<div><i>Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.”</i><br><br>Kate Chopin was enjoying wide popularity as a writer, mainly of short stories, when her second novel,<i>The Awakening</i>, was published to widespread criticism of its immorality. A wake-up call to women all over the country, this landmark novel of early American feminism tells of a Louisiana wife who discovers the strength of her own sexuality and tries to wrench it from the hands of a patriarchal society. And just as Edna Pontellier is ostracized for trying to master her own sexual fate, so did Chopin’s reputation suffer after she wrote this book. Today<i>The Awakening</i> is considered a masterpiece and, along with Chopin’s short stories, has set a standard for younger generations of women who have learned to value their independence and authenticity.<br><br>Edited and with an Introduction by Barbara H. Solomon and with a New Afterword by Roxane Gay.</div>