THE AWAKENING - A Solitary Soul (Feminist Classics Series): One Women's Story from the Turn-Of-The-Century American South

By Kate Chopin

This carefully crafted ebook: "THE AWAKENING - A Solitary Soul (Feminist Classics Series)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.
The Awakening, originally titled A Solitary Soul, is the story of Edna Pontellier and her struggle between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. The novel is set in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf coast at the end of the 19th century, and it is one of the earliest American novels that focuses on women's issues without condescension. It is also widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism, generating a mixed reaction from contemporary readers and critics.
Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of the feminist authors of the 20th century of Southern or Catholic background, such as Zelda Fitzgerald. Her major works include two short story collections, Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie, and novel The Awakening. Within a decade of her death, Chopin was widely recognized as one of the leading writers of her time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: e-artnow
• Release date: Jul 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9788026865681

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty (1850-1904), was an American writer of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. Chopin is best known for her novel The Awakening, and for her short story collections, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897). Of French and Irish descent, her work depicted the various ethnic groups of Louisiana, especially of Creoles, with sensitivity and wit, and featured vivid descriptions of the natural environment there. After her husband died in 1882 and left her $42,000 in debt, Chopin took up writing to support her family of six children. Though popular, her serious literary qualities were overlooked in her day, and she is now seen as an important early American feminist writer.

Book preview

I

Table of Contents

A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over:

Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That’s all right!

He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence.

Mr. Pontellier, unable to read his newspaper with any degree of comfort, arose with an expression and an exclamation of disgust.

He walked down the gallery and across the narrow bridges which connected the Lebrun cottages one with the other. He had been seated before the door of the main house. The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of Madame Lebrun, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished. Mr. Pontellier had the privilege of quitting their society when they ceased to be entertaining.

He stopped before the door of his own cottage, which was the fourth one from the main building and next to the last. Seating himself in a wicker rocker which was there, he once more applied himself to the task of reading the newspaper. The day was Sunday; the paper was a day old. The Sunday papers had not yet reached Grand Isle. He was already acquainted with the market reports, and he glanced restlessly over the editorials and bits of news which he had not had time to read before quitting New Orleans the day before.

Mr. Pontellier wore eye-glasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed.

Once in a while he withdrew his glance from the newspaper and looked about him. There was more noise than ever over at the house. The main building was called the house, to distinguish it from the cottages. The chattering and whistling birds were still at it. Two young girls, the Farival twins, were playing a duet from Zampa upon the piano. Madame Lebrun was bustling in and out, giving orders in a high key to a yard-boy whenever she got inside the house, and directions in an equally high voice to a dining-room servant whenever she got outside. She was a fresh, pretty woman, clad always in white with elbow sleeves. Her starched skirts crinkled as she came and went. Farther down, before one of the cottages, a lady in black was walking demurely up and down, telling her beads. A good many persons of the pension had gone over to the Cheniere Caminada in Beaudelet’s lugger to hear mass. Some young people were out under the wateroaks playing croquet. Mr. Pontellier’s two children were there sturdy little fellows of four and five. A quadroon nurse followed them about with a faraway, meditative air.

Mr. Pontellier finally lit a cigar and began to smoke, letting the paper drag idly from his hand. He fixed his gaze upon a white sunshade that was advancing at snail’s pace from the beach. He could see it plainly between the gaunt trunks of the water-oaks and across the stretch of yellow camomile. The gulf looked far away, melting hazily into the blue of the horizon. The sunshade continued to approach slowly. Beneath its pink-lined shelter were his wife, Mrs. Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun. When they reached the cottage, the two seated themselves with some appearance of fatigue upon the upper step of the porch, facing each other, each leaning against a supporting post.

What folly! to bathe at such an hour in such heat! exclaimed Mr. Pontellier. He himself had taken a plunge at daylight. That was why the morning seemed long to him.

You are burnt beyond recognition, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage. She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists. Looking at them reminded her of her rings, which she had given to her husband before leaving for the beach. She silently reached out to him, and he, understanding, took the rings from his vest pocket and dropped them into her open palm. She slipped them upon her fingers; then clasping her knees, she looked across at Robert and began to laugh. The rings sparkled upon her fingers. He sent back an answering smile.

