At the ’Cadian Ball

Almost all of Chopin’s novels and short stories are set in Louisiana, where the author lived with her husband prior to his death. By all accounts, including Chopin’s, the marriage was a happy one. The couple had six children, five boys and one girl. Prior to marriage, Chopin grew up in Missouri in a bilingual (French and English) household in which her family owned slaves. Chopin’s family supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. She attended St. Louis Academy of the Sacred Heart as well as the Academy of the Visitation.

Chopin spent significant time with clever and tactful women, including her mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, close female friends, and the nuns at school. She is known for drawing on her experiences with these warm and nurturing women and for depicting similar characteristics in her female heroines. Additionally, her experiences as a mother and a socialite, and the expectations that come with these roles, seep into her stories.

Chopin moved to St. Louis after the death of her husband and a brief affair with a neighboring farmer. She was well regarded by close friends who admired her quick wit, charming though often quiet demeanor, and ability to express her well-developed opinions eloquently.