The Awakening

<p>The Awakening first published in 1899 is a novel by Kate Chopin set in turn-of-the-century New Orleans and the Louisiana Gulf Coast. It explores themes of marital dissatisfaction societal expectations for women and the quest for personal identity. The story centers on Edna Pontellier a young wife who begins to question her roles as a wife and mother within the confines of Creole society. </p><p>As Edna spends her summer at Grand Isle she undergoes a transformation experiencing an awakening of her desires and individuality. She finds herself drawn to Robert Lebrun leading to a passionate albeit complicated connection. Torn between her duties and her newfound independence Edna begins to defy societal norms exploring her sensuality and artistic expression. The Awakening remains a powerful and controversial work admired for its frank portrayal of female desire and its critique of Victorian ideals.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>