家及历史家华盛顿·欧⽂（Washington Irving）的名篇。
故事主要讲述主⼈公瑞普·凡·温克喝醉之后在梦中的奇遇，然后顿悟过了⼀⽣。
3. The Leather-Stocking Tales consist of five novels depicting the American West. _____【答案】T【解析】《⽪袜⼦故事集》是美国作家詹姆斯·费尼莫尔·库柏（James Fenimore Cooper）的系列⼩说，共包含《杀⿅者》（The Deerslayer）、《最后的莫希⼲⼈》（The Last of the Mohicans）、《探路⼈》（The Pathfinder）、《拓荒者》（The Pioneer）和《⼤草原》（The Prairie）等五部⼩说。
4. Before Mark Twain, all major American writers were born on the East Coast. _____ 【答案】T【解析】马克·吐温（Mark Twain），美国作家、演说家，⽣于美国密苏⾥州佛罗⾥达。
新编英语小说鉴赏课件TheStoryofanHour
Analysis of the story in terms of character
• Her attitude towards the death of her husband: complicated.
• 1) grief of loosing her husband
• “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment…”
• Her important short stories include “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm.”
The Story of An Hour: Summary
• Mrs. Mallard has a heart problem. When her sister and her husband’s friend inform her of her husband’s death, they choose to be very careful.
• 1) her mental activity.
• 2) her reaction.
• The “showing” part gives more information than the “telling” part.
2. What is the feeling of Mrs. Mallard towards her husband? Look for details that tell us about their relationship. • She has love for her husband, that’s
• Time: spring • Mrs. Mallard’s newfound freedom. • Place: home. • Prison.
Desiree’sBaby”–KateChopin
“Desiree’s Baby” – Kate ChopinIntroduction……Désirée's Baby,‟‟ written in 1893, is the short story for which Chopin is most well known. When the story collection in which it was reprinted, Bayou Folk, was first published, reviewers particularly appreciated Chopin's remarkable evocation of Cajun Louisiana. Today, however, readers and critics find ''Désirée's Baby'' to be much more than an examination of a distinct cultural place. Though brief, the story raises important issues that still plagued Chopin's South, particularly the pervasive and destructive yet ambiguous nature of racism. The story also questions the potential fulfillment of woman's identity—a subject that fascinated the unconventional Chopin. In her portrayal of Désirée, a woman whose self-worth and self-exploration is intrinsically linked to that of her husband, Chopin opened the door to her lifelong query into a woman's struggle for a place where she could fully belong.Vocabulary ListBeneficent: Characterized by or performing acts of kindness or charity. Producing benefit; beneficial.Corbeille: A sculptured basket of flowers or fruits used as an architectural ornament. Also a wastebasket, or satchel. (translated from French websites)Parish: An administrative subdivision in Louisiana that corresponds to a county in other U.S. states.Imperious: Arrogantly domineering or overbearing. Urgent; pressing.Quadroon: An offspring of a Mulatto and a White parent; a person who is one-quarter Black.Sombre: dull; dusky; somewhat dark; gloomy; as, a somber forest; a somber house; Also somber.Pyre: A heap of combustibles for burning a corpse as a funeral rite. A pile of combustibles.Layette: A set of clothing and bedding for a newborn child.Espousal: A Betrothal. A wedding ceremony.Cowl: The hood or hooded robe worn especially by a monk. A draped neckline on a woman's garment. A hood-shaped covering used to increase the draft of a chimney. The top portion of the front part of an automobile body, supporting the windshield and dashboard.Pall: A cover for a coffin, bier, or tomb, often made of black, purple, or white velvet. A coffin, especially one being carried to a grave or tomb. A covering that darkens or obscures: a pall of smoke over the city. A gloomy effect or atmosphere: "A pall of depressed indifference hung over Petrograd during February and March 1916" (W. Bruce Lincoln).Bayou: A body of water, such as a creek or small river, that is a tributary of a larger body of water. A sluggish stream that meanders through lowlands, marshes, or plantation grounds.Questions for Study and Discussion1.What is the meaning of the phrase "He was reminded that she was nameless." in thecontext in which it appears?2.The answers to the following questions can be found in the text:a) Where had Madame Valmonde found Desiree for the first time when she was a baby?b) Why had Armand's mother never left France?c) What was Madame Valmonds's reply to Desiree's letter?d) During which month were they picking cotton at L'Abri?e) What did