Monsters and Rebels: Mary Shelley and Kate Chopin in Literary Conversation

SPECIAL INTEREST (Intended for ages 12+)

Classic literature may largely be made up of white, male authors, but there is more to the story. Join us for tea along with some delicious scones to hear Professors Heather Nadess and Danita White talk about two pioneering female voices: Mary Shelley and Kate Chopin. This program is sponsored by Northern Insurance Group.

Mary Shelley (1797-1851)
Mary Shelley is best known for her famous novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. Frankenstein is a Gothic novel that spoke of the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s, a period in which technology was taking over everything, and the frantic quest to go beyond average human capability and try to find what lay behind that door of creativity. Mary came from a whole family of writers, and also married into one: her husband Percy was a poet and a philosopher. Mary’s works include Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca, Matilda, The Last Man, The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, A Romance, and Lodore. She also published several short stories, children’s fiction, several articles and reviews. In addition to her works, she also edited and published her husband’s works titled Posthumous Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary passed away at the age of 53.

Kate Chopin (1850-1904)
Kate Chopin was an American author of novels and short stories. She is known as one of the feminist authors of the late 19th century to early 20th century. She is widely known for her short stories that were published in several magazines of the time. She is also known for her infamous novels: At Fault, and The Awakening, of which the latter gave her the popularity that she gained and made her work widely read today. She, just like Burney and Austen, wrote in styles that showcased women as strong individuals that struggled much to find an identity of their own as women, an issue that was prevalent in pre-20th century era. A lot can be said about Kate Chopin and her astounding works; a woman of ‘great imagination’, she was called. She passed away at the age of 54.

RESOURCE: https://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art10987.asp