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Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Yellow Wallpaper

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I was not prepared for this book. Not prepared for the story, the symbolism, the sadness, or the size. The story, itself, is only 25 pages long. It was published in 1892, overlooked for some 50 years and then republished by The Feminine Press.

I don't want to give away anything about the story. I knew nothing of it when I started and feel that sometimes it's nice to approach a book or movie without any preconceived notions. Giman's writing is rich with symbolism. Her portrayal of the main character's situation is masterful. This is a book I will think about for years to come. It is not a happy story, but it is meaningful.

13 comments:

Gentle Reader said...

I read this in college and it made a huge impact on me then. Makes me think I should read it again now...through the lens of experience...thanks for the post!

Joy said...

Hmmm...I'm going to look into this a little more; you have me intrigued. :)

jenclair said...

I, too, read it in college, but also several times since.

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is a good companion piece.

Anonymous said...

I'm intriqued, too.

It's now in the public domain, so, you can read the whole thing online. Project Gutenberg has a text and ebook format of it:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1952

Melwyk said...

I too read this, and Kate Chopin, in college, and have never forgotten them.

SuziQoregon said...

You have me intrigued too. Will have to look for this.

Anonymous said...

I read this story in my AP English class..oh about 6 years ago. I must say it was one of the only short stories I actually enjoyed.

Lover of Books said...

I remember a friend of mine trying to write a play based off of it. I think I will try to find it. :)

Cardine said...

In my English class we also watched a short movie that was made from this book. It was pretty eerie.

Alyson said...

Count me in as intrigued as well. I'm going to put this one my TBR list.

Random Kath said...

I remember when I was much younger I saw a performance of this story on PBS and it has stuck with me for, oh, 25 years. I read the short story several years after that and I revisit it every so often - the force of it hit me more as I grew older and understood more of what was going on . . .

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, this story packs a punch all right. An absolute must-read for every woman, I think.

Anonymous said...

i just read that there was a movie made from this story (The Yellow Wallpaper). And i would like to known the name of this movie,..if anyone knows. it would be greatly appreciated..mainly because im doing research on this story and its author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Good looking..