SuperSummary, a modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, offers high-quality instructional study guides for challenging works of literature. This audio study guide for The Awakening by Kate Chopin includes detailed summary and analysis of each chapter and an in-depth exploration of the book’s multiple symbols, motifs, and themes, such as individuality versus social order, motherhood and women’s rights, and the consequences of self-expression. Featured content also includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay questions, and discussion topics.

Although controversial at the time of its publication in 1899, Chopin’s The Awakening is heralded as an essential example of feminist fiction. The novel opens in 1890s Louisiana at a summer holiday resort popular among wealthy Creoles and centers on Edna Pontellier, a wife and mother. The frank and unreserved speech of Creole women initially surprises Edna, but ultimately helps her liberate her own long-repressed emotions and desires, catapulting Edna’s “awakening” to her newfound sense of self and independence. 

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