When taking an English degree, one simply does not have time to read for pleasure *sigh*.
This is definitely a shame, as the love of a good book is likely to have been the motivation for most to take up the degree in the first place – it’s a little ironic, really. This may even be the case whether you’re an English undergraduate or not due, to the hectic life of a student. However, the sound of a short story can be very tempting given that it means that I can probably reach the end without neglecting my uni reading list. With this thought in mind, I perused the interweb in hope to come across an exciting tale of drama and woe, and I happened to stumble upon The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
The name sounded vaguely familiar to me, possibly from A-Level classes or literacy festivals, but the late nineteenth century, Victorian vibe really intrigued me. If that wasn’t enough to draw me in (I’m showing my true inner book-worm here) it’s use of psychological discourse and feminist message had excited me more so. And with that, I proceeded to read the story, feeling strangely satisfied having read the entirety in such a short space of time. The plot follows a woman who, with her husband John (a physician), rents an old mansion over the summer period. The wife is instructed to relax, engage in regular exercise and to eat well as a break from working, this was to soothe her temporary nervous depression, “a slight hysterical tendency”. Hysteria within this novella is very much associated with this female protagonist and reveals the sexist and often misogynistic views of medical science within the nineteenth century.
It’s not difficult to feel the frustration of the protagonist, whose condition deteriorates as she spends so much time cooped up within this room. She starts to fall into a state of psychosis due to the lack of mental stimulation. There is a clear statement being tackled here, and that is the source of the woman’s so called ‘hysteria’. It evolves from her lack of freedom essentially. There is no wonder why this story is considered as so significant in terms of American feminist literature. This story was certainly a delight to read and an eye opener to the challenges and restrictions women of the past have faced. It is a reminder of the freedom that women are able to enjoy and experience in society today, and an apt choice proceeding International Woman’s Week. I highly recommend it!