The Awakening And Selected Stories (Penguin Vitae)

The groundbreaking depiction of a woman who dares to defy the expectations of society in the pursuit of her desire, with an insightful introduction by author Claire Vaye Watkins, now a part of the Penguin Vitae series.

When Kate Chopin's classic was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's reputation. But a century after her death, The Awakening is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement and a celebrated work of early feminist literature. Through careful, subtle changes of style, Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who  with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life, and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom.