Meet New Books
Book Cover

The Awakening

Save:
Find on Amazon

In 'The Awakening' by Kate Chopin, the story follows Edna Pontellier, a woman who feels trapped by societal expectations and her roles as a wife and mother. As she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, Edna's awakening leads her to question her own desires and the constraints imposed by society in the 1890s. The novel explores themes of feminism, individuality, and the pursuit of personal fulfillment amidst societal pressures, culminating in a tragic ending that challenges traditional norms.

Set in the idyllic coastal community of 1890s New Orleans, 'The Awakening' delves into the inner turmoil of Edna Pontellier as she grapples with her unfulfilled yearnings and embarks on an illicit liaison that reignites her passions. Through sparse prose and poignant storytelling, Kate Chopin crafts a powerful narrative that challenges societal conventions and explores the complexities of women's roles and desires during a time of rigid social norms.

Characters:

The characters are complex, with Edna as the introspective protagonist, Leonce representing societal norms, and Robert symbolizing freedom.

Writing/Prose:

Chopin's writing is characterized by lyrical and metaphorical prose that vividly evokes the setting and emotions of the characters.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Edna Pontellier's struggle for independence and love amidst societal constraints, leading to her tragic end.

Setting:

Set in late 19th century New Orleans and Grand Isle, the setting captures the societal norms and lush coastal landscape relevant to Edna's awakening.

Pacing:

The pacing is primarily reflective and slow, allowing for deeper exploration of Edna's internal conflict, with increased intensity towards the end.
IT WAS ELEVEN O'CLOCK that night when Mr. Pontellier returned from Klein's hotel. He was in an excellent humor, in high spirits, and very talkative. His entrance awoke his wife, who was in bed and fas...

Notes:

The Awakening was published in 1899 and is set in the late 1800s in New Orleans.
The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, struggles with the societal expectations of marriage and motherhood.
The novel explores themes of female independence and self-identity.
Swimming serves as a powerful metaphor for Edna's quest for freedom.
Kate Chopin's writing was considered scandalous for its time, tackling issues of female desire and infidelity.
The book is often viewed as one of the earliest works of feminist literature.
Edna's tragic suicide at the end symbolizes the ultimate escape from societal constraints.
Chopin herself faced backlash from critics when the book was first published, leading to its initial obscurity.
The story parallels other literary works like Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, exploring similar themes of love and despair.
Characters in the book reflect the rigid social structures of the time, especially regarding women's roles.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of suicide, mental health struggles, and societal oppression, reflecting the protagonist's turbulent emotional state.

Has Romance?

The novel features a strong romantic element, as Edna's relationships with Robert and Arobin drive her awakening and illustrate her internal conflicts.

From The Publisher:

She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before.

Condemned as "sordid" and "immoral" on its publication in 1899, this story of a woman trapped in her marriage effectively ended Chopin's career but was revived as a proto-feminist classic in the 1970s. What Newsweek calls Chopin's "prophetic psychology" insures its timeliness today.

The Art of The Novella Series

Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time.

Ratings (47)

Incredible (4)
Loved It (20)
Liked It (12)
It Was OK (7)
Did Not Like (3)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (85):

Read It (52)
Want To Read (22)
Not Interested (11)

2 comment(s)

Loved It
1 week

3.7 stars rounded up. This is a feminist work written in 1899. About a woman's journey of self discovery. Questioning her ideas about marriage, motherhood, society, art and the nature of love. It was shocking when it first came out and I'm glad things have moved forward since then. It's not my favorite works of fiction, didn't get as drawing in the story as I would have liked but I loved what it represents and the way it made womens voice heard and was one of the text fighting for female equality. And important work for sure but not the most enjoyable for me personally

 
Incredible
3 months

Fantastic book about women and their limited choices

 

About the Author:

Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis in 1850, to a Creole mother and an Irish father. Educated at St Louis' Sacred Heart Academy, Chopin went on to reject her catholic faith and embraced a free thinking philosophy inspired by writers such as Darwin and Huxley. In 1870 she married French Creole Oscar Chopin, who died in 1882 of yellow fever. A widow at only 32 with six children, she eventually moved home to St Louis where she began writing fiction. She completed three novels and close to one hundred short stories which were published in prominent magazines such as Atlantic Monthly and Vogue. She died in 1904.

 
Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.