Charlotte Perkins Gilman, c. 1900, from wikipedia, in the public domain
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's haunting short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," comments on the prevailing treatments for women suffering from "nervous disorders.
During the time in which Gilman was writing, women's roles in society were shifting ever so slightly, yet there was still a considerable movement to contain women. They were "
hysterical" and subject to "nervous disorders," and the best way to treat this problems was with total bedrest. This confinement to the
domestic sphere can be, as Gilman shows us, utterly destructive. Gilman emphatically states that she wrote this story with a specific purpose in mind: "to save people from being driven crazy" (
"Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper").
Check out these
illustrations from
The New England Magazine in 1892...
3 comments:
What a compelling story!
It is so hard to believe how times have changed and to see all of the opportunities that are readily available for women now.
To read a story such as "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows young women how the road was paved for us along with the challenges that were faced and overcome.
I was unaware of this story until reading about it in your blog. I did a search on YouTube, and thanks to Timkukula, came across this beautifully portrayed video replication of "The Yellow Wallpaper". You should definitely watch it! Thanks for the post Dr. J!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e379RzymoIs
Hi Heather!
Thanks so much for the comment. This story is really good--I wish you could've been in the Lit class to be part of the discussion:) Thanks for the video link!
oh, I wish you were watching "Mad Men" with me--there's so much good stuff that parallels these themes.
I'm thinking specifically of a scene from early in the first season. Betty is a typical "successful" housewife of the day (huge house in the suburbs, husband a successful ad-man, two kids, beautiful clothes, etc), and of course is treated more as an accessory for her husband's image than a thinking, feeling human being. She is dealing with depression and considering therapy (among other things, her mother died 3 months prior). Her husband dismisses her with "How can you be unhappy? You have everything!"
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