The Awakening and Selected Stories

The Awakening is one of those books which my sense is has never quite escaped its national context—Americans, I think, are likely to read it in high school or uni but as a "classic" it's far less known in other countries. I only heard of it, and Kate Chopin's other short stories, a few years ago, and decided to read it out of curiosity about it as a piece of early feminist literature.

Having now read it, I can certainly appreciate why Chopin's work was rediscovered by second wavers, grappling as it does with questions of freedom, control, marriage, and motherhood. Both Edna—the main character in The Awakening—and several of Chopin's other female characters struggle with these questions in various ways. But while Chopin's prose is show more well-crafted, and there are some lovely moments of character observation, I found myself largely unmoved by her work. Her writing is not bad, but it didn't speak to me. I didn't particularly connect with any of the characters in The Awakening itself, and the short stories felt too much like hybrids of O. Henry/Just So Stories with uncomfortable racial undertones (or just... tones) to engage me at all. show less

The theme of this book is not so highly original, though the time of its execution was, and the sympathetic light it casts on its protagonist sets it apart from others in what we may as well call a genre. And what genre is that? It is the genre of books about women who realise they have married wrong, through no fault of their own; they have married without love; and they have come to regret that fact. Escaping from such bonds is often an insuperable task, and the reader's motivation to continue reading generally rests on the anxiety we feel as we witness the protagonist's striving for freedom and true love. The fact that Chopin was a masterful writer makes reading this book an even more rewarding experience.

One of the books I read in high school that blew me away. Kate Chopin was so ahead of her time, and I love the language, especially the passages describing the pull of the sea on the main character. This is probably in my all-time top ten books. The fact that I live in New Orleans now and a lot of the places Chopin mentions haven't changed in 100 years is also delightful.

This classic was published in 1899, but many people may not have had the opportunity to read it. Even though it’s over one hundred years old, the themes it raises are very relevant to us today and should spark a lot of discussion.

The Awakening is remembered as an early feminist work. When Chopin published it, its subject was so radical that the book was denounced and the author was shunned by both readers and publishers. It is about a young wife and mother, Edna Pontellier, who finds herself changing during a pivotal summer at the Grand Isle resort in Louisiana.

No longer content to remain in her traditional role, Edna awakens to a desire to live as she feels inside and finds it impossible to conceal her innermost passions from the show more world. But her desires conflict with the conventions of society. Women have come a long way since then, but we can still relate to how Edna feels and the obstacles she faces. show less

This is at least the second time i read The Awakening, and i'm not sure i liked it or understoodit better. the inroduction claims the book was a takeoff on many classics that i don't remember that well or have not read. I diid like some of the short stories quite a bit and felt they were veryrelevant to present times. all of her writing is excellent!

"I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me." This touching and meaningful passage from The Awakening says everything about the main character's realization that she can be more than an accessory to her husband and children. An early feminist novel, this story is both tragic and telling about the lives of women in the Victorian era.

I want to report that I finished [The Awakening] by [[Kate Chopin]].

Published in 1899, the novel roused quite a bit of shock, horror, righteous scolding, and that whole brouhaha. The story of a young married woman with children who tires of society's stifling customs, routines, and rules, who discovers her diligent, respectable, responsible, and seemingly loving husband is...well...kind of boring, and who awakens to the sensual pleasures of music, art, and, yes, physical love. It doesn't end well for her.

After its initial publication, The Awakening went out of print and was forgotten. In the 1950s (I think) it was reprinted and emerged as a respected novel.

The author, Kate Chopin, was Irish-American, born as Katherine O'Flaherty. She show more married a Creole businessman and settled with him in Louisiana (the setting of The Awakening). Mr. Chopin's cotton brokerage failed. Upon his death, his widow and six children were saddled with considerable debt. She turned to writing.

The Awakening is a low-key, exquisitely written, and only 130 pages long. Chopin tackles the issues and ideas that fuel the novels of Edith Wharton, Theodore Dreiser, Henry James, and other turn-of-the-century writers. She does very well. show less