The Awakening

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The Awakening is an 1899 novel by Kate Chopin that follows a married woman’s struggle for independence and self-discovery in the restrictive social climate of late 19th-century American society.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf novel
adaptation The End of August
author Kate Chopin
character Adèle Ratignolle
Alcée Arobin
Edna Pontellier
Léonce Pontellier
Mademoiselle Reisz
Robert Lebrun
controversy criticized for depictions of female sexuality at time of publication
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
criticalReceptionAtPublication largely negative
firstPublicationForm book
genre feminist literature
literary realism
psychological fiction
hasEnding ambiguous and tragic conclusion at the sea
hasTheme constraints of marriage
freedom and confinement
identity and desire
individualism versus society
role of women in society
self-discovery
includedIn American literature canon
laterReception recognized as a landmark of feminist literature
literaryMovement Realism
surface form: American realism

early feminism
mainCharacter Edna Pontellier
narrativePerspective third-person narration
notableFor early frank treatment of female sexuality in American fiction
portrayal of a woman's psychological transformation
originalLanguage English
originalTitle The Awakening self-link
placeOfPublication City of Chicago
surface form: Chicago
publicationYear 1899
publisher Charles L. Webster and Company
surface form: Herbert S. Stone & Company
settingLocation Grand Isle, Louisiana
New Orleans
settingPeriod late 19th century
structure 39 chapters
subjectMatter marriage
motherhood
sexual autonomy
social conventions
women's independence
taughtIn university literature courses
women's studies courses

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Kate Chopin notableWork The Awakening
The Awakening originalTitle The Awakening self-link
The Storm workOfAuthorOf The Awakening