The Awakening and Selected Stories (Penguin Classics)

Book Description

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 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.

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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.

Customer Reviews:

Supremely important rediscovery.......2004-06-25

The author, Kate Chopin, began to write when she was age thirty six. She had a ten year productive career the introduction by Nina Baym discloses. She died at age fifty three. Her work went out of print to be revived in the early 1960's. She wrote two novels and close to one hundred stories following the death of her husband and her mother.

Women, including Kate Chopin, writing after the Civil War turned to regionalism. By 1893 railroads had wrought a tremendous change. Regional writing, as the introduction points out, is tourism of the imagination. The stories are short and skilfully done. Even the use of dialect for the Cajun and Creole speakers is not off-putting. The stories have a wonderful stripped down to the essence quality. One is reminded of Chekhov.

In THE AWAKENING it is noted that the summer colony staying at the Lebrun cottages are almost entirely Creole. An exception is Edna Pontellier. She came from old Presbyterian Kentucky stock. Even as a child Edna tended to live in her own world. She feels a sense a of exaltation when she learns to swim. She has children, a husband, and becomes infatuated with a young friend, Robert Lebrun. Later Robert leaves to go to Mexico. Returning to New Orleans, Edna spends time with the people she has met at Grand Isles. Her husband is caught up in his household furnishings. When she decides to leave to live by herself in a smaller house, he prudently closes their large marital house to avoid gossip. Her absolute disregard for her duties as a wife shocks her husband. Her doctor can find no trace of the morbid condition ascribed to her. Robert Lebrun returns. He shows reserve. Leonce her husband and her children are part of Edna's life. She yields to the water of the gulf.

Kate Chopin was a writer of major achievement. One regrets, as outlined in the introduction, that there were no literary works produced by her in the last five years of her life. She was discouraged by the critical and moralistic response to her masterpiece, THE AWAKENING.

Thought-provoking.......2001-02-20

In "The Awakening", a woman rejects the drudgery of her life and decides to live selfishly, for once. Kate Chopin captivates her readers with a story of transformation and growth, and writes with clarity and ease. Perhaps most enjoyable about "The Awakening" and Kate Chopin's short stories is the vivid New Orleans setting. Chopin pays attention to the charms of Louisiana in this novel--Creole cooking and language, Southern black and French mannerisms of the time--not limiting herself by focusing on members of the elite. Definitely worth checking out!

The quintessential edition of an essential work........1998-07-29

Like far too many, I was first introduced to Chopin in college. As an educator, I find Chopin's work to be timeless. Chopin speaks to contemporay society--and especially American society--in ways that few authors can and do. I use "The Awakening," as one of the cornerstones (yes; one may have more than one cornerstone) of my literature class--a class that relies on trade publications rather than anthologies and "typical" textbooks for reading material. One of the unexpected rewards I have experienced while teaching this novel is that male students, generally speaking, truly enjoy the work. Given its content and storyline, one might expect the opposite to be true. Nonetheless, the novel speaks to readers of all ages and genders. I believe that virtually ANYONE will identify with the characters Chopin brings to life in "The Awakening." Not only is it the story of a woman in search of her identity--arguably, a rather Maslowian tale of ! "self-actualization"--it is the story of the human condition.

Additionally, given the story of Chopin's life, the book takes on even greater significance (sorry, but you'll have to read the book to understand why I feel this to be so).

This book is a MUST read for all who seek to dispell the myth of "June Cleaver." (Ya, I know I am not suposed to say that but this is one VERY cool book--a book that EVERYONE should read.)

Besides, "The Awakening" itself is short enough and compelling enough that one will finish it in a matter of a few evenings. That the Penguin version also contains Chopin's EXCELLENT short stories, and a good deal of equally excellent biographical and critical writing regarding the author and her works makes grabbing a copy for one's personal library a must-do.

Book Description

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED

BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

• A chronology of the author's life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

• An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

• Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON

Customer Reviews:

katechopin.......2007-08-06

The edition is well done since it has a pretty good introduction to the themes and notes as well as excerpts from critics and suggestions for discussion.

What makes ist 4 instead of 5 stars is actually that the information concerning the stories included in the edition did not correspond to the actual book which was kind of a deception because I was expecting to find "The story of an hour".

