The Awakening is a novel by American novelist Kate Chopin about
a woman’s transformation from an obedient, traditional wife and
mother into a self-realized, sexually liberated and independent
woman. Despite the book’s place in the current literary canon
(it’s now a classic), when The Awakening was published in 1899
it received awful reviews. While reviewers acknowledged Chopin’s
masterful literary technique, they were absolutely shocked with
the protagonist’s independence and sexual liberation. This makes
sense when you consider that women were not fully considered
people at this time: Louisiana law still held that wives were
the property of their husbands. Not surprisingly, The Awakening
was "re-discovered" in the early 1970’s (right around Second
Wave feminism) and is now celebrated as a masterful insight into
the mores of late nineteenth century society. Nowadays, Edna
would be an artist – you know, paint always under her
fingernails. She’d dig smocked dresses and the skinny jeans
trend. Not to mention sex