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Title: The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Liza Ross, Perry Keenlyside ISBN: 9-6263460-8-6 Publisher: Naxos Audio Books Pub. Date: February, 1997 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 2 List Price(USD): $13.98 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.9 (278 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The Awakening Review
Comment: The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, details Edna Pontellier's growing independence from the acceptable role of mother through her interaction with other characters and heavy usage of symbolism. Edna, born to a Presbyterian family, rarely has intimate friends. This changes, however, when she spends a summer in Grand Isle, Louisiana. There she meets numerous Creole families, including Robert Lebrun, and grows accustomed to their casual and affectionate ways. at the same time, Edna begins to realize her discontent with her role of wife and mother in Society. To escape the burdens that Society has placed on her, Edna focuses on her talent as an artist and removes herself from her previous duties of catering to her husband and children. Edna starts to appreciate solitude, and this, along with the desire to free herself from Society, leads her to commit her last act of escapism. Kate Chopin illustrates Edna's universal relationship to Society with her use of symbolism. Nearly every word in The Awakening pertains to a symbol, namely the sea, a recurring theme for Edna. While this creates an intricate novel that is well-written, less careful readers may fail to see the importance of the passages that Chopin placed in the book. Although the novel is based more upon character development than action, The Awakening is highly enjoyable, especially for those who appreciate psychological tales or Sigmund Freud.
Rating: 4
Summary: Powerfully written book about a woman in torment.
Comment: Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening," lives in New Orleans in the 1890's. She seems to have it all--two lovely children, physical beauty, an extremely comfortable lifestyle, and good social standing. However, one summer, Edna experiences the aforementioned "awakening," and she realizes that her life is vapid and devoid of meaning. She is a trophy wife who has no real connection to her husband. She loves her children, but she is not extremely involved with them. Who is Edna? What does she want? She wants to experience life to the fullest, without constraint. She wants personal freedom, without the need to conform to the social mores of her day. However, she does not want to harm her children while seeking her own personal fulfillment. Edna's torment leads to a deep depression. The reason that this book has attracted so much attention is that it was written a century ago, long before women had heard of "liberation". Chopin's writing is eloquent and moving. She describes Edna's agony in a way that is surprisingly modern. Although it is difficult to sympathize with a woman who is not mired in poverty and who has a great deal to be thankful for, I understand that she feels stifled by a lifestyle that does not suit her. It is astonishing that a woman, writing in the 1890's, would articulate this radical viewpoint. She must have received a great deal of criticism at the time. This book does have some flaws. Some of the key characters are not fully fleshed out. Robert, Edna's close friend, is a handsome and affectionate companion, but little more. Mr. Pontellier, Edna's husband, is an insensitive lout, who treats his wife in the way that he would treat a pet. These caricatures weaken the book. I get the feeling that Chopin is so anxious to convey her "message" that she feels the need to stereotype the men in Edna's life. However, "The Awakening" is a book that articulates a viewpoint that is way ahead of its time, and for that alone, it is worth reading.
Rating: 2
Summary: Dispensable
Comment: In this brief novel, Kate Chopin tries to depict the spiritual awakening of a privileged young woman. Unfortunately, the book doesn't make much sense. When Edna, the protagonist, casts away her public self to become her true self, we might suppose that her quality of life would improve. Instead she exercises poorer and poorer judgment, ultimately destroying herself. Edna is not a likeable or even an authentic character, and the supporting cast is almost as unattractive. In this novel, even New Orleans seems to have no attractions. The Awakening is not terrible; it just has little to offer.
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Title: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison ISBN: 0679732764 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 14 March, 1995 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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