Ground breaking story.......2007-01-06

Imagine being a woman living in the south in the late 1800's. You are married, have two children and very comfortable life style--one might argue your life is near perfect. Overtime you come to realize that your life is not fulfilling. Reading Kate Chopin's short story The Awakening will take the reader through a personal passage in a woman's life when options were very limited. Even more astounding is the story was written and published during the time when the story takes place--scandalous.

The other stories in this book will also give the reader insights into the life and times of people living in New Orleans. They too are engaging.

the tragedy of a free lover.......2006-06-26

At the start of the novel, Mrs Pontellier is experiencing the awakening of her consciousness: she is beginning to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. Her husband, a man of forty, regards her as a valuable piece of personal property. And yet she is the sole "object" of his existence. Why does she seem so little interested in things which concern him? Does she not value his conversation? A vague anguish in Mrs Pontellier is a symptom of something dark developing within. Is this unfamiliar feeling the sign of an inner revolt against Fate? What is the force behind the creation and the dispelling of our moods?

As a young woman of twenty-eight, Edna Pontellier finds herself pondering on the nature of female wisdom. Is it about posing as a mother-as-angel in the home or is there something more? Can a new world be created in front of her, different from the one in which she had been living? Can a woman have access to a kind of wisdom belonging to the spirit, that only men had been previously vouchsafed? Edna is learning the pleasure of getting lost in the maze of inner contemplation. She wants to learn whether life has been the result of accident or the decree of Fate.

The moon, the sea water and Chopin seem to cast a mystic spell upon her soul. Exulting with these feelings, she aims to conquer her own self, a feat prohibited to women at the time. The winter after the summer holidays at Grand Isle, and after her "friend" Robert has gone to Mexico, Edna Pontellier has already given certain steps towards the delirium of selfhood she craves for: she will only do as she pleases, and what she pleases the most is art. Is she not growing a little unbalanced mentally? For her, art is ultimately related to the rights of women. But, does she possess the "absolute" gifts, those which are not acquired by one's effort?

Edna Pontellier considers that it is not to late for her to accomplish her fight for freedom and independence. She plans to move to a tiny house and live by herself. She has resolved never again to belong to anyone but herself. And yet when she does surrender it is not to love but to a momentary passion, perhaps as a consequence of her ennui: "the hopelessness which so often assailed her, which came upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous, independent of volition". Yet every step which she takes towards relieving herself from obligations adds to her strength and expansion as an individual. Can we be indifferent to the consequences of abandoning ourselves to Fate? "She was blindly following whatever impulse moved her, as if she had placed herself in alien hands for direction, and freed her soul of responsibility."

Far ahead of her time.......2004-04-11

Stories include: (Wiser Than a god, A Point at Issue!, A Shameful Affair, Miss McEnders, At the 'Cadian Ball, Desiree's baby, Madame Celestin's Divorce, A Lady of Bayou St. John, La Belle Zoraide A Respectable Woman, The Story of an Hour, Regret, The Kiss, Athenaise, A Pair of Silk Stockings, The Storm, Charlie). Some of the short stories seem repetitive, but The Awakening is wonderful, especially considering when it was written and how much Chopin went through as a result of publishing this scandalous tale. She tells the story of a woman realizing her sexuality and the feminist ideas she conveys are far ahead of her time.

Edna Tries to Break Free.......2002-11-13

Critics during the 1899 gave Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" bad reviews. They were shock at the novel because of the issues that Chopin wrote about. Chopin was devasted; she died never writing again. "The Awakening" was revived by feminist critics that knew the work was facinating, also beautifully written and compose. Now, high schools and college across America read "The Awakening".

The Awakening is about a woman named Edna Pontellier. Edna is unhappy in her life as a mother and wife. She starts to "awaken" from her conventional role of mother and wife to a woman that desires independence to become an individual. Edna does not love her husband nor she wants to be a mother to her two sons.

Edna falls in love with Robert Leburn; Robert goes away to Mexico because he wants to stay away from Edna. He knows that they both have feelings for each other, and he leaves because Edna's reputation will be destroyed if they have a love affair. After Robert leaves, she purchases a quaint little house on the corner; she decides that she needs space away from her wifely and motherly duties. While Robert is gone, Edna has an affair with womanizer, Alcee Abouron.

Robert comes back from Mexico; Edna is glad to see him and wants to rekindle the love that they discovered before he left. Edna is called by her friend, Adele, because she is having her baby.

