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"The Yellow Wall-Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Dual-Text Critical Edition
"This volume offers both Gilman scholars and scholars of textual studies a unique and helpful means of engaging with a work that exists in multiple forms, and includes some insightful new readings of this much-analyzed story," says Charlotte Rich, editor of the Charlotte Perkins Gilman Newsletter. Scholars have argued for decades over which constitutes the best p...more
Paperback, 144 pages
Published
June 2nd 2006
by Ohio University Press
(first published January 1892)
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This has got to be one of the most impressive short stories ever written, up there with the very best. Written in the late 1800's, it is surprisingly modern in its form & content. When I was an undergraduate, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an undiscovered writer, but thankfully she's been very much discovered now: I've read her nonfiction ('Women and Economics'--very forward-thinking re: communal kitchens and daycare) and her utopian novel, 'Herland.' She also has some other terrific short storie...more
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Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress"
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of stories with lots of subtext, classic horror readers
This is my second read of this story, and I gave it four stars this time. It's a very well-written story. Ms. Gilmore crafted this tale in such a way that you feel as twisted as the narrator does. It's clear that mental illness plays a major role in the mindset of the narrator. But, there is a little shred of doubt (at least in my mind) that there might be some otherworldly component. It's hard to tell, because we are seeing things through her perceptions, which are clearly not rational.
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This book stands out in my mind mainly because of an argument I had with our English teacher that lasted the length of an entire English class, over whether or not the room was actually originally a childrens' playroom, or some kind of sinister crazy-wife-locking-up-room.
My argument: "She's an unreliable narrator! And why would a children's playroom have weird metal rings on the walls and bars on the windows?"
Her argument: "Yes, but she says it's a childrens' pla...more
My argument: "She's an unreliable narrator! And why would a children's playroom have weird metal rings on the walls and bars on the windows?"
Her argument: "Yes, but she says it's a childrens' pla...more
I typed the title into the search just to see if it would come up...
I had no idea that this was a classic work, I never could recall the authors name, but from the reviews I can see that I am not alone in how it still sits with me decades later. I was only 13 or 14 years old when I sat in on my aunt's college literature class. I sat in the back and the teacher gave me a black and white copy of the text so I could read along with the class. I remember the debate raged on in the class...more
I had no idea that this was a classic work, I never could recall the authors name, but from the reviews I can see that I am not alone in how it still sits with me decades later. I was only 13 or 14 years old when I sat in on my aunt's college literature class. I sat in the back and the teacher gave me a black and white copy of the text so I could read along with the class. I remember the debate raged on in the class...more
Short, odd and maybe a bit too over-hyped for me to thoroughly enjoy it.This early feminist tale tries to be a bit too obtuse for my taste. Is the narrator going mad ? is she already mad? Did the treatment for her depression make her mad? Do I care? All of these question are diverted by an unreliable narrator and complicated by an unreliable reviewer. If only I can get someone to remove this Hello Kitty wallpaper that showed up in my office overnight, perhaps I can make sense of everything. Wher...more
I did not like the characters. I did not like the format, with the main character writing as in a journal. This led to a slightly awkward ending. I listened to a librivox recording and this is the first narration from the site that I can not recommend. I have a great deal of respect and graditude for librivox volunteers but my personal opinion is that this was read incorrectly. Even considering this, I have to rate 4 stars simply because the character's slip into madness was fascnating and rathe...more
This was a creepy little story! I really liked it though.
Written as a series of journal entries, we see this woman slowly descend into madness. She's forcibly secluded away in a single room of a rented house for the summer, so that she can rest away what her physician husband calls her "temporary nervous depression," and she is prevented from working, interacting with people other than the few allowed by the hubs, banned from writing, presumably reading or doing anything, ...more
Written as a series of journal entries, we see this woman slowly descend into madness. She's forcibly secluded away in a single room of a rented house for the summer, so that she can rest away what her physician husband calls her "temporary nervous depression," and she is prevented from working, interacting with people other than the few allowed by the hubs, banned from writing, presumably reading or doing anything, ...more
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Jim
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who might have forgotten why feminism was needed
My first thought when it comes to this book has nothing whatsoever to do with its content. The cover of the Virago edition, a British press established to champion women writers, chose to market this early feminist text by splashing a nude woman, albeit seen from the rear but with a very pleasant posterior, across the front cover. This, I have to confess, caught my eye, and induced me to pick up the book which I subsequently bought for my wife, but I don’t quite get their motivation – other tha...more
3.0 stars. "Eerie" is the best word I can think of to describe this classic story about a woman's slow descent into madness after suffering what appears to be the effects of postpartum depression following the birth of her child. Written in the 1890's this is a classic piece of gothic fiction. I didn't love it but certainly found it a unique story that will stay with me for sometime.
