Chopin/"Hour" - ENC 1102 - Bielecki (Ybor City) - LibGuides at Hillsborough Community College

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

This page contains links to "The Story of an Hour," a short story by Kate Chopin, as well as slide shows presenting a close reading of the story and an introduction to critical approaches (literary theory).

Below those are resources to find peer-reviewed critical articles ("outside" or "secondary" sources) about the story.

The "Search HCC Libraries" portal below will bring up a wide variety of materials. Type the "name of the work in quotation marks" followed by the word and plus the author's last name. Example: "The Story of an Hour" and Chopin
At right are links to specific literary databases. See "SEARCH" for additional databases and tips on wording your search.
Further down are links to a list of print books in the library and an online ebook, all of which contain material about the story.
Log-in instructions are on the "Home" tab.

Text of the story from KateChopin.org
from the Kate Chopin International Society (also linked in chapter 27 of our online textbook, which provides help with citing this source)
An audio recording of the story
from Librivox (also linked in chapter 27 of our online textbook, which provides help with citing this source)

Actively Reading Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" Slide Show
This slide show presents a line-by-line active reading of the story using four potential essay prompts.
Literary Theory: Critical Approaches to Literature Slide Show
This slide show covers seven ways to approach literary works in an attempt to analyze and understand them and applies six of those seven approaches to Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour."

Search HCC Libraries

"The Story of an Hour": Reference Books and eBooks

Some of these are ebooks; others are located in the Reference room on the south side of the Ybor City Campus library for in-library use only. Log-in instructions are on the "Home" tab.

Critical Survey of Short Fiction (printed and ebook series) by Charles E. May (Editor)
Call Number: REF PN3321 .C7 2012 (printed); SLCSSF (ebook)
ISBN: 1587657899
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
What's in this book series?
Profiles of major short-story writers throughout history and the world. Essays include "Analysis" of the writer's style and themes, with subsections on one or more works of short fiction. Authors are arranged in in sub-sets for "American"..."British, Irish and Commonwealth"..."European"...and "World." A volume of "Topical Essays" is also included.
Masterplots II, Short Story Series
Call Number: REF PN3326 .M27 2004
What's in this print book?
Arranged alphabetically by story title. Each story essay includes The Story, a plot synopsis. Themes and Meanings gives a critical discussion of the most important issues that the story raises, and Style and Technique analyzes stylistic devices used in the story, such as plot devices, imagery and characterization. See Vol. 8 for Geographical and Type of Plot indexes.
Short Stories for Students (ebook series) by Kathlene Wilson (Project Editor)
Publication Date: 1997-2019
How to use this ebook series
After you log in, type the title of your work in the search box on the right, directly below the word, Tools. Looks like this. Be sure you type the title correctly! If the title is one word, add the author's last name. If your short story is covered in this reference, an article about it will likely appear at the top of your search results.
Twentieth-Century Literature Criticism (printed and ebook series) by Janet Witalec (Editor)
Call Number: PN 771.5 .T9
ISBN: 078765941X
Publication Date: 2002-12-05
What’s in this book series?
Excerpts from criticism on the major literary figures including novelists, poets and playwrights, of 1900 to 1999. Every fourth volume is a Topics volume covering major literary movements and trends. For Example: - Death in Literature - Volume 78 - Racism in Literature - Volume 138 - Sex in Literature - Volume 82 - Women in Literature - Volume 94. To find criticism by title, use the paperback Title Index...OR...use the online Gale Literary Index to find the volume and page numbers that discuss the literary work you're researching.

Research and Library Help

Start by Searching Online Article Databases for TITLE and AUTHOR

These recommended library databases will lead you to critical and overview articles about the story and author information. Click a database below and log in (or see the PDF below for more-detailed instructions).

Ms. Bielecki's Step-by-Step Handout on Finding Trustworthy, Usable Sources for LITERARY Subjects (ENC 1102 classes)
Use this handout for step-by-step instructions on finding trustworthy expert sources for your academic essays on literature.

MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED LITERATURE RESOURCES:

Literature (Gale) Literary criticism, reviews, primary sources and literary works, and more. Funding source: Statewide allocation. Here is a tutorial.
Literary Reference Center Plus (EBSCO) A database of reference entries, journal articles, and other information on literary works and authors. Funding source: Statewide allocation. Here is a tutorial.
Gale Literature Criticism Provides full-text literature criticism from Drama, Short Story, Poetry, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, and Contemporary Literary Criticism. Funding source: HCC perpetual license

ADDITIONAL GOOD OPTIONS FOR LITERATURE RESOURCES:

Bloom's Literature (Infobase Publishing) Examines great writers, important works, memorable characters, and influential movements and events in world literature. Funded by FLVC group license.

Literature (Salem Press) A literature subset of the Salem Online ebook platform

Salem Online (Salem Press) Online reference materials across a wide spectrum of subjects. Funding source: HCC Here is a tutorial.
Gale Ebooks Searchable database of more than 85 reference sources including encyclopedias, almanacs, series and - eBooks - in many subject areas, including literature, health, science, art, history, business, social science, and multicultural studies. Funding source: HCC and Statewide
JSTOR Back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Funding source: Statewide allocation. Here is a tutorial.
Infobase eBooks (Infobase Publishing) Reference and nonfiction eBooks that cover a wide variety of core subject areas, such as history, science, literature, careers, geography, health, careers and more. Funding source: HCC. Here is a tutorial.
Academic Video Online (Alexander Street Press) Academic videos on wide range of subjects—sciences, arts and humanities, business, social sciences, and more. Funded by FLVC group license. Here is a tutorial.

Videos on Using Literary Theory (Context) in an Essay

Video #1
Video #2

A literary theory is a tool or an approach readers use. Reading actively (critically) is how they apply that tool. Here, "context" refers to what they learn or understand as a result.

ENC 1102 - Bielecki (Ybor City): Chopin/"Hour"