Armand have put on the bonfire?3.In your own words:a) Describe Desiree.b) Describe how Desiree and Armand met and fell in love.4.Describe and explain the changes in Armand Aubigny's behaviour as the story unfolds.5.Why do you think there was an "air of mystery among the blacks" and frequent visitors toL'Abri about three months after Desiree's baby was born?6.Why would it matter that Desiree's background was unknown?7.Why did Madame Valmonde look at the child in the best light available? Why did shefocus her look at Zandrine?8.Explain why Chopin uses the word "her" in this line:"He absented himself from home; and when there, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse."9.How did Desiree feel about slavery? About the way Armand treated the slaves? Whatmakes you think this?10."One of La Blanche's little quadroon boys--half naked too--stood fanning the child slowlywith a fan of peacock feathers." From this, what do you deduce that La Blanche is? 11."A quick conception of all this accusation meant for her..." What do you think it meant?Why was it important?12.Why didn't Desiree go back to Valmonde? Why does she accept her fate withoutfighting? What does that tell you about her role as a woman, and her place in society? 13.What would be the consequences to Armand and the plantation if it were found that hehad African ancestry?14.Why was it assumed that Desiree was the reason her child was not white?15.Why do you think "La Blanche" had that name?16.Why do you think Armand did not consider Desiree's origins before marrying her?17.Before the last few lines of this story, are there any clues given by the author which hintat the true cause of the baby's appearance?18.Continue the story, describing what became of Armand, Desiree and their baby.Do you think Armand burnt the last letter together with the rest?19.Why did Desiree ask her husband if he wanted her to go and then act on his decision? Doyou think this merely reflected her character, or society at the time of the story?20.Discuss Desiree's, Armand's or Madame Valmonde's knowledge of the situation throughthe story and how it affects their actions or lack of action. You may like to consider the following:- When Armand reads the letter at the end, is this new knowledge? How can you explain his changing attitudes towards Desiree and the slaves?- What does Madame Valmonde realise about the child's origins? Why would she not take action early on?- Is it likely that Desiree had realised that her child was of mixed race before seeing the quadroon boy fanning the baby?21.Discuss the relationship between Armand's mother and father.22.How would you write a contemporary version of “Desiree's Baby” in a different part ofthe world?23.Would Armand's treatment of his wife be condoned by society today? Give reasons foryour answer.。
the kiss by kate chopin译文
the kiss by kate chopin译文原文：She went on and on, telling him all sorts of things, remembering this and that; she talked as if a fever had seized her. Her voice was strained and tense. She held herself rigid in his embrace, as if fearing to unloose her arms lest this spell should be broken.It was he who released her. He drew away from her lips that had grown wet and slippery, and from her clinging hands.Panting and trembling she sat upright and adjusted her hair."Better let me go," she said in an unsteady voice.He did not answer except to continue his caresses. He seemed to have no fear of being discovered there, in the broad daylight, with his arms about her. His caresses grew still bolder, more insistent, more riotous.Her resistance gradually weakened; she did not want to resisthim any longer, but wanted him to take her in his arms again. There was no one to see them; no one was near them. The town lay behind them dreary and silent.Translation:她一直在说，告诉他各种各样的事情，回忆这个那个；她说话的声音像是发了烧一样。
文艺评论《舞会之后》范文
