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A review by fernbomb
The Awakening and Selected Short Fiction (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) by Kate Chopin
3.0
I enjoyed the writing, and the look into the past that this book provides.
However, this book has received and does deserve much criticism. A perfect example of white feminism, it is at times infuriating to read for the extreme cognitive dissonance that would have been required to advocate for liberation for rich, white woman but none for other oppressed people at the time. It’s wild to me that Kate Chopin could examine the systems that oppress her, but be completely blind to the systems that oppress others, which she directly benefited from. For example, the servants and caretakers are rarely ever mentioned by name in the book, but are instead mentioned by their racial classification at the time.
However, this book has received and does deserve much criticism. A perfect example of white feminism, it is at times infuriating to read for the extreme cognitive dissonance that would have been required to advocate for liberation for rich, white woman but none for other oppressed people at the time. It’s wild to me that Kate Chopin could examine the systems that oppress her, but be completely blind to the systems that oppress others, which she directly benefited from. For example, the servants and caretakers are rarely ever mentioned by name in the book, but are instead mentioned by their racial classification at the time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs