The Awakening: Introduction
Welcome to this unit of study on Kate Chopin's short 1889 novel, The Awakening. Set in New Orleans and the Louisiana Gulf coast, the novel's protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is a young woman who struggles to adapt to the conventions and expectations of a society she has married into. In particular, Edna cannot reconcile the conservatism of married life, of domesticity, and motherhood, which stifle her own romantic, artistic, and creative desires. The novel was considered scandalous on publication. Widely regarded as an early work of feminist literature, contemporary readers may find the work less obviously scandalous, although many of its themes are no less germane. We hope you enjoy your study of the work and working with the materials on these pages.
Welcome to this unit of study on Kate Chopin's short 1889 novel, The Awakening. Chopin is on the Prescribed Reading List (PRL). These pages have been written specifically with IB students in mind, and address such things as global issues and the requirements of IB examinations. The pages are organised into before, during, and after reading sections. The tasks and activities are directed to students for their use. There are more materials than you are likely to need, and you should therefore decide what you would like to include as you teach and study the novel. As ever, you may supplement our materials with others, and you may modify them to meet your own requirements. In addition, it is important that you read the novel and any materials we publish to ensure that they are appropriate to your own local context. We hope that you and your students enjoy working with the materials!
The Awakening: Before Reading
Welcome to this unit of study on Kate Chopin’s short novel from 1899, The Awakening. Chopin is on the Prescribed Reading List (PRL). These pages have been written specifically with IB students in mind,...
The Awakening: While Reading - Chapters 1-10
The materials on this page are designed to support your students as they read Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. The materials include generic advice to your students as they read the novel and, for...
The Awakening: While Reading - Chapters 11-19
The materials on this page are designed to support your students as they read Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. The materials include generic advice to your students as they read the novel and, for...
The Awakening: While Reading - Chapters 20-39
The materials on this page are designed to support your students as they read Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. The materials include generic advice to your students as they read the novel and, for...
The Awakening: After Reading - 1. Initial Ideas
The following tasks and activities are intended for teaching and studying Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. It is not required that students study all of the materials, and you may decide the order...
The Awakening: After Reading - 3. Race
The following tasks and activities are intended for teaching and studying Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. It is not required that students study all of the materials, and you may decide the order...
The Awakening: After Reading - 4. Symbolism
The following tasks and activities are intended for teaching and studying Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. It is not required that students study all of the materials, and you may decide the order...
The Awakening: After Reading - 5. Structure
The following tasks and activities are intended for teaching and studying Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening. It is not required that students study all of the materials, and you may decide the order...