The Story of An Hour

The Story Of An Hour

"The Story of an Hour" is a short story written by Kate Chopin on April 19, 1894, and originally published in Vogue on December 6, 1894 as "The Dream of an Hour". It was first reprinted in St. Louis Life on January 5, 1895 as "The Story of an Hour."

The title of the short story refers to the time elapsed between the moments at which the protagonist, Louise Mallard, hears that her husband is dead and discovers that he is alive after all. The Story of an Hour was considered controversial during the 1890s because it deals with a female protagonist who feels liberated by the news of her husband's death. In Unveiling Kate Chopin, Emily Toth argues that Chopin "had to have her heroine die" in order to make the story publishable.

Read more about The Story Of An Hour:  Characters, Summary, Critical Responses, Women's Liberation Movement, Film Adaptation, Checkov's "On Christmas Eve"

Famous quotes containing the words story and/or hour:

    A good story is one that isn’t demanding, that proceeds from A to B, and above all doesn’t remind us of the bad times, the cardboard patches we used to wear in our shoes, the failed farms, the way people you love just up and die. It tells us instead that hard work and perseverance can overcome all obstacles; it tells lie after lie, and the happy ending is the happiest lie of all.
    Kathleen Norris (b. 1947)

    The hour when you say, “What does my justice matter? I do not see that I am embers and coals. But the just are embers and coals!”
    Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)