written in 1899, “The Yellow Wallpaper” details the life of a woman who travels to the country with her husband to rest following an illness that is most likely associated with post-partem depression (though this is never actually stated). She is relieved of all of her responsibilities and basically confined to the bedroom, which has a patterned yellow wallpaper that she finds hideous. As the days go by, she becomes more and more obsessed with the wallpaper and eventually loses herself within ...more
A very important skill to know as a teenager is how to successfully slander someone. This book seemed like a pretty good guide. Now I'm not saying that the message of this book is bad, but damn, she sounds like a sixteen year old girl bashing an ex boyfriend. Some lessons I found in this book:
- Discreetly martyr yourself when telling your story
- Save telling about your victories until your audience's heart is about to break
- Appear weak and make your enemy appear strong
...more
- Discreetly martyr yourself when telling your story
- Save telling about your victories until your audience's heart is about to break
- Appear weak and make your enemy appear strong
...more
The_Freddy
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everybody, really.
Recommended to The_Freddy by:
Jason in the first place
Reading this story was a very intense experience.
I read it for the first time and I had not clue what to expect, I didn't really know anything about the story or the author before (only that I had been recommended to read it). Seeing that it was so very short I just started reading it and oh my!
I was intrigued at the very beginning and it drew me into it with a firm grip. In this little piece there is so much to be found, to think and talk about. I went back to reading some pas...more
I read it for the first time and I had not clue what to expect, I didn't really know anything about the story or the author before (only that I had been recommended to read it). Seeing that it was so very short I just started reading it and oh my!
I was intrigued at the very beginning and it drew me into it with a firm grip. In this little piece there is so much to be found, to think and talk about. I went back to reading some pas...more
A very creepy short story about a woman who is slowly losing her mind. Her doctor husband thinks it is only a case of the nerves and never listens to her or her requests which just make her worse. She becomes obsessed with ugly yellow wallpaper and it slowly takes over her life.
I would say she suffered from normal depression and more than likely postpartum depression (because she tells us that she has a child but can't bear to deal with it now). But as she goes further and further...more
I would say she suffered from normal depression and more than likely postpartum depression (because she tells us that she has a child but can't bear to deal with it now). But as she goes further and further...more
CPG is pretty under-rated I think. I feel like even those not wanting to recognize the deep feminist overtones and an early version of The Problem With No Name that Betty Friedan would come to analyze in The Feminine Mystique can still enjoy this as a psychological drama. I'm surprised it hasn't be appropriated by the film industry as a horror film- it's that spooky. If you made the narrator wear tight jeans and a tank top and instead of being married she was promiscuous, you could have a summer...more
Alex
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
terrible husbands
Recommended to Alex by:
crazy ladies
Got to this a little late, but I got there. I thought it was...very good? Writing style grabbed me and kept me engaged. I found the symbolism a little obvious. By comparison, Wilde was writing at the same time and I thought his way of talking about being trapped by society was subtler and weirder. But this was sharp, modern, intense writing; you could also compare it to something like Dracula (1895), which is miles behind it.
What it really should be compared to is Florence Marryat's B...more
What it really should be compared to is Florence Marryat's B...more
I planned on reading the extremely short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for months now because of the positive reactions from other respected bloggers. I downloaded it onto my Nook, and once I read The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski, I knew that The Yellow Wallpaper had to be next. But I took my time, and when Chrisbookarama peer-pressured recently urged others to read it, I thought, "Seriously, it's only fifteen pages, what have I been waiting for?"
I read it ...more
I read it ...more
This short story is considered a piece of feminist fiction. As you read it, you can see why. It chronicles a short time in the life of a woman ailing from a "nervous condition". Since we are given the detail that she does have a young child, this condition could very likely be be post- partum depression. Husband whisks her away to a rented estate in the country to cure her of her "nervous condition". She is staying in a room that she describes as an old playroom or nurse...more
After it languished a year in my Google library I finally sat and read this short story by CPG. Wow. This story is a 1st person narrative by an unnamed woman as she chronicles her descent into madness. From the beginning our narrator lets us know that she's got a "nervous condition," so much so that her husband, John, a doctor, doesn't want her doing anything taxing - not even writing, but she does it anyway. In diary-like entries, she describes the romantic colonial mansion they're re...more
Dans cette nouvelle, Charlotte Perkins Gilman aborde le thème de la folie et, en filigrane, de la situation de la femme à la fin du 19e siècle aux États-Unis: si les techniques et l'industrie font de grandes avancées, le rôle social attribué à la femme ne change par contre pas du tout. On attend d'elle qu'elle soit une épouse dévouée, une bonne mère, une fée du logis et, ce faisant, on l'enferme dans celui-ci. Ici, cet enfermement est encore accentué : afin de lui donner envie de revenir "à...more
I'm going to give this one a second read-through, because I have a hunch my opinions may change.
