A woman who dares to defy expectations of society in pursuit of her desire. But a century after her death, it is regarded as the author's achievement. This book shows transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life, and claims for herself erotic freedom.
A woman who dares to defy expectations of society in pursuit of her desire. But a century after her death, it is regarded as the author's achievement. This book shows transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life, and claims for herself erotic freedom.
Kate Chopin's groundbreaking depiction of a woman who dares to defy the expectations of society in the pursuit of her desireWhen The Awakening was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's reputation. But a century after her death, it is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement. Through careful, subtle changes of style, Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life, and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
“"A Creole Bovary is this little novel of Miss Chopin's." --Willa Cather”
"A Creole Bovary is this little novel of Miss Chopin's."
--Willa Cather
Kate Chopin (1851-1904) did not write until she was thirty-six years old. Her first novel, At Fault (1890), had difficulty finding a publisher, so she brought it out at her own expense. From her many stories, she culled two well-reviewed collections- Bayou Folk in 1894 and A Night in Acadie in 1897. The Awakening, now her best-known work, appeared in 1899.Claire Vaye Watkins is the author of Battleborn and Gold Fame Citrus. Her stories and essays have appeared in Granta, One Story, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. A Guggenheim Fellow, one of the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" and Granta's "Best Young American Novelists," Claire is the director and co-founder of the Mojave School, a festival of art and literature in the Mojave Desert.
A daring novel of a woman's sexual and spiritual rebirth When The Awakening was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's literary and social reputation. But a century after her death, it is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement. Through careful, subtle changes of style, Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother who-with tragic consequences-refuses to be caged by married and domestic life and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom. In her introduction, Sandra M. Gilbert considers the issues explored in the novel and the stories collected here (including "Emancipation," "At the 'Cadian Ball," and "Desiree's Baby") from their growth out of the feminist literary tradition of the nineteenth century, to their place among other concerns of fin de siecle writers in America and Europe, to their impact on contemporary feminist writing.
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