Edna discovers that she cannot awaken fully from society conventions and restraints that are placed on her. She realizes if there was a way that Robert and her could be together, eventually, he would stop loving her. She realizes during her time society will not let her be the woman that she wants and needs to be.

Product Description

Mass market paperback - Includes a Bibliography at end of book.

The Awakening and Selected Short Fiction (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics)

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"The Joy that Kills...."

The Awakening and Selected Short Fiction (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics)
Kate Chopin
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1593080018

Book Description

When it first appeared in 1899, Kate Chopin’s 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. Many years passed before this short, pioneering work was recognized as a major achievement in American literature.

Set in and around New Orleans, The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother who, determined to control her own life, flouts convention by moving out of her husband’s house, having an adulterous affair, and becoming an artist.

Beautifully written, with sensuous imagery and vivid local descriptions, The Awakening has lost none of its power to provoke and inspire. Additionally, this edition includes thirteen of Kate Chopin’s magnificent short stories.

Stories Included in the Volume:
The Awakening
Emancipation: A Life Fable
A Shameful Affair
At the ‘Cadian Ball
Désirée’s Baby
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
A Respectable Woman
The Story of an Hour
Athénaïse
A Pair of Silk Stockings
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story
The Storm
The Godmother
A Little Country Girl

Customer Reviews:

"The Joy that Kills....".......2006-04-18

I actually bought the larger paperback version from Barnes & Noble but it has the same excellent Introduction and Notes by Rachel Adams.

I don't believe I would've been as enthusiastic about THE AWAKENING if I hadn't read the Introduction and got some background on the story and its writer first. It made reading the story far more interesting to know that it caused a bit of a stir when it came out in 1899 and then completely disappeared until the 1960s and 70s.

What didn't work for me in THE AWAKENING was that the conflict between Edna and her husband/family is completely avoided: he's out of town when she decides to leave him for another place to live, other men to have as lovers, and a whole new life as an artist. The kids always seem to be somewhere else too. Even without the horrible scenes of separation and divorce and all that, Edna ends up making a fatal decision to resolve her own "awakening."

The rest of the stories were good choices. I really enjoyed "A Shameful Affair," "A Pair of Silk Stockings," and "The Storm." Chopin's attempts to capture the way Southerners speak is sometimes difficult to get through and I at first thought the way she refers to Blacks and Mexicans was politically-incorrect--until I realized she wrote these stories at the end of the 1800s. Wow, that WAS politically-correct for that time (check out the outrageous White men losing their minds about Elvis and rock music 50 years later on film and you realize how far we've really come!).

The Awakening And Selected Short Stories

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The Awakening And Selected Short Stories
Kate Chopin
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1406502278

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The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
Kate Chopin
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1406845639

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Extremely Modern Woman of 19th Century [50]
A person searching for meaning is NOT feminism
A 190 page book that felt like 400
A cutting edge novel for its time
Ahead of her time

The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
Kate Chopin
Manufacturer: IndyPublish.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588276627

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A woman seeks love and the fulfillment of her essential nature outside of her stuffy, middle-class marriage. This book shocked the readers of 1899 and paved the way for the modern novel. Three 90-minute cassettes and one 60.

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A minor masterpiece, The Awakening was a scandalous book when it arrived from the turn-of-the-century presses. With a heroine who found her husband dull, married life dreary and confining, and motherhood to be bondage, this revolutionary book is still relevant to many.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely Modern Woman of 19th Century [50].......2007-09-24

Some marriages do not work - sometimes they commence well enough but people drift apart. In this book, the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, watches here marriage dissipate for nontraditional reasons - ultimately ending with traditional tragedy.

None of the classic reasons for failed marriage exist. Husband was not violent toward her. He was not demanding upon her. In fact, he granted her as much slack as any man of that time period would ever have allowed. He was a good man. "As the devoted wife of a man who worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of realty, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance or dreams."

Like "Wide Sargasso Sea" this entails the life off continental United States and customs of those identified as Creole. Unlike Sargasso's emotionally abused wife, Antoinette, Edna is 28, turning 29, and is just . . . just . . . very confused. Her 40-year old husband seeks to aid her in this time of maturation, but is really helpless. Beautiful and unsure of her previous decision to marry, she is wooed by others - all knowing that societal customs will not allow her to engage in illicit passion unless she makes a rash decision to leave her anointed responsibilities to her children and husband. What will she do when her lover, Robert, returns? "Do? Nothing, except feel glad and happy to be alive." But is this enough for Robert? Is it enough for her?

