Introduction

When Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899) was published, there were significantly fewer women writing fiction than there are today. Authors of the time did not generally address a woman's desires or concerns, except in the context of her duties as wife and mother. As a result, The Awakening was a bombshell in a society that embraced a rigid morality and a strict code of social behavior. Main character Edna Pontellier's disregard for social conventions and gender roles earned contempt from critics and readers alike, and the novel secured a persistent negative reputation for the author. At the same time, the novel gave voice to a new generation of women, making an important contribution to the burgeoning women's movement of the early twentieth century.

At a time when cultural norms indicated that a woman's place was in the home...