The Awakening

Written by Kate Chopin

Narrated by Aria Wilson

"The Awakening" is Kate Chopin's groundbreaking novel published in 1899 that focuses on the life of Edna Pontellier, a woman who grapples with the societal conventions of the American South during the late 19th century. As Edna awakens to her own desires and seeks self-discovery and independence, she challenges the societal norms surrounding femininity, motherhood, and marriage. The narrative explores themes of identity, freedom, and the constraints of tradition. It was controversial upon its release due to its candid portrayal of a woman's sexual and emotional desires, but is now regarded as a seminal work in feminist literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Loudly
• Release date: Oct 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798368907772

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was an American writer. Born in St. Louis, Missouri to a family with French and Irish ancestry, Chopin was raised Roman Catholic. An avid reader, Chopin graduated from Sacred Heart Convent in 1968 before marrying Oscar Chopin, with whom she moved to New Orleans in 1870. The two had six children before Oscar’s death in 1882, which left the family with extensive debts and forced Kate to take over her husband’s businesses, including the management of several plantations and a general store. In the early 1890s, back in St. Louis and suffering from depression, Chopin began writing short stories, articles, and translations for local newspapers and literary magazines. Although she achieved moderate critical acclaim for her second novel, The Awakening (1899)—now considered a classic of American literature and a pioneering work of feminist fiction—fame and success eluded her in her lifetime. In the years since her death, however, Chopin has been recognized as a leading author of her generation who captured with a visionary intensity the lives of Southern women, often of diverse or indeterminate racial background.