"Awakening" New Perspectives - New Perspectives on American Fiction at Cambridge. 33 (English Photographic Edition)

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: When The Awakening was first published in 1899, it was a controversial book. It was one of the earliest American novels to address adult and marital divorce themes and was widely attacked as "vulgar" and "unhealthy." In her introduction, Wendy Martin discusses the historical context of the novel and analyzes the protagonist's transformation from a traditional woman to an independent, individualistic self. The essays following the introduction are written by Ellen Schwalter, Michael Gilmore, Andrew Delbanco, and Cristina Giocelli, exploring other themes of the novel and discussing the importance of Chopin from the perspective of American women novelists and that of previous writers.