Southern Culture and Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin's works were often so appealing - and continue to be - as a result of her ability to embed the ethos of certain areas of the south into the setting of her stories. This style is now referred to as "local color," and Kate Chopin is renouned for her ability to include the local color of the south in her stories.

The contextual research and presentations in this section of the website, "Southern Culture," can help in understanding certain aspects of the local color style, and in particular some of those used by Chopin. Without the ability to recognize and understand this style, one is truly shortchanging his or her experience of Chopin's works, and it is for this reason that it is so important to familiarize oneself with the southern context. This section contains helpful information concerning The White League, Creoles, and the Cheniere Hurricane. For information about the cultural context of New Orleans in relation to Kate Chopin's life and works, click here.