The Awakening (Identities and Issues in Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Kate Chopin
- First Published: 1899
- Genres: Long fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Suicide, South or Southerners, Gender roles, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Obsession, Creoles, Women’s issues, Adultery, New Orleans, Ethics, Gossip
- Locales: New Orleans, LA
The Work
The Awakening, Kate Chopin’s masterpiece, is a psychologically realistic portrait of a fin de siècle woman’s search for her identity. The novel, which chronicles Louisiana society woman Edna Pontellier’s quiet rebellion against the strictures of a male-dominated society, shocked contemporary readers with its theme and its frank presentation of women’s sexuality, but its compelling presentation of the quest for self-fulfillment has earned it classic status.
On Grand Isle, a Gulf of Mexico resort where she is vacationing with her somewhat...
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