Ekleticgoodies

 The Awakening

by Kate Chopin

      The Modern Library edition of The Awakening has an introduction by Kay Gibbons, who writes: “The Awakening shocked turn-of-the-century readers with its forthright treatment of sex and suicide. Departing from literary convention, Kate Chopin failed to condemn her heroine’s desire for an affair with the son of a Louisiana resort owner, whom she meets on vacation. The power of sensuality, the delusion of ecstatic love, and the solitude that accompanies the trappings of middle- and upper-class life are the themes of this now-classic novel.” - As Kay Gibbons points out, Chopin “was writing American realism before most Americans could bear to hear that they were living it.”

 Chopin's novel created a scandal upon its original publication and effectively destroyed her writing career. Now, however, it is considered one of the finest American novels of the 19th century.

Approx. running time: 4 hours and 30 mins
Read by Elizabeth Klett