What is it? asked Pontellier, looking lazily and amused from one to the other. It was some utter nonsense; some adventure out there in the water, and they both tried to relate it at once. It did not seem half so amusing when told. They realized this, and so did Mr. Pontellier. He yawned and stretched himself. Then he got up, saying he had half a mind to go over to Klein’s hotel and play a game of billiards.

Come go along, Lebrun, he proposed to Robert. But Robert admitted quite frankly that he preferred to stay where he was and talk to Mrs. Pontellier.

Well, send him about his business when he bores you, Edna, instructed her husband as he prepared to leave.

Here, take the umbrella, she exclaimed, holding it out to him. He accepted the sunshade, and lifting it over his head descended the steps and walked away.

Coming back to dinner? his wife called after him. He halted a moment and shrugged his shoulders. He felt in his vest pocket; there was a ten-dollar bill there. He did not know; perhaps he would return for the early dinner and perhaps he would not. It all depended upon the company which he found over at Klein’s and the size of the game. He did not say this, but she understood it, and laughed, nodding good-by to him.

Both children wanted to follow their father when they saw him starting out. He kissed them and promised to bring them back bonbons and peanuts.

II

Table of Contents

Mrs. Pontellier’s eyes were quick and bright; they were a yellowish brown, about the color of her hair. She had a way of turning them swiftly upon an object and holding them there as if lost in some inward maze of contemplation or thought.

Her eyebrows were a shade darker than her hair. They were thick and almost horizontal, emphasizing the depth of her eyes. She was rather handsome than beautiful. Her face was captivating by reason of a certain frankness of expression and a contradictory subtle play of features. Her manner was engaging.

Robert rolled a cigarette. He smoked cigarettes because he could not afford cigars, he said. He had a cigar in his pocket which Mr. Pontellier had presented him with, and he was saving it for his after-dinner smoke.

This seemed quite proper and natural on his part. In coloring he was not unlike his companion. A clean-shaved face made the resemblance more pronounced than it would otherwise have been. There rested no shadow of care upon his open countenance. His eyes gathered in and reflected the light and languor of the summer day.

Mrs. Pontellier reached over for a palm-leaf fan that lay on the porch and began to fan herself, while Robert sent between his lips light puffs from his cigarette. They chatted incessantly: about the things around them; their amusing adventure out in the water-it had again assumed its entertaining aspect; about the wind, the trees, the people who had gone to the Cheniere; about the children playing croquet under the oaks, and the Farival twins, who were now performing the overture to The Poet and the Peasant.

Robert talked a good deal about himself. He was very young, and did not know any better. Mrs. Pontellier talked a little about herself for the same reason. Each was interested in what the other said. Robert spoke of his intention to go to Mexico in the autumn, where fortune awaited him. He was always intending to go to Mexico, but some way never got there. Meanwhile he held on to his modest position in a mercantile house in New Orleans, where an equal familiarity with English, French and Spanish gave him no small value as a clerk and correspondent.

He was spending his summer vacation, as he always did, with his mother at Grand Isle. In former times, before Robert could remember, the house had been a summer luxury of the Lebruns. Now, flanked by its dozen or more cottages, which were always filled with exclusive visitors from the Quartier Francais, it enabled Madame Lebrun to maintain the easy and comfortable existence which appeared to be her birthright.

Mrs. Pontellier talked about her father’s Mississippi plantation and her girlhood home in the old Kentucky bluegrass country. She was an American woman, with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution. She read a letter from her sister, who was away in the East, and who had engaged herself to be married. Robert was interested, and wanted to know what manner of girls the sisters were, what the father was like, and how long the mother had been dead.

When Mrs. Pontellier folded the letter it was time for her to dress for the early dinner.

I see Leonce isn’t coming back, she said, with a glance in the direction whence her husband had disappeared. Robert supposed he was not, as there were a good many New Orleans club men over at Klein’s .

When Mrs. Pontellier left him to enter her room, the young man descended the steps and strolled over toward the croquet players, where, during the half-hour before dinner, he amused himself with the little Pontellier children, who were very fond of him.

III

Table of Contents

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 fast asleep when he came in. He talked to her while he undressed, telling her anecdotes and bits of news and gossip that he had gathered during the day. From his trousers pockets he took a fistful of crumpled bank notes and a good deal of silver coin, which he piled on the bureau indiscriminately with keys, knife, handkerchief, and whatever else happened to be in his pockets. She was overcome with sleep, and answered him with little half utterances.