文艺评论《舞会之后》范文英文回答：Analysis of "After the Dance" by Kate Chopin.Kate Chopin's "After the Dance" explores the societal constraints and emotional complexities of women's lives in the late 19th century. The story revolves around Mrs. Pontellier, a married woman who experiences a moment of liberation and desire during a dance with a stranger. However, her awakening is quickly stifled by the oppressive expectations of her society.Chopin skillfully uses symbolism to convey the protagonist's inner turmoil. The dance, where Mrs. Pontellier feels a sense of independence and connection, becomes a metaphor for her desire for freedom. The sea, which is both beautiful and dangerous, represents theallure and potential peril of her newfound emotions.Mrs. Pontellier's husband, symbolized by the cigar he smokes, embodies the patriarchal society that seeks to control and stifle her. His casual smoking exemplifies the indifference with which he treats his wife's feelings. The diamonds, which Mrs. Pontellier is wearing at the dance, represent the superficiality and materialism of her marriage.Chopin also explores the theme of maternal love through the character of Mrs. Pontellier's children. While she loves them deeply, she recognizes the limitations and sacrifices that her role as a mother entails. This tension between her desire for personal fulfillment and her responsibilities as a wife and mother reflects the complexities of women's experiences in the Victorian era.中文回答：凯特·肖邦《舞会之后》评论。
英语一小时故事的写作背景
《一小时故事》的写作背景
美国南方女作家凯特·肖邦（Kate Chopin）在世界文坛颇具影响，品析她的作品，总会感受到这位作家对人性状态、人性抗争的关注。
在故事中的思想内核是对美好人性的呼唤，进而让读者注意到，在人的生存状态中有着太多的打磨人性的因素，真善美的人性必将和假恶丑的人性奋力抗争，这种抗争并非品质优良而总是处于生存抗争的优势地位。
相反，这种抗争在整个过程中会很乏力、很煎熬、很痛苦，但最终的结局是抗争力量的成长壮大，是美好人性的渐渐苏醒。
这就是人类作为物种的自身发展趋势，也是被人类所操纵和驾驭的社会文明的发展趋势。
凯特·肖邦在她所创作的短篇小说The Story of an Hour中分明揭示出女性的生存状态，这种生存状态是以女性自我意识的隐蔽、自我需要的压抑和自我角色的牺牲为代价的，也是男权社会制度和传统的男尊女卑的愚昧观念所造成的。
但是，女性并不甘心被压抑的生存状态，她们的潜意识中蛰伏着争取自由、平等、幸福的强烈渴求。
1。
(英文文献)Kate Chopin_The Story of an Hour
The Story of an HourBy Kate Chopin1Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.2It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed”. He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.3She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.4There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.5She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.6There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.7She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.8She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, butrather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.9There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.10Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will -- as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been.11When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. 12She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial.13She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.14There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.15And yet she had loved him -- sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!16“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.17Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admission. “Louise, open the door! I beg, open the door -- you will makeyourself ill. What are you doing Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door.”18“Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.19Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.20She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.21Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.22But Richards was too late.23When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease -- of joy that kills.(1023 words)About the author:Kate Chopin (February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels, mostly of a Louisiana Creole background. Kate Chopin went beyond Maupassant's technique and style and gave her writing a flavor of its own. She had an ability to perceive life and put it down on paper creatively. She put much concentration and emphasis on women's lives and their continual struggles to create an identity of their own within the boundaries of the patriarchy. Through her stories, Kate Chopin wrote her own autobiography and documented her surroundings; she lived in a time when her surroundings included the abolitionist movements and the emergence of feminism. Her ideas and descriptions were not true word for word, yet there was an element of nonfiction lingering throughout each story.Note:In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard allows herself time to reflect upon learning of her husband's death. Instead of dreading the lonely years ahead of her, she stumbles upon another realization all together. "She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome"。
凯特肖邦一小时的故事简介
凯特肖邦一小时的故事简介
《一小时的故事》是美国女性主义作家凯特·肖邦于1894年发表的短篇小说。
