OLKCBF - Kate Chopin & Her Bayou Folk Stories

Course Description

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was fascinated by Louisiana characters—proud Creoles, saucy Cajuns, eager busybodies, all full of passion and vitality. Her first published short story collection, Bayou Folk Stories (1894), introduced American readers to the Cane River country, and to Louisiana folkways and special secrets. She wrote about dialects and regional mannerisms, unique foods, aftershocks from the Civil War, and universal themes—love, death, loyalty, and revenge. We’ll read the 23 stories in Bayou Folk and see what a sly innovator she was, and how she was misunderstood in her time—especially when she wrote about such taboo subjects as domestic violence and sexual leanings.

Required Supplies: Bayou Folk Stories, by Kate Chopin

For more information about this course, contact: OLLI at LSU at 225-578-2500 or email OLLI@outreach.lsu.edu