He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation.

Mr. Pontellier had forgotten the bonbons and peanuts for the boys. Notwithstanding he loved them very much, and went into the adjoining room where they slept to take a look at them and make sure that they were resting comfortably. The result of his investigation was far from satisfactory. He turned and shifted the youngsters about in bed. One of them began to kick and talk about a basket full of crabs.

Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after. Then he lit a cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it.

Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing had ailed him all day. Mr. Pontellier was too well acquainted with fever symptoms to be mistaken. He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room.

He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his brokerage business. He could not be in two places at once; making a living for his family on the street, and staying at home to see that no harm befell them. He talked in a monotonous, insistent way.

Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room. She soon came back and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her head down on the pillow. She said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. When his cigar was smoked out he went to bed, and in half a minute he was fast asleep.

Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her peignoir. Blowing out the candle, which her husband had left burning, she slipped her bare feet into a pair of satin mules at the foot of the bed and went out on the porch, where she sat down in the wicker chair and began to rock gently to and fro.

It was then past midnight. The cottages were all dark. A single faint light gleamed out from the hallway of the house. There was no sound abroad except the hooting of an old owl in the top of a water-oak, and the everlasting voice of the sea, that was not uplifted at that soft hour. It broke like a mournful lullaby upon the night.

The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier’s eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them. She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm. Turning, she thrust her face, steaming and wet, into the bend of her arm, and she went on crying there, not caring any longer to dry her face, her eyes, her arms. She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as the foregoing were not uncommon in her married life. They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance of her husband’s kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be tacit and self-understood.

An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul’s summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood. She did not sit there inwardly upbraiding her husband, lamenting at Fate, which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken. She was just having a good cry all to herself. The mosquitoes made merry over her, biting her firm, round arms and nipping at her bare insteps.

The little stinging, buzzing imps succeeded in dispelling a mood which might have held her there in the darkness half a night longer.

The following morning Mr. Pontellier was up in good time to take the rockaway which was to convey him to the steamer at the wharf. He was returning to

Reviews for THE AWAKENING - A Solitary Soul (Feminist Classics Series)

[marinakoulouri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most amazing experiences it was reading is this masterpiece of women's literature about a woman struggling to find her own place in a world of men, where not only her public view but also essentially her needs are exclusively dictated by her social roles, in this case as a wife and mother. It is not that it was a marvellous read, with such beautiful writing, it was the shock of thinking how little has actually changed since the 19th century status of a woman. Because even today women have to struggle with their roles as mothers, wives and workers. And if they so happen as to also have intellectual or artistic concerns, like painting in the case of Chopin's protagonist, Edna, then it is a constant battle with time and decision making, what to leave behind. Edna only understands that she can rely on no one else but herself in the end, and it is devastating to discover that not even her so called liberators would allow her the freedom they allegedly lead her to find. Although I am not in favour of suicide as a road to emancipation, I like to believe that Edna's drowning is not out of despair but an ultimate act of free will, a declaration of self-determination, a statement that she is eventually mistress of herself and, if she chooses, it is her prerogative to take away from her "rulers" the very object of their rule. The Awakening is really among the books I would like to have been able to read again for the first time, but it is also a book that you can read again and again, each time discovering something new to contemplate on.

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Regarded as highly scandalous when it was published in 1898, this story of a young wife who is bored with her lie as a proper wife and mother in late 19th Century New Orleans and seeks out her own independent life, seems fairly run of the mill in the 21st Century. It is, however, well written and held my interest from beginning to end.

[corinneblackmer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 The Awakening is a Darwinian fable and, indeed, the finest example of the naturalist "school" in American literature. Edna Pontellier undergoes a multi-staged awakening that is ironic and only partially liberatory. She awakens to the fact that she neither loves nor desires her husband, Leonce Pontellier, and refuses to count among his possessions. She awakens to her love for Robert, who flees to Mexico to escape his love for Edna. She awakens to her need for independence and solitude, and obtains her own apartment, where she has been occupied in transforming herself into an artist. But is Edna an artist? Not in the sense of the pianist, Mademoiselle Reisz, whose brilliant artistry gives Edna the only safe outlet for her intense need for strong, overwhelming emotion throughout the entire book. Her art fails, though, because Edna has come to her realizations about her needs for solitude, independence, and intense emotion only after she has been married to Leonce, a man she does not love, and has two sons by him, for whom she cannot sacrifice her life to love. Near the end of the novel, Doctor Mandelet, who has seen after Adele during her terror inspiring (and tortured) delivery, turns to Edna and tells her that the problem is that Nature fills youth with illusions. These illusions are, Dr. Mandelet notes, following Darwin's theories about disguise in nature, are a decoy of Nature designed to "secure mothers for the race." As he says, "Nature takes no account of moral consequences, of arbitrary conditions which we create, and which we feel obliged to maintain at any cost."

