This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader?s notes to help the modern reader contend with Kate Chopin's themes and language. As the title suggests, The Awakening, published in 1899, tells the story of one woman?s emergence from the conventional Victorian role of wife and mother to face the social consequences of seeking personal fulfillment. More than a mere argument in support of freedom and equality for women, it is a compelling depiction of the subtle burdens that had been traditionally borne by women and the awareness that perhaps there are options.