Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Yellow Wall-Paper: A Graphic Novel

oh my god this is the absolute best book i've read in ages, which is especially saying something because i don't typically wnjoy short stories as much as novels, but this one was absolutely amazing and literally everyone should read this at least once in their lifetime.

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hapikohw's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The classic short stories really be eating.

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_brody's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

why did i listen to this while eating :((

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paolamor's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Es una lectura concisa e impactante que permite adentrarnos en la triste realidad femenina; interpretándose en nuestros años.

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solliereads's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Charlotte Perkins Gilman has been called a "trailblazer" within the women's movement, and I consider "The Yellow Wallpaper" an essential text for any budding feminist. The tale is inspired by her own, very real, experiences with the old "rest-cure" - the function of which was to reduce all forms of intellectual and mental stimulation - that are interwoven into a style typical of gothic literature. Gilman herself reported feeling driven near to insanity by this "cure", and began to vocally protest against it and became a key advocate for feminism and women's movements at the time. It's a remarkably short read, and minces no words - every single one is meaningful and important, and it's absolutely worth a read.

Spoiler

Her husband represents the oppressive patriarchy and the blaming on female hysterics that any negative symptom of mental or physical health received. I also believe the trapped woman in the wallpaper really represents the narrator's own feelings of being trapped, and slowly driven to madness and her slow descent into mental unwellness is tragic entirely because of how preventable it is, if only men would take the time to listen to women and their needs and wants.

Although this book can be considered representative of women's experiences at the time, I still believe it's a crucial read and it is vital to continue to examine how women's health, physical and psychological, is often dismissed and reduced even now.

I'm currently reading "Unwell Women" by Elinor Cleghorn, and her work has done wonders in terms of providing well-needed context to this short story, and I would definitely recommend it - it really helped with my own study and analysis of the work.

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