Kate Chopin was a prolific American writer in the late 19th century. Chopin was very influential for some of the leading feminist authors that followed her. Chopin was one of the great short story writers and her novel The Awakening is a classic in American literature. The Awakening, published in 1899, is set in New Orleans near the turn of the 20th century. The book centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggles between her personal views on femininity and the social expectations in the South. The book is considered one of the earliest and greatest works of feminism.