[rolandallnach · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will start this interview by saying that this is not the edition of 'The Awakening' I got my hands on back in my college days. Nevertheless, this is an incredible book. On a personal note, I was struggling with nineteenth century literature, when my professor remarked to me that this book was different. And so it has been for me- this is one of my enduring favorites, a mesmerizing character study depicting a woman's quest that was considered scandalous in its day, but remains relevant to today's audience. But this book is more than that, it should not be dismissed as a 'woman's' book, as the emotional turmoil described in this book is something that perhaps transcends gender, as all of us experience certain frustrations and inhibitions in our lives. This is most apparent in the book's conclusion, which is equal parts tragedy and triumph. Beautifully written, with an emotional impact that will not be lost, this is a classic to add to one's personal library.

[porch_reader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The theme for my book club this month was Choose Your Own Classic. I had lots of possibilities in mind, but didn't get one started until just a few days before the meeting. So, I found a list of classic novellas and chose [The Awakening] from that list. (I think that I'll read more from that list this year. I always intend to read more classics, but time gets away from me, so novellas seem like a good compromise.)One of the joys of reading a classic is being taken back to another time. Chopin does an amazing job of transporting her readers to the late 19th century. The novel chronicles Edna Pontellier's awakening during a vacation at a summer resort and later back in New Orleans. While her husband is focused on business and pays little attention to Edna, Edna develops a friendship with Robert Lebrun and begins to want more from life than she has found in her roles as wife and mother. Through telling Edna's story, Chopin not only provides a rich picture of life in the late 19th century, but also raises important questions about the discontent that comes with changing expectations. I didn't find the story itself that engaging, but I did appreciate Chopin's ability to use a year in Edna's life to illustrate the challenges faced by women at this point in history.

[tpoi_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Early feminist work. Important but depressing.

[agnesmack · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's hard to believe that The Awakening and Other Selected Stories was written in the 1880s. Not only is the story still incredibly relevant, but Ms. Chopin's writing has a bite to it that I haven't seen in the majority of her male contemporaries – let alone the women.The Awakening is a ~100 page novella which takes up about half of this collection. It's the story of a woman slowly realizing that she doesn't particularly care for being defined as a wife and mother. She'd rather have her own time, her own adventures and create her own heartbreaks. Which is exactly what she does.Chopin's stories are well known for being very controversial at the time they were published (and in fact many of them were not published until the '60s - not because they wouldn't have sold but because they were simply too racy) and it's not hard to see why. She writes about women who enjoy sex, women who cheat on their husbands and women who are generally bull-headed and willful.I enjoyed this collection not just because it was one of the first feminist texts, but because the writing was solid. I've read plenty of literature from the turn of the century and certainly it typically sounds like it. Aside from some interesting swear words, the writing in this collection was fresh enough that it could have been written much more recently.

