Nina Baym

Provides in-depth analysis of the literary work The Scarlet Letter, as well as its importance and critical reception. Includes a chronology of the life and works of the author.

"When Kate Chopin's classic was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's reputation. But a century after her death, The Awakening is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement and a celebrated work of early feminist literature. Through careful, subtle changes of style, Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who...