The Yellow Wall-Paper
Description
A haunting psychological portrait of confinement and resistance, this groundbreaking 1892 novella follows a woman confined to a bedroom and prescribed complete passivity as a "cure" for her postpartum depression. Forbidden from writing or engaging in meaningful activity, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the hypnotic pattern of the yellow wallpaper surrounding her, eventually creating an alternate reality within its faded design. Narrated through her secret journal entries with stunning psychological precision, Charlotte Perkins Gilman captures one woman's descent into madness while simultaneously documenting the devastating consequences of denying women agency and self-expression. The novella's exploration of medical gaslighting, female autonomy, and the dangers of enforced passivity has secured its place as a cornerstone of American literature and feminist thought. A powerful and unsettling meditation on freedom, identity, and the human cost of silencing women's voices.
Available Editions
paperback
The Feminist Press
Published Jan 1, 1996
62 pages
ISBN: 9781558611580
paperback
Bedford Books
Published Jan 1, 1998
377 pages
ISBN: 9780312132927
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Details
First Published
1996
Language
eng
Featured in Challenges
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.