[varwenea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Far, far ahead of its time, this absolutely incredible book addresses a woman’s trapped feelings in an era where, once married, she has little say in her choices, and her primary job is to do as told by her husband. For bringing to light the unspeakable possibility that a woman may not designed to be a wife, a mother, and the desire for true love, Kate Chopin was ostracized since the book’s publication in 1899, dying 5 short years later in 1904. Now, in my modern set of eyes, this work is easily a feminist trailblazer with Edna Pontellier seeking personal freedom. The novel begins with what seems to be an idyllic life of summer beach house, servants, and gifts. But clues of frustrations are sprinkled liberally in the pages including troubles with her husband. She breaks daily traditions, then settles into her own household, and establishes her own income. When she finds reciprocated love, it’s still a disillusion: “…you never consider for a moment what I think, or how I feel your neglect and indifference.” I honestly can’t tell if her love was a coward or being kind with: “Good-by, because I love you.” – Wtf. You decide. It may have been in a different era with different expectations to match, it’s still very relatable for anyone who are stuck in a situation and don’t know how to break free. The thoughts and emotions of Edna saddened me; her darkness penetrated me. Just because one is in a seemingly good life, it doesn’t mean one is happy. Edna describes “periods of despondency and suffering” – depression. In her own way, Chopin minced no words in her expressions, and it was abominable for 1899. (It was pulled from bookshelves!) Not everyone will agree with the ending, but for me, it’s understandable and hinted early on.Favorite Character: Mademoiselle Reisz – Described as “disagreeable”, she is likely blunt, which is a perfectly good trait. She is independent and has observant eyes for Edna’s evolving needs.Least Favorite Character: Robert Lebrun – Aforementioned coward… I hope he regrets what he did to her.Some Quotes:On the passionless husband:“… the Creole husband is never jealous; with him the gangrene passion is one which has become dwarfed by disuse.”On depression:“An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish.” On settling in marriage – this is cripplingly familiar:“She was a grown young woman when she was overtaken by what she supposed to be the climax of her fate. It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses. The persistence of the infatuation lent it an air of genuineness. The hopelessness of it colored it with the lofty tones of a great passion…Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. …. He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken… The acme of bliss, which would have been a marriage with the tragedian, was not for her in this world. As the devoted wife of a man who worshipped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams.”On one-self and identity:“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.”And“…he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.”On awakening:“A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her – the light which, showing the way, forbids it.At that early period it served but to bewilder her. It moved her to dreams, to thoughtfulness, to the shadowy anguish which had overcome her the midnight when she had abandoned herself to tears. In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being…On the confusion of love:“Does he write to you? Never a line. Does he send you a message? Never a word. It is because he loves you, poor fool, and is trying to forget you, since you are not free to listen to him or to belong to him.”On infatuation:“As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession, ever pressing itself upon her. It was not that she dwelt upon details of their acquaintance, or recalled in any special or peculiar way his personality; it was his being, his existence, which dominated her thought, fading sometimes as if it would melt into the mist of the forgotten, reviving again with an intensity which filled her with an incomprehensible longing.”On strength:“The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.”On not-being-owned:“You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier’s possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, ‘Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours,’ I should laugh at you both.”I call this the blue pill, red pill:“…perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.”

[hhaddad1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is about the journey of a woman and how she struggles with trying to decide what is best versus what she is supposed to do or think according to society. This book brings attention to women's issues back in the day. The book is not really my style, therefore i really did not enjoy it.

[wassilissa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dieses Buch war zur Erscheinungszeit 1899 ein richtiger Skandal: Eine Frau verlässt ihren Mann, scheinbar grundlos. Sie möchte selbstbestimmt leben. Doch die Erwartungen an die große Liebe erfüllen sich nicht und die Freiheit scheint nicht lebbar.Das ist ein gutes Thema und das Buch hat einige starke Szenen. Z.B. fand ich alle Interaktionen mit Herrn Pontellier sehr gelungen- es ist einfach zu befremdlich, wie egozentrisch und wenig empathisch dieser Mann sich in aller Unschuld gebärdet.Aber dennoch sprang bei mir kein Funke über. Ich bin mit diesem Buch zweimal eingeschlafen! Mir war es zu langweilig und trotz des geringen Umfangs musste ich mich regelrecht aufraffen es zu lesen. Vielleicht war es die falsche Zeit.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! I especially love the ambiguous ending that I enjoy arguing about.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list surprises me with a great book that I had never heard of. Such was the case with this book.Published in 1899, The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontillier, a young married woman with two sons. It opens in a resort in Grand Isle on the Gulf of Mexico where Mrs Pontillier and the boys are staying for the summer with Mr. Leonce Pontillier coming down from New Orleans on weekends. The owner's son, Robert Lebrun, falls in love with Edna and the feeling is reciprocated although there is no physical intimacy. Towards the end of the summer Robert leaves Grand Isle to seek his fortune in Mexico and Edna feels very depressed. Back in New Orleans Mrs. Pontillier stops involving herself in polite society and feels happier and free. Her husband goes to New York on a business trip and the boys are sent to their grandmother in Iberville so Edna is free to do as she likes. What she really wants to do is live with Robert but society would find that scandalous. Edna Pontillier is a prisoner of her times and, like Anna Karenina, she is made to suffer.As can be imagined this book was vilified by many reviewers when it came out. But I imagine a number of women probably read it and felt it spoke to them. The writing style is so evocative of the Deep South that I felt transported there. We spent a few days on Grand Isle last year and although I am sure it is far different from the 1890s when this story was set I too felt the langourous pleasure of that locale. It is a perfect setting for this story.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Edna Pontellier “awakens” during another summer spent with her husband and children on Grande Isle, LA. The sultry nights, the hypnotic lapping of the waves on the beach, the intoxicating scents and the attentions of one person in particular all combine to bring strength to Edna’s inner self. Slowly, she comes to feel that she has stifled the person inside her for her husband, her family and society. She is unable to fully explain what is happening to her, but she knows that she can no longer be untrue to herself.

