The Awakening and Selected Stories
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- Create Date：2021-09-17 08:54:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kate Chopin
- ISBN：0142437328
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Summary
When The Awakening was first published in 1899， charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's literary and social reputation。 But a century after her death， it is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement。
Through careful， subtle changes of style， Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier， a young wife and mother who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom。
In her introduction， Sandra M。 Gilbert considers the issues explored in the novel and the stories collected here （including "Emancipation，" "At the 'Cadian Ball，" and "Désirée's Baby"） from their growth out of the feminist literary tradition of the nineteenth century， to their place among other concerns of fin de siècle writers in America and Europe， to their impact on contemporary feminist writing。
--back cover
Through careful， subtle changes of style， Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier， a young wife and mother who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom。
In her introduction， Sandra M。 Gilbert considers the issues explored in the novel and the stories collected here （including "Emancipation，" "At the 'Cadian Ball，" and "Désirée's Baby"） from their growth out of the feminist literary tradition of the nineteenth century， to their place among other concerns of fin de siècle writers in America and Europe， to their impact on contemporary feminist writing。
--back cover
Reviews
Valerie
，
The Awakening - 4，5Selected Stories - einige 5， einige 2。 Alles wie immer。
Joy
，
for ‘The Awakening’ only:devastating yet alluring。i loved edna’s character so much; her turmoil and spiritual awakening created depth in her character and i enjoyed how the focus remained on her for the entirety of the novel。exquisite writing too。wow。 the way it wrapped up definitely hurt， though。
Julie Kuvakos
，
4。5 ⭐️ “The voice of the sea is seductive， never ceasing， whispering， clamoring， murmuring， inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude。” I ended up feeling really sad by the end。 I’m conflicted by how I feel about Edna。。。 I couldn’t understand some of her decisions。 But at the same time I couldn’t help but be happy for her own personal awakening as a woman。 Tragically it doesn’t seem to end well so I wonder what the message is here。 Possibly that the restraints on woman in the late 1890s 4。5 ⭐️ “The voice of the sea is seductive， never ceasing， whispering， clamoring， murmuring， inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude。” I ended up feeling really sad by the end。 I’m conflicted by how I feel about Edna。。。 I couldn’t understand some of her decisions。 But at the same time I couldn’t help but be happy for her own personal awakening as a woman。 Tragically it doesn’t seem to end well so I wonder what the message is here。 Possibly that the restraints on woman in the late 1890s could cause this kind of inner turmoil for woman who did not find fulfillment as a wife and mother constantly taking orders from her husband。 Giving her a feeling of being trapped。 Very sad。 Somewhere near the end there was a phrase saying that having affairs with married people was the fashion of the time。 I’ll have to look into this and see if this was factual。 I had never heard this before。 Seems so scandalous and I feel would be seen that way even in this era。 But I can’t help but wonder if this had something to do with that women felt so trapped that they went to these measures and simply called it the fad。 Kate Chopins writing style was absolutely beautiful。 The symbolism of the caged bird at the beginning was Edna feeling caged with her societal role。 The imagery of the sea and the way this was threaded into the story throughout was beautiful。 As a pianist I loved all the scenes with the pianist friend and her role was also interesting as a way to show Edna’s future as a liberated woman in older age。 Society saw her as a miserable woman while Edna looked up to her as the most amazing woman it seemed。 She was a woman alone。 This was quite a breath of fresh air for me to read。 I hadn’t ever read anything like it but look forward to my next reads that will have similar themes regarding femme fatale and liberation of women。 。。。more
Héctor Contreras Miranda
，
LOVE IT！AMAHAZING！GOLD STAR！ QUEEN！ok， maybe not but YESi didn't LOVE IT but i did like it like a lot although I'm not entirely sure why or how muchi have no words， ok， maybe i do have some wordsi'm not convinced a woman doesn't currently have a way to travel back to the late 19th century to live under the name of Kate Chopin and write this。 Why does this feels so contemporary？ I'm not saying old works can't resonate with modern audiences， because they can， but if someone where to give me this t LOVE IT！AMAHAZING！GOLD STAR！ QUEEN！ok， maybe not but YESi didn't LOVE IT but i did like it like a lot although I'm not entirely sure why or how muchi have no words， ok， maybe i do have some wordsi'm not convinced a woman doesn't currently have a way to travel back to the late 19th century to live under the name of Kate Chopin and write this。 Why does this feels so contemporary？ I'm not saying old works can't resonate with modern audiences， because they can， but if someone where to give me this to read without any context I would assume this was written within the last ten years， and I would be criticizing it for taking too many liberties with historical accuracy but the fact that this is 122 years old is just W O W ！ ！ ！ Like JUST READ IT！I won't say she was "ahead of her time" for writing this because i find it's dismissive of all the other women who felt something like this at any given moment in history， but seriously how was this published and entered the mainstream without Kate literally burning at a stake is astounding。 Plus it is still in print！again WOW！！！ 。。。more
Diana
，
I could go on about why I didn’t like it， but it would just be a ramble。 As for the rest of the stories I read summaries for most and sensed a theme I’m not in the mood for。
Madelynne
，
Once again， only read "The Awakening" and "Desiree's Baby" for class。 This time around， however， I think I'm more intrigued by Chopin's writing to consider coming back to this at a later time to read the rest。 Once again， only read "The Awakening" and "Desiree's Baby" for class。 This time around， however， I think I'm more intrigued by Chopin's writing to consider coming back to this at a later time to read the rest。 。。。more
Dylan Mazur
，
Some people criticize this story for the way Edna acts and feels towards her husband and children， but they don't take into account that there are multiple viewpoints presented by different characters throughout the story。 The obvious examples are the other wives/mothers and Robert， who avoids Edna， knowing that indulging their passion is not worth the cost of breaking up a family。 For a piece of feminist literature that apparently preaches selfhood， it seems to me that all the people around her Some people criticize this story for the way Edna acts and feels towards her husband and children， but they don't take into account that there are multiple viewpoints presented by different characters throughout the story。 The obvious examples are the other wives/mothers and Robert， who avoids Edna， knowing that indulging their passion is not worth the cost of breaking up a family。 For a piece of feminist literature that apparently preaches selfhood， it seems to me that all the people around her are the voices of reason， while Edna sacrifices herself to her whims （acutely self-conscious of what she is doing）:"I don't want anything but my own way。 That is wanting a good deal， of course， when you have to trample upon the lives， the hearts， the prejudices of others - but no matter - still， I shouldn't want to trample upon the little lives。"If 'The Awakening' had occured earlier， before marriage and children， I don't think there would have been as much of an issue with Edna's character。 I felt this book was more about "responsibility versus selfishness" than "oppression versus freedom"， so I could see how victorian readers would perceive her poorly。 But， on the other hand， I could also see how it could be interpreted as an immoral piece of fiction espousing female sexual promiscuity by the prudish standards of insecure 19th century critics。 By today's standards， however， it is very tame， and I don't recommend it if you're looking for something more erotic。 The sauciest thing that happens in this book is a couple of hand touches and some kissing on a sofa。I enjoyed the first third of the story that took place by the ocean， felt the second third in the city dragged and introduced too many side characters， and enjoyed the last third after Robert returns。 The writing was first rate。 Kate Chopin was very good at expressing feelings and adding little touches to make the scenes feel alive。 I look forward to reading her short stories included in this collection。 ★★★ out of ★★★★★。 。。。more
Eva
，
Ett mästerverk， som påminner mig om Virginia Woolf， så Chopin känns som en föregångare。 'The Awakening' är så mycket mer än ännu ett exempel på det avslutande 1800-talets 'Nya Kvinna'， Chopin är skicklig i sitt gestaltande av kvinnans inre liv， som en tidig 'Stream of consciousness'， kreativiteten vaknar， hon söker nya vägar， bejakar sig själv。 Historien är också sprängfylld av symbolspråk。 Jag var först besviken på att historien tycks sluta med ett självmord， vilket på 1800-talet tycktes vara d Ett mästerverk， som påminner mig om Virginia Woolf， så Chopin känns som en föregångare。 'The Awakening' är så mycket mer än ännu ett exempel på det avslutande 1800-talets 'Nya Kvinna'， Chopin är skicklig i sitt gestaltande av kvinnans inre liv， som en tidig 'Stream of consciousness'， kreativiteten vaknar， hon söker nya vägar， bejakar sig själv。 Historien är också sprängfylld av symbolspråk。 Jag var först besviken på att historien tycks sluta med ett självmord， vilket på 1800-talet tycktes vara den allenarådande lösningen som manliga författare erbjöd， jag vill inte att Chopins frimodiga amerikanska ska gå på samma myt。 Men sedan ser jag symbolerna och inser att Ednas historia är en rituell， cirkelrörelse， som börjar i havet när hon lär sig simma， och stiger upp som om en ny varelse efter ett dop， eller som en nyskapad Afrodite， och det är dit hon återvänder när människornas värld inte kan ta emot henne helhjärtat。Min utgåva innehåller även 12 noveller， skrivna tidigare under 1890-talet。 Det är friska intressanta historier， väl värda att läsas。 。。。more
