18/03/2024

The Awakening - Kate Chopin ☼

I read The Awakening (1899) as inspiration for my graduation project on housewives. In the book you follow Edna Pontellier, a woman who tries to break free from her domestic life. She wants to leave her husband, children and her sadness behind her by starting a new life as an artist in a house by the sea. At the time of publication, this decision of the main character caused quite a stir.

I started this design during my artist residency at Extrapool in Nijmegen. Now i finally finished it :-)

✷ Genre: classic literature

✷ Thema’s: women's rights, motherhood, isolation

✷ Recommended? Maybe. Mainly if you are curious about the historical fanfare

surrounding- and emancipatory value of this book. You have to be prepared to chew through some fairly boring 19th century prose for a few striking quotes.

The ending of the book feels quite unexpected and disappointing.