A Matter of Prejudice and Other Stories

by Kate Chopin, Roxana Robinson

The multi-hued world of New Orleans and the bayou is the backdrop for Kate Chopin's entertaining, astute, and beautifully written short stories. With their spirited characters, exotic imagery, and remarkably progressive consciousness, these stories--written between 1880 and 1900--display the stylistic brilliance that has led many critics to hail Kate Chopin as the literary forerunner of such great American writers as Ernest Hemingway.

A no-account Creole --
A rude awakening --
Love on the Bon-Dieu --
After the winter --
Old Aunt Peggy --
The Lilies --
Loka --
At the 'Cadian ball --
In and out of old Nachitoches --
Mamouche --
Madame Celestin's divorce --
A matter of prejudice --
In Sabine --
Tante Cat'rinette --
A Dresden lady in Dixie --
Regret --
Ozeme's holiday --
Odalie misses mass --
Dead men's shoes --
A night in Acadie --
A family affair --
The storm: a sequel to "At the 'Cadian Ball" --
A little country girl --
The Gentleman from New Orleans.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics

243 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

About the author

Kate Chopin was an American author whose fiction grew out of the complex cultures and contradictions of Louisiana life, and she gradually became one of the most distinctive voices in nineteenth century literature. Raised in a household shaped by strong women of French and Irish heritage, she developed an early love for books and storytelling, and that immersion in language later shaped the quiet precision of her prose. After marrying and moving to New Orleans, then later to the small community of Cloutierville, she absorbed the rhythms, customs, and tensions of Creole and Cajun society, finding in its people the material that would feed both her sympathy and her sharp observational eye. When personal loss left her searching for direction, she began writing with the encouragement of a family friend, discovering not only a therapeutic outlet but a genuine vocation. Within a few years, her stories appeared in major magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, and The Century, where readers encountered her local-color sketches, her portrayals of women navigating desire and constraint, and her nuanced depictions of life in the American South. She published two story collections, Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie, introducing characters whose emotional lives were depicted with unusual honesty. Her short fiction often explored subjects others avoided, including interracial relationships, female autonomy, and the quiet but powerful inner conflicts of everyday people. That same unflinching quality shaped The Awakening, the novel that would later become her most celebrated work. At the time of its publication, however, its frank treatment of a married woman’s emotional and sensual awakening unsettled many critics, who judged it harshly, yet Chopin continued to write stories that revealed her commitment to portraying women as fully human, with desires and ambitions that stretched beyond the confines of convention. She admired the psychological clarity of Guy de Maupassant, but she pushed beyond his influence to craft a voice that was unmistakably her own, direct yet lyrical, and deeply attuned to the inner lives of her characters. Though some of her contemporaries viewed her themes as daring or even improper, others recognized her narrative skill, and within a decade of her passing she was already being described as a writer of remarkable talent. Her rediscovery in the twentieth century led readers to appreciate how modern her concerns truly were: the struggle for selfhood, the tension between social expectations and private longing, and the resilience of women seeking lives that felt authentically theirs. Today, her stories and novels are widely read, admired for their clarity, emotional intelligence, and the boldness with which they illuminate the complexities of human experience.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madame Carambeau has a prejudice against anything and everything. She even stopped talking to her only son Henri, because he married an American girl. It’s surprising though, how one little incident has the ability to change lives and long held prejudices too. A sweet little tale first published in the late 19th century.

[Ahmed Ejaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a story of a French woman who is prejudice about everything. To describe her fully, this quote is perfect: "Anything not French had, in her opinion, little right to existence." She even stopped talking to her only son who married to an American girl. But one day, his daughter, her granddaughter, was in her house and became sick. She took care of her and eventually her prejudice started to dwindle and ultimately she forgave her son.

It is a good story. Very much like Kate Chopin's previous works I have read. I recommend it.

☆☆3.75 Stars☆☆

19 June, 2018

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, I only read the short story, 'A Matter of Prejudice' but it is so good it deserves its own review and rating. Would that Ms. Chopin be known for this story more so than the The Awakening. This is a beautiful and uplifting story about an old heart transformed by Love and Truth to the same. It can be read online here.

it is interesting to me that The Awakening has an optimistic title but isn't and this has a rather pessimistic title and isn't.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction by Roxanna Robinson - 4 Stars
A No-Account Creole - 4 Stars
A Rude Awakening - 4 Stars
Love on the Bon-Dieu - 4.5 Stars
After the Winter - 4 Stars
Old Aunt Peggy - 3 Stars
The Lilies -3.5 Stars
Loka - 3.5 Stars
At the 'Cadian Ball - 3 Stars
In and Out of Old Nachitoches - 3 Stars
Mamouche - 3.5 Stars
Madame Celestin's Divorce - 4 Stars
A Matter of Prejudice - 4.5 Stars
In Sabine - 4.5 Stars
Tante Cat'rinette - 4.5 Stars
A Dresden Lady in Dixie - 3.5 Stars
Regret - 5 Stars
Ozeme's Holiday -4 Stars
Odalie Misses Mass - 4.5 Stars
Dead Men's Shoes -5 Stars
A Night in Acadie - 3.5 Stars
A Family Affair - 3.5 Stars
The Storm: A Sequel to "At the 'Cadian Ball" - 4 Stars
A Little Country Girl - 4 Stars
The Gentleman from New Orleans - 3.5 Stars

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

Only marking this down for "A Matter of Prejudice."

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've arranged my thoughts on this story into a haiku:

"Long lived mulish pride
Thrives in mutual silence,
But not with children."

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories. She knew that area of the USA and that particular time and culture. For modern readers, I think the two challenges are reading the vernacular and the untranslated bits of French that are in many of these short stories. The stories range from the amusing to the tragic. The romantic to the just deserts. Worth the read and shows a long forgotten time in the Southern states.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I took my sweet ass time finishing these stories. I really loved a lot of them. Really specific vernacular. Tough to read them all at once. Talented writer, most certainly.