June
，
Some classic don’t age well。 Trying to care about this woman’s desire for independent is dampened by the references to ‘darkies’ and ‘quadroons。’ Even without that it is tedious。
Rachel Lu
，
More and more， it seems like I read books in snippets， a few pages or chapters at a time， forcing myself to sit still and stay focused on the text in front of me。 I’ve discussed with multiple friends this strange disenchantment， the inability for novels to wholly draw me into their world as they did when I was younger so that I would sit for hours on end enveloped in the ineffable magical quality of the novel。 I randomly picked up The Awakening this week as I was sifting through books I own but More and more， it seems like I read books in snippets， a few pages or chapters at a time， forcing myself to sit still and stay focused on the text in front of me。 I’ve discussed with multiple friends this strange disenchantment， the inability for novels to wholly draw me into their world as they did when I was younger so that I would sit for hours on end enveloped in the ineffable magical quality of the novel。 I randomly picked up The Awakening this week as I was sifting through books I own but have never read， and I decided for no apparent reason at all to read this story that I had started a few years ago but never finished。 So it is all the more surprising then that The Awakening lulled me into its oceanic cradle from the first scene of the Pontelliers vacationing off the coast of New Orleans to the final images of the undulating waves。 I had zero anticipations going into this book， much less expected a five-star read out of it， but there is an inexplicable magnetism to The Awakening。 More than just wanting to nestle within its beautiful prose， I think I was morbidly eager to understand Edna’s self-destructive and simultaneously liberating actions and see what fate had in store for this woman who has disregarded her society's pressures and demands。When The Awakening was first published in 1899， the novel ruined Kate Chopin’s career and social standing。 One would think that prior novels which feature female marital infidelity， such as Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina that were almost instant classics， would set the stage for The Awakening such that Chopin would not face the backlash she did。 But that was France and Russia and those were male authors and， well， Kate Chopin faced a gender disadvantage in a Puritanical America that did not excuse the immorality of her book。 And shocking still is people’s reactions TODAY to The Awakening。 Most of the criticism I’ve seen revolves around Edna’s selfishness and promiscuity。 She is spoiled， confused and apparently undeserving and unworthy of the reader’s sympathy。 Wow。 After 120 years， it is so clear through these people’s comments （just look below at the Goodreads reviews） that we are very much so still operating under the male gaze that strips a woman from her gender and sexuality unless it has to do with motherhood。 What is it about Edna’s sensuality and sexual awakening that disfigures everyone’s perception of this book？ Of course Edna is selfish， this is not disputable， but to focus on that character flaw so much as to magnify that trait and let it swallow Edna’s character is to ignore the lack of autonomy she has， the marriage she is trapped in， her robotic perfunctory movements that she has been performing up until now as a way to placate societal expectations。 Once， when she is sunburned， Edna’s husband “look[ed] at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” and that is exactly how he views her—as a piece of property （44）。 I am not endorsing Edna’s affairs， but I simply don’t understand how you cannot feel even a morsel of sympathy for Edna who is trapped in a domestic bubble that she cannot pop。 Rather than view her with contempt， how can readers not see the tragic story of a woman （don’t read any further than this if you don’t want a spoiler！！！） whose only liberation can be found in death。 And is her act not selfless in a way at the end， when she is thinks of Madame Ratignolle’s last words to her （"'Think of the children， Edna。 Oh think of the children！ Remember them！'"） and of her own earlier remarks to Madame Ratignolle （"she would give up the unessential， but she would never sacrifice herself for her children"）？ She does think of the children， giving herself up to the sea so that her own reputation may not stain their societal position in the future， but remains true to her own essence by not letting herself be shackled by society’s demands of how she should behave。 Edna is not a character I’m particularly fond of， but I am very sympathetic towards her situation， and her character doesn’t color my perception of this beautifully written， revolutionary， feminist fin de siecle novel。I borrowed this book from my friend some years ago， and I should probably return it to her soon。 I must have my own to highlight and underline and peruse fondly from time to time。 。。。more