Of course not. "[S]he felt the old ennui overtaking her: the hopelessness which so often assailed her, which came upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous, independent of volition." Her life became a lingering heart-breaking bore.

She is neither free nor in servitude. She is neither chattel of; nor an equal to her husband. She is a prisoner of her emotions, not of societal constraints. She lives in a relatively free society, and is permitted to roam about relatively freely. But, she is not happy with this. Little can engage her sensibilities in this period of malaise which is constantly questioned by hormonal and philosophical desires. She wants a divorce although her husband did nothing wrong. But, in her days - the 19h century - divorce was not an alternative. Moreover, her husband and her society are Catholic.

So she had to lead the remainder of her life with self-hatred - about how she got where she is and where she is going with what she has. She reasons, "I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose." And, so she shows the most demanding act of volition: suicide.

My Bantam edition came with a forward by Pulitizer-winning author Marilynne Robinson ("Housekeeping" and "Gilead") who wrote, "`The Awakening' should be read as a meditation on the experimental basis of romantic consciousness, the sense that the world has a numinous life that is addressed to human perceptions and that it has a meaning humankind is competent to interpret. . ." Robinson is correct, and this book is truly generations ahead of its time in addressing this extremely undiscussed topic of female self-recognition against the male's world of control.

A person searching for meaning is NOT feminism.......2007-08-13

I purchased this book for my son's AP lit class. He read it and described Edna as an angry woman not happy with her life. I wondered how that made it a book about feminism and decided to read it. Now that I am done, I feel very sad for Edna. Given the description of Edna she could have depression. She loves her children, but not always...possibly postpartum depression that is continually getting worse. I believe the things Edna questions are not limited to women. I imagine many men of that time and now get married because it is the thing to do. Pursue jobs they do not like, but must take. Have children because that is what is expected. I believe Chopin is questioning societal expections of her time for both men and women. Clearly Leonce is floundering. The rug has been pulled out from under him. He was following the plan and now it has changed. No, this is NOT a book about feminism. This is about an individuals struggle to find him or herself. About accepting responsibility or being selfish. I can't wait to read the book that is paired with this for his AP class: Memoirs of a Geisha.

A 190 page book that felt like 400.......2007-07-10

Among so many lengthy reviews, allow me to make this pithy with no apology: It is clear to me that this is considered an American classic not for any particular merit in Chopin's writing but solely in the controversy that surrounded its publication. If you're looking for a rich and stirring piece of American literature, keep looking.

A cutting edge novel for its time.......2007-06-27

If you enjoy novels that address the social norms and conventions of a given time period, this is one you won't want to miss. I was first introduced to this book as a sophomore in college in my "Women Writers of the 20th Century" English class. Kate Chopin masterfully paints a picture of a woman desperately seeking more in her life; a woman who doesn't "fit the mold" of societal conventions at the turn of the 20th century. Chopin slowly builds Edna Pontellier bit by bit, painstakingly peeling away at the layers and the facades this woman has been taught to put on--and which her character throws off with fancy free and terrible heartache almost simultaneously. Edna is a flawed heroine, but perhaps that is why the reader becomes entranced with her. There is a little of Edna Pontellier in all of us--seeking the essence of life; seeking love and freedom.

Ahead of her time.......2007-06-13

Kate Chopin's The Awakening gives an insightful look into the life of a woman trapped in a marriage and a life that doesn't befit her. The characters are very well done -- not all of them are deep, but for good reason. Chopin's writing style never ceases to amaze. I've read this book three or four times, and it never loses its power, its impact. There are themes throughout that give the story a deeper meaning. When you read it, think about the elderly widow and what she represents, and the young lovers. Everything means something, and it is all tied together very well. It's the best book I've ever read. I simply love it.

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The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
Kate O Flaherty Chopin
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1426464061
Release Date: 2007-03-08

Book Description

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

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The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
Kate Chopin
Manufacturer: 1st World Library - Literary Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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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 w

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The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
Kate Chopin
Manufacturer: Bantam Classic & Loveswept
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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