First Read: The story gives a glimpse of would it be like to literally go crazy, which is especially commendable considering it is only 18 pages long. The fact that it was written over a hundred years ago makes the "rest cure" idea plausible (it would have been helpful to know when I started reading--my fault--the entire time I was thinking, "No one would actually do that!"...more
First Read: The story gives a glimpse of would it be like to literally go crazy, which is especially commendable considering it is only 18 pages long. The fact that it was written over a hundred years ago makes the "rest cure" idea plausible (it would have been helpful to know when I started reading--my fault--the entire time I was thinking, "No one would actually do that!"...more
I'm kind of surprised that I hadn't heard of this work until recently. This short story chronicles one woman's descent into madness. When her physician husband prescribes rest and solitude as the cure for her post-partum depression, she wants to believe that he knows what he's talking about.
He doesn't.
She is confined to the room with the yellow wallpaper and she sinks fast. Creepy, and all the more so because it seems so real.
He doesn't.
She is confined to the room with the yellow wallpaper and she sinks fast. Creepy, and all the more so because it seems so real.
If you like stories of madness, then you will like this. The Yellow Wallpaper tells the story of a woman with a mental disease that her husband— a physician— refuses to acknowledge. It is never revealed if it’s general depression, post-partum depression, or hysteria, but her narration brings you through her downward spiral regardless.
Written in a journal style, the elements of madness are riveting, bringing in more sensory perception than just sight— she smells the yellow wallpaper...more
Written in a journal style, the elements of madness are riveting, bringing in more sensory perception than just sight— she smells the yellow wallpaper...more
Un texte très court du 19ème siècle sur la "thérapie" imposée à une jeune femme qu'on devine devoir souffrir de dépression postpartum : le schéma clinique alors très répandu de la femme hystérique conduit à l'enfermer dans sa chambre et à la priver de toute activité. Évidemment, loin de lui redonner le goût de vivre, ce confinement la rend particulièrement sensible aux moindres détails de sa chambre qui devient son seul horizon et elle sombre dans une fascination morbide pour son papie...more
Great epistolary. I have to admit I didn't like it when I first read it, even thinking it was a whiny piece of gibberish diarrhoeated out as this sickly yellowish muck of writing.
But, like all good students (or analysers), I got deeper and interpreted line by line using a myriad of imaginative and googled hints, watched some Youtube videos, troughed sparknotes and etc. I have come to appreciate the irony and her fervent use of beautiful colloquial language. I almost like interpreting...more
But, like all good students (or analysers), I got deeper and interpreted line by line using a myriad of imaginative and googled hints, watched some Youtube videos, troughed sparknotes and etc. I have come to appreciate the irony and her fervent use of beautiful colloquial language. I almost like interpreting...more
I downloaded the free version onto my Kindle. It didn't have an introduction or any commentary. All I knew before I started reading was that it was a creepy short-story about a woman's descent into madness. I didn't even know when it was written or where or when the story was supposed to have taken place.
I thought that telling the story solely through the narrator's diary entries was really interesting and unique...the slow slide into insanity was so plainly evident in her writing. It...more
I thought that telling the story solely through the narrator's diary entries was really interesting and unique...the slow slide into insanity was so plainly evident in her writing. It...more
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is one of the creepiest, most memorable stories I've ever read. It's the kind of subtle, psychological horror that worms its way into your psyche and lingers long after the reading is done. Doesn't pack the same punch to the solar plexus as Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, but comes pretty damned close.
Sometimes dreadful interior design can be scary and in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" it can literally drive someone mad. The true horror of the story however, is not the hideous décor of the narrator's bedroom but her mistreatment at the hands of John; her husband and physician. Negating her every instinct or idea of self perseveration while constantly chiding and coddling her and keeping her isolated in a country home, away from her work and her friends, are the go...more
The following is an excerpt from the blog post I wrote about the book. For the full review see my blog: http://uglyfeminist.blogspot.com/2012/01...
I opened the book with a clear thought, read slowly and try to be understanding. Coming from someone who already deals with clarity, that’s asking a lot.
Mrs. Perkins Gilman’s writing, if anything is convincing in the portrayal of the insanity of the main character. The spoutings of a lunatic hit a little to close to home....more
I opened the book with a clear thought, read slowly and try to be understanding. Coming from someone who already deals with clarity, that’s asking a lot.
Mrs. Perkins Gilman’s writing, if anything is convincing in the portrayal of the insanity of the main character. The spoutings of a lunatic hit a little to close to home....more
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Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a prominent American sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and non fiction, and a lecturer for social reform. She was a utopian feminist during a time when her accomplishments were exceptional for women, and she served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle. Her best remembered work today i...more
More about Charlotte Perkins Gilman...
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