Alana
，
A daring novella for its time， this feminist classic follows a young， married， well-to-do New Orleans woman who decides to abandon the expectations of her gendered role。
Lesley
，
A wonderful， if not primarily gloomy， collection of stories。 All of them ahead of their time。 The Awakening on its own is worth reading， if only to follow along with the tragic path Edna Pontellier found herself on， but there were so many other eye-opening， heartbreaking stories in this collection。 I genuinely enjoyed the majority of them， which I can’t often say for too many classics such as these。
June
，
The Awakening is one of those books whose importance in the literary canon is unquestionable， yet I find it hard to feel warm fuzzies about it or pick it up to read in my comfy chair。 This edition features a new introduction by Claire Vaye Watkins which meanders from repeating a selections of facts and assertions from Emily Toth's Chopin biography （including a suggestion in a rather flippant tone that Kate may have been raped at age 13） to a discussion of "wokeness" and back again。 Why not just The Awakening is one of those books whose importance in the literary canon is unquestionable， yet I find it hard to feel warm fuzzies about it or pick it up to read in my comfy chair。 This edition features a new introduction by Claire Vaye Watkins which meanders from repeating a selections of facts and assertions from Emily Toth's Chopin biography （including a suggestion in a rather flippant tone that Kate may have been raped at age 13） to a discussion of "wokeness" and back again。 Why not just ask Toth to write the foreword instead？This edition also features 12 other stories that represent the breadth of Chopin's career。 It is a useful version to add to a syllabus or just to get more acquainted with this irreplaceable author。Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review。 。。。more
Thomé
，
"The Awakening" vem reforçar， a minha de há muito tempo convicção， de que as melhores escritoras são da América do Norte。 Existem dois clássicos absolutos da literatura mundial， que versam sobre a mesma temática desta obra， a saber: Madame Bovary e Anna Karénina; são sobre mulheres que rejeitam e abandonam o limbo esposa-mãe， que lhe é imposto pelo patriarcado， e consequente degradação moral， social， etc。。。 A grande diferença entre Flaubert，Tolstoi e Kate Chopin， foi só mesmo o facto de esta ser "The Awakening" vem reforçar， a minha de há muito tempo convicção， de que as melhores escritoras são da América do Norte。 Existem dois clássicos absolutos da literatura mundial， que versam sobre a mesma temática desta obra， a saber: Madame Bovary e Anna Karénina; são sobre mulheres que rejeitam e abandonam o limbo esposa-mãe， que lhe é imposto pelo patriarcado， e consequente degradação moral， social， etc。。。 A grande diferença entre Flaubert，Tolstoi e Kate Chopin， foi só mesmo o facto de esta ser mulher， pois enquanto os autores de Madame Bovary e Anna Karénina， continuaram a publicar， e a ser reconhecidos como génios da literatura， Kate Chopin， após a publicação de "The Awakening"， viu-se completamente ostracizada， pelas editoras， obviamente， e pela sociedade conservadora do sudeste dos Estados Unidos da América， no virar do século dezanove/vinte。Os restantes contos inclusos no livro， são pequenos episódios， tendo por base a cultura crioula francesa， da qual a autora em parte descendia。 。。。more
Lesle
，
The AwakeningKate Chopin was a Mom of five and unfortunately a Widow living in Louisiana。 After her Husband's death she was left with a huge debt that was followed shortly after the loss of her Mother leaving her extremely depressed。 Chopin's Doctor suggested she write for therapeutic and finances to help her through。 Chopin wrote The Awakening in 1899 about Edna and her struggles with social attitudes toward women。 It is also about how she perceives herself and who she actually is。 In Louisana The AwakeningKate Chopin was a Mom of five and unfortunately a Widow living in Louisiana。 After her Husband's death she was left with a huge debt that was followed shortly after the loss of her Mother leaving her extremely depressed。 Chopin's Doctor suggested she write for therapeutic and finances to help her through。 Chopin wrote The Awakening in 1899 about Edna and her struggles with social attitudes toward women。 It is also about how she perceives herself and who she actually is。 In Louisana a wife was legal property of the husband。 The story tells the struggle and desires of a woman with a want of free spirit， unrestrained life vs what was normal social behaviors expected in New Orleans of the perfect Mother， Wife and Social Hostess。