The Awakening Introduction

by Kate Chopin

First published in 1899, this novel shocked readers with its open sensuality and uninhibited treatment of marital infidelity. Poignant and lyrical, it tells the story of a New Orleans wife who attempts to find love outside a stifling marriage. Critics have praised it as a first-rate narrative and a forerunner of the modern novel. Newly available in this inexpensive edition, "The Awakening" offers modern readers superb characterization and an insightful portrait of a woman’s awakening to physical passion. New introductory note.