La Belle Zoraïde (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Kate Chopin
- First Published: 1893
- Type of Plot: Social realism, regional, frame story
- Time of Work: Before the American Civil War
- Setting: Bayou St. John, Louisiana
- Principal Characters: Manna-Loulou, Madame Delise, Zoraïde, Mézor, Madame Delarivière
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Mothers, Love or romance, South or Southerners, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Prejudices or antipathies, Mental illness, Creoles, Plantations or plantation life, Childbirth, Louisiana, Mental health
- Locales: Louisiana
The Story
On a warm and humid summer evening on the Bayou St. John in Louisiana, Manna-Loulou, a slave of Madame Delise, recalls the refrain of a Creole love song. The song reminds Manna-Loulou of the story of Zoraïde, and she decides that instead of making up a bedtime story for her mistress this evening, she will instead tell her this true tragic tale. Manna-Loulou then recounts the story of beautiful Zoraïde to her mistress in Creole patois.
Manna-Loulou's story beings with a description of the lovely Zoraïde, who is a Creole beauty with light skin and a slim...
[The entire page is 1368 words long]
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