Edna loves the fresh feeling music， painting， living independently of her family， and the passion of another gives her。 As she finds this self expression she is self absorbed and the consequences？ she loses the support around her。 In the end her detachment from her young boys and that responsiblitiy of motherhood are too overwhelming。 In this day and age we would call her life abusive。 4 1/2 🌟 as the story is predictable。The Story of an Hour （page 182） is a short story of Mrs。 Louise Mallard who endures heart trouble and with great care is given the news that her Husband is killed in a train accident。Oh how life is gone as she knew it。 She succumbs to grief and retreats to a room。 She is so sad， a typical marriage they had， not a bad marriage at all。 He was a loving husband in his way。 Stupor takes over。 Than positive sightings of Blue Skys and listening of Birds singing allows the grieving to soften and a sense of relief to slip in。 She will have a life of living for herself and not for her husband， a bit of freedom。 The thought lightens her heart and she leaves the room with a bit of happiness。But the sight。。。she was robbed of her freedom once again。Chopin writes with a bit of controversy subject but mostly in this story is realism， life as it was known。 4 stars 。。。more
Crispin Semmens
，
Turn of the 20thC female emancipatory stories set in the south of the USA。 Rich and nuanced descriptions， of people， place， relationships， the struggle to be oneself。
Judith
，
I mean， this was fine
Drew
，
I can't believe I avoided this one in school -- although I'm glad to come to it now， when I actually have the maturity to appreciate it。 A DOLL'S HOUSE， but set in New Orleans with some pre-modernist literary panache？ Hell yeah -- but also something I would've totally missed the point of， as a teenager。 I can't believe I avoided this one in school -- although I'm glad to come to it now， when I actually have the maturity to appreciate it。 A DOLL'S HOUSE， but set in New Orleans with some pre-modernist literary panache？ Hell yeah -- but also something I would've totally missed the point of， as a teenager。 。。。more
Lydia Velazquez
，
*didn't read 'The Awakening' because I've already read it twice*"He began to wonder if this meant love。 But she had to tell him so， before he believed it。 And when she told him， he thought the face of the Universe was changed，" pg。188 （"At the Cadian Ball"）。 *didn't read 'The Awakening' because I've already read it twice*"He began to wonder if this meant love。 But she had to tell him so， before he believed it。 And when she told him， he thought the face of the Universe was changed，" pg。188 （"At the Cadian Ball"）。 。。。more
Lizzy Seitz
，
3。0 out of 5 starsWhile this was a very well written tale， I found it lacking some things and the last 50 pages of the Awakening really lost my attention to be honest。
Jane
，
Reread from high school; I remembered almost nothing but the ending。 The writing is beautiful。
Lauren
，
I enjoyed the short stories in this book quite a bit more than The Awakening。 Chopin is at her best when she’s pithy。
james murray
，
fjshfe a b c。f。nd，adfhhDchy dc
Jeanette Diaz Michel
，
An interesting novel with different reads and literary perspectives: feminist， naturalist， etc。
Sydney Doidge
，
I really liked that The Awakening was mixed in with the other short stories。 I thought it gave some really good context to the themes in Chopin’s writing - marriage and children as a trap and suffocation came up across many of the stories。 Writing style is good， she has some very funny insults to characters and so on that don’t immediately come across as that。 That said， some French knowledge would have been nice reading this。 I also really enjoyed reading this due to family roots in the New Orl I really liked that The Awakening was mixed in with the other short stories。 I thought it gave some really good context to the themes in Chopin’s writing - marriage and children as a trap and suffocation came up across many of the stories。 Writing style is good， she has some very funny insults to characters and so on that don’t immediately come across as that。 That said， some French knowledge would have been nice reading this。 I also really enjoyed reading this due to family roots in the New Orleans area， it gave some insight into what the culture of their lives might have been like。 。。。more
Victoria
，
Ok so not only did I reread this book for the first time since high school， it was also the copy I read in high school， so in a way I was not just reading the Awakening， but reading my teenage reading of it， which was not smart or good！ the story is still good。 The short stories are hit and miss。 Might read it again in a few years with an untouched copy。
Sophie （RedheadReading）
，
Four stars for The Awakening， three stars for the collection as a whole。
freddie ✨
，
tasty
sologdin
，
