In the summer of her 28th year, Edna Pontellier and her children, along with the wives and families of other prospective businessmen, spend the summer in an idyllic coastal community away from their husbands and the sweltering heat of 1890s' New Orleans. Aware of deep yearnings that are unfulfilled by marriage and motherhood, Edna plunges into an illicit liaison that reawakens her long dormant desires, inflames her heart, and eventually blinds her to all else.

First published in 1899, this novel shocked readers with its open sensuality and uninhibited treatment of marital infidelity. The poignant, lyrical story of a New Orleans wife who attempts to find love outside a stifling marriage, critics have praised it as a forerunner of the modern novel. New introductory Note.

Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, In 1851. She began writing shortly after her Husband's death and, from 1889 until her own Death, her stories and other miscellaneous Writings appeared in “Vogue, Youth's companion, Atlantic Monthly, Century, Saturday Evening Post, ” and other publications. In addition to “The Awakening, ”Mrs. Chopin published another novel, “At Fault, ” and two collections of short stories and sketches, “Bayou Folk” and “A Night at Acadie.” The publication of “The Awakening” in 1899 occasioned shocked and angry response from reviewers all over the country. The book