This wonderful novella, first published in 1899, has been described as a case study of 19th-century feminism. Kate Chopin began writing the novel in 1897 and, after its publication, it was heavily criticized as "not wholesome", "vulgar" and even "poison" by the press of the time. The novella received such a wave of disdain that the once-popular author was forced into literary obscurity. The Awakening went out of print for more than 50 years. When it was rediscovered in the 1950s, critics were in wonder at its modern sensibility. A second edition was published in 1964. Now widely read, The Awakening is critically acclaimed and it is an absolute must-read for feminists everywhere, not only for its beautiful pros but as an acknowledgment of how far we have come, albeit far more slowly than some might have hoped.