A complex text。 On the one hand， it chronicles， somewhat sympathetically， worthless waste of space proprietor losers in New Orleans， who are unwilling to do anything for themselves and accordingly would not survive without their legions of anonymous servants， whom they identify on the basis of skin color alone and about whom they complain constantly despite their abject dependence thereupon （cf。 Agamben on Aristotle regarding slavery and the 'use of bodies'）—a presentation in which the Civil War A complex text。 On the one hand， it chronicles， somewhat sympathetically， worthless waste of space proprietor losers in New Orleans， who are unwilling to do anything for themselves and accordingly would not survive without their legions of anonymous servants， whom they identify on the basis of skin color alone and about whom they complain constantly despite their abject dependence thereupon （cf。 Agamben on Aristotle regarding slavery and the 'use of bodies'）—a presentation in which the Civil War is no caesura for slaveowners， except for a change in nomenclature。 We see this plainly in comparing the novel with the concomitant selected shorts， mostly set in and around New Orleans—some of which are antebellum， demonstrating an unchanged proprietor demeanor and lexicon--except that the earlier tales mention 'slaves' specifically。 This attitude toward servants persists currently in the city—we have homes marketed on the basis of no ‘white hands’ ever having worked the kitchen， say。 It’s irredeemable， no matter which time period。On the other hand， this text is certainly an important moment of gender egalitarianism， making the feminist argument for liberation from servile marriages to indifferent or cruel spouses。 In this regard， it rectifies an imbalance carried forth from the ancient world， as described by Foucault in the History of Sexuality books--how husbands maintained wives for household management and production of heirs; concubines external to the oikos for care of their persons， including sexual aesthetics; and young boys for ‘true love'--an erotic-economic quadrilateral。Chopin’s protagonist accordingly maintains a marriage that lacks desire， but features wealth and social position （which her husband is eager to preserve despite her leaving him）; an out-of-town paramour whose main function is to catalyze the liberation of her mind from an indifferent marriage and which person she very likely prefers over all others; and a convenient crosstown lover who fills the void， as it were， left by the liberator when he is unable to be physically present at all times。 Though Chopin was ostracized in her time for suggesting uxorial liberty in this novel， the modern era is thoroughly chopinized， insofar as it is not so difficult， for instance， to have become entangled simultaneously with three married women， who are quite distinguishable otherwise， in the three different roles described by this novel， i。e。， as loathed spouse， as extrajurisdictional lover-liberator， and as hot local convenient and casual fuck。 At no extra cost， all three women themselves shall be involved with all three types of person simultaneously， a quadrilateral of quadrilaterals， all because the women “apprehended instinctively the dual life—that outward which conforms， the inward life which questions” （57）， which reminds one of the Frankfurt School interpretation of Luther--and， in apprehending it， the requisite revolutionary anagnorisis， desire to escape it。In both the novel and the real situations that I’ve known， the catalyst that awakens a somnolent spouse from her dogmatic slumber is a near-death experience or some event that confronts mortality—here， a swim into the Gulf， “as she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself” （74）， the “stretch of water behind her assumed the aspect of a barrier which her unaided strength would never be able to overcome” （id。）。 When she explains this experience to her husband later， his dismissiveness triggers the inference that life is too short for indifference and cruelty—which creates the space for desire for the absentee lover: “No multitude of words could have been more significant than those moments of silence， or more pregnant with the first-felt throbbings of desire” （77）。 From there， it is more or less axiomatic that she will leave her husband—and once that seal is broken， it is beyond easy to develop a third person when the second is unable to discharge the obligations created。 She “began to feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream， a delicious， grotesque， impossible dream” （78）—almost effortless， therefore， to create erotic quadrilaterals。 It's likely， then， that this text stands for one of the practicable Rules for Affairs。 We all know the first and most basic rule--mutuality of risk and obligation （i。e。， married persons who have affairs with unmarried persons are fucking insane， say）--but here we see the chain of inferences to show that there will need to be some sort of distance between the spouse and the lover-liberator for the liberation to occur: out of town might be enough。 And the corollary: once the distant lover-liberator defaults， the local casual lover is retained。 Good times shall accordingly be had by all。Heavily recommended， especially for those living out the four-sided life。 。。。more
Carmen
，