“the yellow wallpaper” charlotte perkins-gilman. published story in 1899; overlooked because...
Post on 13-Jan-2016
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“The Yellow Wallpaper”“The Yellow Wallpaper”
Charlotte Perkins-GilmanCharlotte Perkins-Gilman
• Published story in 1899; overlooked because women were not expected as writers
• Women basically wrote about “the domestic sphere” which was not seen as important in the patriarchal (male-dominated) society
• When it was written, in literature: • Women = Emotion• Men = Reason
• Story rediscovered by the feminist criticism in the 1970-80s
• Feminist criticism challenged “the literary canon” (which was made up of [dead] white males)
• Primary critics were males
The Roots of the Story• Written after Perkins-Gilman was treated
by Dr. Weir for female “hysteria” with the “rest cure”
• No knowledge/understanding of postpartum depression (Reason/logic says babies are happy, not depressing)
• “Rest Cure” = all domestic activities/rest; no/limited intellectual activities; anything involving thinking was prohibited
• For Perkins-Gilman, this was especially cruel because she was a writer
Basic Plot of the Story• Setting:
– Late 1800s/Early 1900s– Science > Imagination– Abandoned mansion with bars
on the windows, shackles on the walls, and bolts on the bed legs
• Characters of Upper Middle Class– 1st Person Narrator—Jane
(wife/mother)– John (husband/doctor)
Look for the Symbolism of…
• Jane • Husband• Journal• Room
• Wallpaper• Color Yellow• Rope• Illness
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