The Awakening - Kate Chopin - 1899
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, any woman who resisted that role was subject to discrimination and ridicule. Popular nineteenth-century fiction emphasized a woman's duty, joy, and fulfillment in the domestic realm, but as the twentieth century approached, fiction began exploring the social changes on the horizon. The Awakening is the story of Edna Pontellier's journey from a sleepy, discontented life to one fully under her own control.
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