I really enjoyed this novella. I could not help but think about Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth; I see so many parallels between Lily Bart and Edna. The time frame is similar (late 1890s), as is the inner turmoil of our heroine as she tries to make decisions about her life. While Edna is older than Lily, and has already achieved a measure of success in society (i.e. she has married well, has two charming children and a lovely home), she, like Lily, longs for something that will result in her removal from the society she knows.

The novella unfolds slowly, with limited dialogue, but a vivid sense of place. There is languorousness about the writing that mimics the languor felt on a hot and humid summer day on Grand Isle. Two scenes provide a perfect contrast and illustrate Edna’s awakening spirit. In one she sits with her husband on the veranda all night with scarcely a word between them and a palpable distance. In the other she spends an afternoon napping, while her friend Robert sits outside under a tree waiting; and despite the physical distance and lack of personal contact portrayed there is a palpable intimacy between them.

Without expressing her feelings exactly, the novel gave me insight into how Edna must have felt – excited by this new phase of her life, afraid to reveal how much it means to her, unsure she’s chosen wisely, full of regret, and finally accepting.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Required reading in too many English classes, normally I would hate such a text, but this actually is pretty good, and has always been very relevant. It stands the test of time like few do. Not my favorite period or writer, but among the best of each. Recommended.

[lydia1879 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

... oh my goodness me the reviews.

Some of them are so unkind, so cruel and so scathing. And for everyone criticising Chopin's writing and saying how they would write this book -- Go! Go write a book with feminist themes that you'd like to see in a book.

Edna, as a female protagonist, stands for so much more than a selfish woman who has had an affair. She is brave enough, and bold enough to completely abandon society and realise that she is so much more than a mother and a wife. She realises, during the course of the book, that she has a self that neither her husband or her children would ever see.

This book is full of metaphors and beautifully written. I loved how Chopin created atmosphere and texture and colour, and how she drew on her environment to enhance her writing. It was written in 1899, and was so ground-breaking for its time.

I don't like books about cheating, or with cheating tropes. I think it's lazy, and I don't find it interesting.

But I loved this book. This is an important book.

But more than anything, I love Edna. She is a beautiful, flawed women, and I saw part of myself in her. Furthermore, all these negative comments and reviews make me realise that this is why we need feminism. This is why I need feminism.

And I will love and defend Edna and her choices till the end of my days. Chopin, I tip my hat to you. I will give this book to my friends, and to anyone who asks.

(I feel like this review is a little bit harsh - we're all entitled to our different opinions but it makes me a bit sad that people are so unfair to a female protagonist.)

[ysmng_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good read. A woman trapped in a role as mother and wife and is not content. Taking into consideration that it was first published in 1899, this novel speaks volumes on women and self identity.

[joye_22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book. Can't believe they just tried to ban this in a NW suburb!

[herschelian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Awakening has been called the American Madame Bovary, and Chopin certainly writes as beautifully as Flaubert. It paints a picture of the position of a married woman in Louisiana society at the end of the 19th Century, and how Edna Pontellier, mother of two little boys, a respectable, wealthy young protestant woman married to a Creole business man and living in New Orleans, falls in love with another man. This rush of feeling awakens in her her sense of self, her desire to be an independent individual, not anchored or defined by marriage and motherhood. Because this desire is impossible for her to achieve in her society the book ends with her swimming out to sea, and presumably drowning.This vas Kate Chopin's 2nd novel, and when published it caused a terrific stir and damning reviews for its scandalous depiction of female marital infidelity. The book became forgotten, and was only re-discovered in the 1970s, when it was realised that here was a superb piece of American literature. Chopin anticipates the themes of Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" by at least 30 years, and her insight into the psychology of a woman involved in an illicit relationship is both perceptive and honestly expressed. When reading it it seemed a very "modern" novel, and only details of the places and speech reminded me about the time it was written. The forward to this edition carries a warning sentence for politically correct readers "Sensitive readers should be forewarned that the text in places contains racial references characteristic of the era, which may be deemed offensive by modern standards."

