The Awakening is by Kate Chopin. This short book is a key component of many college reading lists. It was a shocking story when it came out in 1899, today it is much less so. It is the story of Edna Pontellier, the wife of a social climbing husband in 1890s New Orleans. During the summer the family vacations on Grand Island like others of their class. Her husband returns to the city during the week leaving Edna to socialize with others on the island. There she meets Robert Lebrun and her moral, personal, and sensual journey of development begin. Trapped in a boring marriage in a society with a very rigid set of social rules, Edna seeks to find herself. I recommend a critical edition that explains the various French Creole words and phrases used in the story.
Ratings: 12th grade - 8 out of 10 - MC (mature thematic content).
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