Set in upper-class, patriarchal Louisiana society, ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin is one of the first works of feminist literature in American history. So many of the themes, sentiments, and struggles depicted in this book read as if they could have been written today. But they weren’t. The novel was written in 1899, forcing the reader to confront how much has really changed (or not) for American women in 126 years. Columbia University’s Rachel Adams, who wrote a foreword for an edition to the book, and Erin Entrada Kelly, a Louisiana native and award-winning author, both say that American women’s inability “to win” as a wife, mother, and individual are very much the same.March 15, 2025