The Yellow Wallpaper (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- First Published: 1892
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: A summer during the 1890's
- Setting: Northeastern Atlantic Coast
- Principal Characters: Jane, John, Jennie
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Social realism, Short fiction, Women’s literature
- Subjects: Husbands, United States or Americans, Wives, Power, personal or social, Sexism, Gender roles, Psychology or psychologists, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Doctors, New England, Mental illness, Reality, Feminism, Women’s issues, Oppression, Women, Imagination, Depression, mental
- Locales: East (U.S.), New England
The Story
The story unfolds slowly over many weeks, beginning with the arrival of the narrator (whose name, Jane, is not revealed until the end of the story) at an estate in the country. Jane has gone into a gradual decline, losing interest in her family and her surroundings, since the birth of her baby. Her husband, John, and her brother believe that a long rest is what she needs to feel more like herself. Because both men are respected physicians, Jane believes that they know what is best for her and tries to put on a good face, despite her increasing suspicions that her rest...
[The entire page is 1644 words long]
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