The Awakening (Collins Classics)

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved | essential classics.‘I would give up the unessential; I would give my money | I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself.’Heralded as one of the first instances of feminist literature and rejected at its time of publication by the literary set on grounds of moral distaste | Kate Chopin’s The Awakening caused consternation in 1899.Constrained and confined by the limitations surrounding marriage and motherhood in the late 1800s | Edna Pontellier begins to challenge the notion of femininity through her thoughts and actions. Questioning her love for her husband | and opening herself up to the possibilities of other men and a life outside of societal convention leads to a gradual awakening of her desires.Chopin’s fascinating exploration of one woman challenging the expectation that surrounds her is powerful | daring and ultimately tragic in its conclusions.