[dquazzo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

story of repressed womanhood. written 100 years ago yet very contemporary. new orleans and the islands. mrs. pontellier -- edna - an artist. a less repressed age of innocence. her lover - robert.

[threeara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i read this for school and really liked it. the metaphors are a little overboard but presented with nice images, the romance addictive (the love interest is my favorite character!), and the ending, well, i doubt you'd see it coming. It's very much about women's rights, and it's pretty old. People tend to either love or hate it-i loved it...

[ireed110 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be a frustrating story. There were no characters that I really liked. The women were snobby and self-absorbed, the men distant and self-absorbed. I never really felt any empathy for Edna until close to the end of the story, and then, the story was over. Very unsatisfying.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book because I'd heard it was an early example of feminist literature. In that aspect, I was not disappointed. Writing in the late 1800s, Kate Chopin describes a young woman's dissatisfaction with her roles as wife and mother and wanting something different from what society expected her to want.As a novel, I thought the book was beautifully written. Edna Pontellier, the main character, was portrayed with great depth and in many ways, I identified with her sense of longing and questioning the cultural "givens" of her times. Her husband, Leonce, wasn't as richly portrayed, but I had some sympathy for him as well. After all, he too was trying to conform to the normes of his culture. I found him, at worst, benign, and not oppressive.In the end, the story left me depressed. I wish something other than a man had awakened Edna's need to examine her marriage. And most of all, I wish Edna had been able to enrich her life rather than end it.

[cinesnail88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an English class assigned read, but really I think it might have been the nicest one all year. Despite how much I disliked the character of Edna, the book itself brought up excellent points and was written exceedingly well. Definitely worth the time spent on it.

[tapestry100 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A novel of growth, both personal and emotional, Kate Chopin's The Awakening follows the journey of Edna Pontellier, who after spending a summer vacationing with her husband and children, decides to give up the archetypical role of wife and mother and strikes out on her own, realizing there is more to life than what society deems appropriate for a woman. The principal reasoning for her "awakening" is the realization that she is in love with another man, and believes that he loves her in return. Feeling overpowered by her own life and obligations to family, she does what few women did in that time, and moved out of her home into another house, and begins a life that is her own.When The Awakening was first published, is was looked on as being "unwholesome," both in its independent attitude towards women and its rather frank attitude towards Edna Pontellier's sexual nature. In today's regard, the novel wouldn't be seen as being all that shocking, but it still speaks clearly for the need of independence and freedom in one's own life.To be frank, I had a hard time getting into the book. I think I found the flow of the writing to be distracting, and halfway through reading switched to an audio book, and was able to follow the story much more clearly this way. The story did prove to be powerful in its telling, and in how Edna finally moves forward with her life.

[jenjambon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have always loved this book. I am from Louisiana and we have a vacation home on Grand Isle (where I am sitting now and writing this). I know that many think of this as a feminist work and I do agree. However I have always had a problem with the ending. Chopin must let Edna die because that is what the readers of that time needed. Any other ending for Edna would have been even more scandalous. I would have loved to know what Chopin was thinking here. Was it to satisfy her readers moral expectations, or was there another meaning that was more personal? This is one I have read more than once and will read again I am sure.

[tngolden_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

SHUDDER! Egads, I had to read this again and again in my undergrad literature career. Each time I found the main character not only unsympathetic, but revolting. Gah! And no, I'm not handing in my feminist card just because I hate this book!

[sharlene_w · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Written just before the turn of the century (1899), this book was a bold statement by Kate Chopin. It was on banned books lists for years because the author dared to give voice to the unspoken ideas that women have lives, minds, thoughts and desires that cannot be dictated by the men in their lives. Some have called it the original of the "romance" genre. As far as literature goes, I found it difficult in the beginning and it totally failed to stir any real emotion for the characters. As far as history goes and a look into the lives and minds of the women in our past, it is worthy of the time spent. Enlightening, but not terribly entertaining.