故事背景设定在19世纪末的美国南方，以路易斯安那州为背景，讲述了一位名叫玛格丽特·奥尔森的已婚女性在一小时内经历的心灵历程。
故事开始时，玛格丽特·奥尔森收到了一封信，得知她曾深爱过的恋人亨利·雷蒙德去世。
这个消息让她陷入深深的回忆，回忆起过去的点点滴滴。
随后，她与丈夫奥斯瓦尔德一起参加雷蒙德的葬礼。
在葬礼上，她感受到了亨利对她旧情的眷恋，以及自己内心的挣扎。
故事的高潮在于玛格丽特在葬礼后回到家，与丈夫奥斯瓦尔德发生激烈的争吵。
她指责丈夫对她的不理解，发泄了自己多年来的压抑与痛苦。
最终，她决定放弃现有的生活，去追求曾经失去的爱情。
然而，在临死前的一小时，她终于与自己和解，接受了自己的命运。
小说以“丈夫身亡”为线索，通过玛格丽特·奥尔森一个小时中历经的多次心情突转，带领读者走进她的婚姻生活和内心世界。
在围绕“丈夫死亡”的故事发展情节中，玛格丽特·奥尔森的本性被隐藏在一层层面具之下，我们看到了她的表演，却很难发现它背后的故事。
然而，随着情节的深入，她的本性也随之浮出水面，让小说的内涵更为深刻。
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Kate Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels. After her father's death in 1855, Chopin developed a close relationship with her mother, grandmother, and her great-grandmother. She married Oscar Chopin in 1870, a cotton merchant. After her husband died in 1882, Chopin and her six children back in St. Louis. When she was 40 years old , her first book At Fault was published, Most of her fiction is set in Louisiana and most of her best-known work focuses on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women. In 1899, her second novel, The Awakening, was published, and the book was criticized because the book's tone is sympathetic to the adultery, and In St. Louis, the novel was removed from library shelves. Chopin, deeply discouraged by the criticism, turned to short story writing. In 1900 she wrote The Gentleman from New Orleans, and that same year she was listed in the first edition of Marquis Who's Who. However she never made much money from her writing, and depended on her investments in Louisiana and St. Louis to sustain her.
T he Awakening opens in the late 1800s in Grand Isle, a summer holiday resort popular with the wealthy inhabitants of nearby New Orleans, Edna Pontellier is vacationing with her husband, Léonce, and their two sons at the cottages of Madame Lebrun, Léonce is kind and loving but preoccupied with his work. Consequently, Edna spends most of her time with her friend Adèle Ratignolle, Through her relationship with Adèle, Edna learns a great deal about freedom of expression .Edna’s relationship with Adèle begins Edna’s process of “awakening” and
self-discovery,then she comes to know Robert Lebrun, who is known among the Grand Isle vacationers as a man who chooses one woman each year, This summer, he devotes himself to Edna, and the two spend their days together lounging and talking by the shore. At first, the relationship between Robert and Edna is innocent, but then They start to fall deeply in love, but Robert, sensing the doomed nature of any relationship that would develop between them, flees to Mexico under the guise of pursuing a nameless business venture.
Back in New Orleans, Edna actively pursues her painting and ignores all of her social responsibilities. Worried about the changing attitude and increasing disobedience of his wife, Léonce seeks the guidance of the family physician, Doctor Mandelet who advises Léonce to let her be. Léonce heeds the doctor’s advice, allowing Edna to remain home alone while he is away on business. . With her
husband gone and her children away as well, Edna wholly rejects her former lifestyle. She moves into a home of her own and declares herself independent. Her love for Robert still intense, Edna pursues an affair with the town seducer, Alcée Arobin, who is able to satisfy her sexual needs.
Eventually Robert returns to New Orleans. he eventually confesses his passionate love for her. But despite his love for Edna, Robert feels unable to enter into the adulterous affair.
Edna is called away to help Adèle with a difficult childbirth. under the weight of
Adèle’s admonition, Edna begins to pe rceive herself as having acted selfishly. Edna returns to her house to find Robert gone, Haunted by thoughts of her children and realizing that she would have eventually found even Robert unable to fulfill her desires and dreams, Edna feels an overwhelming sense of solitude. She goes immediately back to Grand Isle, where she first met Robert Lebrun. and, in a final escape, gives herself to the sea.
In my opinion, the more Edna isolates herself from others, the more she discovers who she truly is. The novel posits the view that we possess "true selves" distinct from the true selves of other people.In my opinion,convenances are the social forces from which Edna must escape in order to discover who she really is.。