Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the extreme criticism and negative publicity "The Awakening" received when it was first published and the reasons for that negative reception. The paper also explains contemporary criticisms of the book, summarizes it, and through examples taken from the story, analyzes its theme.

From the Paper:

"Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, is now an admired and well-read novel of the twentieth century. But just as its protagonist, it has endured a difficult life. It is surprising to know that when The Awakening was published, Chopin was censured "both locally and nationally for its poisonous and "positively unseemly" theme" (Tonette 1989). The St. Louis literary establishment did not want to review Chopin's novel and the St. Louis library removed it from their circulation. Additionally, Chopin was not allowed to become a member of the St. Louis Fine Arts Club. (Tonette) There were many reviews that depicted the novel as "moral poison", "sordid", "unhealthy", "repellent", and "vulgar" with "disagreeable glimpses of sensuality"" (Davis 1982). While the novel did attract negative criticism, it should also be noted that it earned a certain amount of praise for its insight."

More papers on Kate Chopin's "The Awakening":

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• Book Review # 36005 : "Awakening by Kate Chopin"
• Analytical Essay # 5675 : "The Awakening"

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