I first read “The Yellow Wallpaper” in my women’s writers’ class in college, but that’s all we read of Gilman’s work and I wanted more. Her story was so powerful and thought provoking the first time I read it, I promised myself I’d come back to her to her writing some time. So I finally sat down and read this book which included other works by the author including two experts from her non-fiction collection.

The Yellow Wallpaper doesn’t lose its touch the second time around. It still has the same powerful message and showing how Gilman was ahead of her time in her aim to promote feminism and discuss issues surrounding what we now know as post-partum depression. One aspect of the story I found was how the wallpaper and its design represented the women before Gilman, who fought for feminist rights, the oppressed women before they ha voices, and how the tearing down of the wallpaper represents breaking barriers for women of today.

One of the other stories I really enjoyed was Herland. It was only a small glimpse of it, but it was enough for me to want to pick up the entire novel and check it out. Gilman has a talent for being able to promote feminist thought and theories, but still provide an entertain story for its readers. And Herland looks to be an exceptional piece of writing, with humour tied into it.

I also enjoyed the non-fictional side of the collection. Although I found that at times, I had a hard time following it, based on the fact, I haven’t been in the mood for non-fiction. I generally like reading non-fictional works, such as this and being able to discuss it with others. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought, but still enjoyed reading her thoughts on issues surrounding women in society of her time. She definitely seemed to be beyond her time (late 1800’s early 1900’s).

Review also on my blog: http://juliebooks.blogspot.com/2009/0... ( )

This is really a novella. It's only about 40 pages, probably not even that long, and only took me an hour or so to read.

It was an interesting and thought provoking book about a womanecent into madness. I thought it was very well written, quite sinister in tone and quite tragic really. I could certainly relate to some extent on how the woman thinks there is nothing wrong with her, but everybody else can see that things are not right. ( )

How come I never heard of this person? Brilliant and insightful writing. The Yellow Wall-Paper is about post-partem depression. This was written in the time of when post-partem depression ( and perhaps hypo-thyroidism) was considered womanly nerves.

first off, you must read The Yellow Wallpaper. it's only 20 pages and it's online here (http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/...), very accessible. and it's about (a probably irretrievable) descent into madness. what more could you want?

I find myself comparing it to The Bell Jar. it's much shorter and even more swift and sure than The Bell Jar. also, TBJ ends with the character at least temporarily overcoming the problem (which might or might not be levenned out by the fact that everyone knows it's an autobiographical work and that Sylvia Plath did attempt suicide again, that time succeeding) while there is probably very little chance that the character in The Yellow Wallpaper, or the multiple characters that she becomes, ever manages to put things together again.

I like The Bell Jar, but I love The Yellow Wallpaper.

also I find myself comparing TYW to Fight Club. brill, that movie. primarily because it also handles the fracturing of the main character as sublty as the character himself perceives it. so, watch Fight Club, read The Yellow Wallpaper.

The Yellow Wallpaper = 5

ok. um. the other stories in the book are meant to be didactic pieces; ideas presented in the most palatable form. the utopian novel Herland is not meant to be 100% realistic (so don't start about the virgin births). it's just an avenue to display ideas. the other writings (treatises) including Women and Economics and Our Androcentric Culture are, basically, revolutionary feminism... or what was considered revolutionary feminism in the 1890s.

it's worth paying attention to the fact she wasn't necessarily pushing political emanicpation or sexual emacipation for women but rather economical emancipation. she makes very good sense and many of the changes that have come about between now and then in this quarter have been just that---women are more free to work and live and have families outside the then-traditional home; women are no longer absolutely dependent on their fathers/brothers/husbands for money and upkeep; women are outgrowing their role as manipulative seducers of men and as ravenous consumers of ridiculous petty pretty things such as feathered hats... although this has a long long way to go still. I rather agree with her on the old male-female economic relationship, in all ways, esp as encouraging materialism. ( )

The standout here is the titular short story. The other fictional entries are good, but are tinged with a need to express a political viewpoint that seems unneccesary now. It's interesting to read the non-fiction excerpts and see Gilman move from using race-strengthening arguments to lightly brushing aside eugenics. ( )