[rainbowdarling · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this in high school as an English class assignment. On its own, it seemed like an okay book. The character, Edna, is a bit irritating in terms of characters who let things happen to them, but the way she takes control of her own destiny and the fallout from doing so is interesting, especially in the context of the time period. My own reaction to the book was colored by the fact that an English class has to tear it apart and find every ounce of symbolism that may or may not exist, but I think as a book on its own, it could be very enjoyable.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Awakening is a defining work of feminism. It features the awakening of Edna Pontellier from her role as a traditional wife, mother, and woman in Louisiana.After taking a trip to a resort for a summer, she falls in love with the handsome Robert Lebrun, who in turn falls in love with her. Upon returning to her world, she determines that her life is not to be made up by societal roles, or by any sort of label, and one by one, she sheds the layers of her former self.Chopin's prose here wishes to free women from their labels, and let the world know that they are not property, or childbearers, or arm candy, but are in fact living, breathing people with the same rights as men.This book is recommended for readers of feminist literature (such as Charlotte Perkins Gillman).

[gbill_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a landmark work, ahead of its time, and with themes on marriage, adultery, and most importantly the pursuit of one’s own identity and control of one’s own life in spite of societal pressure which resonate today. In 1899, a woman questioning her feelings of sadness in a marriage and then doing something about it was shocking, both to characters in the novel (her husband thinks she’s losing her mind when she moves out, and her own father suggests to his son-in-law that authority and coercion are needed), and to readers, who rejected and vilified The Awakening, leading Chopin to spend the remaining five years of her life in relative seclusion prior to her premature death at the age of 54.Powerful stuff and very well written, with the Louisiana setting adding to its charm. Deserves a higher average rating on LT!Quotes:On adultery, and seduction, I love the light touch of these words, and how they scandalized the world at the time:“His hand strayed to her beautiful shoulders, and he could feel the response of her flesh to his touch. He seated himself beside her and kissed her lightly upon the shoulder. ‘I thought you were going away,’ she said, in an uneven voice.‘I am, after I have said good night.’‘Good night,’ she murmured.He did not answer, except to continue to caress her. He did not say good night until she had become supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties.”On divorce, and ‘owning oneself’, again, shocking at the time:“She took his face between her hands and looked into it as if she would never withdraw her eyes more. She kissed him on the forehead, the eyes, the cheeks and the lips.‘You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier’s possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, ‘Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours,’ I should laugh at you both.”On infatuation:“As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession, ever pressing itself upon her. It was not that she dwelt upon details of their acquaintance, or recalled in any special or peculiar way his personality; it was his being, his existence, which dominated her thought, fading sometimes as if it would melt into the mist of the forgotten, reviving again with an intensity which filled her with an incomprehensible longing.”On love, and separation:“Does he write to you? Never a line. Does he send you a message? Never a word. It is because he loves you, poor fool, and is trying to forget you, since you are not free to listen to him or to belong to him.”On marriage, and settling:“She was a grown young woman when she was overtaken by what she supposed to be the climax of her fate. It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses. The persistence of the infatuation lent it an air of genuineness. The hopelessness of it colored it with the lofty tones of a great passion.…Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. …. He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken. …The acme of bliss, which would have been a marriage with the tragedian, was not for her in this world. As the devoted wife of a man who worshipped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams.”On self-knowledge, on awakening:“A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her – the light which, showing the way, forbids it.At that early period it served but to bewilder her. It moved her to dreams, to thoughtfulness, to the shadowy anguish which had overcome her the midnight when she had abandoned herself to tears. In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being……The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inner contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.”And this one:“It sometimes entered Mr. Pontellier’s mind to wonder if his wife were not growing a little unbalanced mentally. He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.”And:“…perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.”Lastly, I like this description of a night walk to the beach:“There were strange, rare odors abroad – a tangle of the sea smell and of weeds and damp, new-plowed earth, mingled with the heavy perfume of a field of white blossoms somewhere near. But the night sat lightly upon the sea and the land. There was no weight of darkness; there were no shadows. The white light of the moon had fallen upon the world like a mystery and the softness of sleep.”