Literature Guides
Key Facts about The Awakening
The Awakening was the second and last novel written by Kate Chopin who was originally named Katherine O’Flaherty.
Chopin was severely criticized for her feminist writing and especially of her portrayal of a woman having extramarital affairs which was considered outrageous at the time.
Kate Chopin was brought up in a matriarchal household and was surrounded by generations of strong women which heavily influenced The Awakening.
After her husband’s death, Chopin was involved in an affair with a man named Albert. Her affair influenced The Awakening as she split the name Albert between the two characters Edna has an affair with. ( ALcée and roBERT).
The novel was said to have been banned from a library in Illinois in 1902.
Chopin wrote The Awakening during the first wave of feminism.
The awakening was originally titled A Solitary Soul until it was published by Herbert S. Stone & Company in 1899.
Kate Chopin died in 1904, not long after publishing The Awakening.
The Awakening remains a classic in American literature and Feminist literature.
