Kate Chopin’s prose in the context of American transcendentalism

Abstract

The article deals with the typological parallels between Kate Chopin’s literary-artistic system and philosophical doctrine of transcendentalism. As well as the majority of the writers of that time Kate Chopin could not avoid the influence of the ideas determining the peculiarities of cultural atmosphere in America, Ralf Waldo Emerson’s ideas in particular. Emerson’s philosophical and aesthetic conception proclaimed individual freedom the highest value, pointed out the intuitive nature of creative work. American transcendentalism encouraged to depict even mundane life events, empowered the art with a special role in the discovery of the world. These provisions were especially close to Kate Chopin and were rather peculiarly embodied in her works. Thus, Kate Chopin depicted mundane events from American life in all their diversity. In her works art is a way to penetrate into the deepest core of existence. The cross-cutting theme of Kate Chopin’s writing was her heroines’ understanding of their own significance, the necessity of freedom and self-realisation and that coincides greatly with Emerson’s “self-reliance” doctrine. Nevertheless, transcendentalism ideas being a part of cultural code of the time combined in Kate Chopin’s works with her individual worldview and that reflected in special ironic implication of her prose.