wallpaper
the yellow wall paper
first published in 1892 the yellow wall paper is written as the secret journal of a woman who failing to relish the joys of marriage and motherhood is sentenced to a country rest cure . though she longs to write her husband and doctor forbid it prescribing instead complete passivity . in the involuntary confinement of her bedroom the hero creates a reality of her own beyond the hypnotic pattern of the faded yellow wallpaper a pattern that has come to symbolize her own imprisonment . narrated with superb psychological and dramatic precision the yellow wall paper stands out not only for the imaginative authenticity with which it depicts one womans descent into insanity but also for the power of its testimony to the importance of freedom and self empowerment for women . br suggested for course use in br family studies br feminist thought br history of medicine br 19th century u.s. literature br psychology br charlotte perkins gilman 1860 1935 was a feminist writer lecturer and activist . her many other works include herland and women and economics .
gilmans turn of the century feminist novel offers a portrait of a marriage and describes the experiences of a woman suffering a nervous breakdown