Name: The Awakening and Selected Stories
ISBN: 9780679641230

Kate Chopin

The Awakening shocked turn-of-the-century readers and reviewers with its treatment of sex and suicide. In a departure from literary convention, Kate Chopin failed to condemn her heroine's desire for an affair with the son of a Louisiana resort owner, whom she meets on vacation. The power of sensuality, the delusion of ecstatic love, and the solitude that accompanies the trappings of middle- and upper-class convention are the themes of this now-classic novel. The book was influenced by French writers ranging from Flaubert to Maupassant, and can be seen as a precursor of the impressionistic, mood-driven novels of Virginia Woolf and Djuna Barnes. Variously called 'vulgar,' 'unhealthily introspective,' and 'morbid,' the book was neglected for several decades, not least because it was written by a 'regional' woman writer. This edition also includes selected stories from Kate Chopin's Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie, and an introduction and notes by Nina Baym.

The Awakening and Selected Stories

When a Louisiana woman meets a young resort owner while on vacation, she begins to fall in love with him despite her own marriage, in a sensuous short novel, first published in 1899, that is accompanied by a selection of short fiction by Chopin. Reissue.

The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories

first book i started and read in one day in a long long time. i’m so thrilled it was this book.

overwhelming desire to change your life and with (seemingly) no means to do it… Edna did have the ‘means,’ and still the world holds her back, unable to exist to want without being so incredibly seen and feeling so incredibly exposed and vulnerable (like it’s a bad thing). at sea i forget who i am outside of being — the wind carries all of me elsewhere, scattering me into sand in the most liberating way, and so Edna, like Ferrante’s Lena, is freed in a small, maybe cruel, way. 

aisha

first book i started and read in one day in a long long time. i’m so thrilled it was this book.

overwhelming desire to change your life and with (seemingly) no means to do it… Edna did have the ‘means,’ and still the world holds her back, unable to exist to want without being so incredibly seen and feeling so incredibly exposed and vulnerable (like it’s a bad thing). at sea i forget who i am outside of being — the wind carries all of me elsewhere, scattering me into sand in the most liberating way, and so Edna, like Ferrante’s Lena, is freed in a small, maybe cruel, way. 

"The Awakening" is the story of Edna Pontellier, an attractive young wife and the mother of two sons living in the Creole south in the late 19th century. Edna feels herself trapped in a marriage where she is unable to express her passionate sensuality and as a result explores a spiritual and sexual awakening through an affair with a younger man during one summer while her husband is away. Liberated by this experience she sends her children away and is determined to live a more independent and self-determined life. This behavior would lead to her downfall as it was not seen favorably by the members of her conservative 19th century southern community. "The Awakening" is a landmark modernist work which illustrates the confines of late 19th century America for women and the beginning of an era of changing social attitudes towards their role in society. The liberal portrayal of Edna in "The Awakening" was meet with great criticism when it was first published and essentially ended Chopin's literary career. The reaction to its publication is indicative of the social attitude towards increasing freedom for women during this era. At the same time the novel was a harbinger of the greater independence that was soon to come for women in America. This edition also contains a collection of seventeen of Chopin's most popular short stories and is printed on premium acid-free paper.

I absolutely hated Robert. Hated him. Coward, selfish idiot. Team Edna all the way. She's a great example of women breaking stereotypes imposed on them by society. 

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

When a Louisiana woman meets a young resort owner while on vacation, she begins to fall in love with him despite her own marriage.

Angbeen Abbas

Francine Corry

Katrina Wilson

adinda

Abbe Castillo

Set in and around New Orleans, The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother. While on vacation, Edna meets the son of a Lousiana resort owner, with whom she gradually falls in love. As she pulls away from her husband, Edna begins to develop a sense of herself as a whole person, with unique wants, interests, and desires. Determined to control her own life, she flouts convention by moving out of her husband's house, having an adulterous affair, and becoming an artist. --back cover.

The Awakening and Selected Short Fiction

Mandy

Andrew John Kinney

A reprint of the 1899 novel about Edna Pontellier, a Victorian-era wife and mother who is awakened to the full force of her desire for love and freedom when she becomes enamored with Robert LeBrun, a young man she meets while on vacation. Also includes the short stories: Beyond the bayou -- Ma'ame Pelagle -- Desiree's baby -- A Respectable woman -- The Kiss -- A Pair of silk stockings -- The Locket -- A Reflection.

Laura Hurst

Brad Xie

Amanda Jones

Corey White

Sam Pulliam

Sabrina D. 

Anna Adams

WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED IN 1899, THE AWAKENING WAS GREETED WITH CRIES OF OUTRAGE. THE NOVEL'S FRANK PORTRAYAL OF A WOMAN'S EMOTIONAL, INTELLECTUAL, AND SEXUAL AWAKENING SHOCKED THE SENSIBILITIES OF THE TIME AND DESTROYED THE AUTHOR'S REPUTATION AND CAREER.

The Awakening and Selected Stories

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