The Awakening follows the story of Edna Pontellier, a discontented housewife, who is vacationing with her family near New Orleans. While there she befriends Adele, whose womanly charm and contentment is in striking contrast to Edna, and Robert Lebrun, the man with whom she begins a romantic relationship. Through these relationships Edna begins to realize how deeply unhappy she is with her life as a wife and mother, but finds herself unable to find fulfillment because of society's constraints. A classic of modern literature, the novel explores women's role in society and the importance of self-expression.
Boasting the largest collection of book summaries, BookRags is the best option for titles you can't find elsewhere. They offer all of the basics (quotes, chapter summary, characters, historical context, literary criticism) but also walk through a few major topics that recur throughout the book, which can be particularly useful for essay writing.
Boasting the largest collection of book summaries, BookRags is the best option for titles you can't find elsewhere. They offer all of the basics (quotes, chapter summary, characters, historical context, literary criticism) but also walk through a few major topics that recur throughout the book, which can be particularly useful for essay writing.
The most popular website for book notes. SparkNotes was created by students for students, and their summaries are accessible and extremely well-written. Besides the usual plot overview, chapter summaries, and character analysis, SparkNotes differentiates itself with a section discussing themes, motifs, and symbols.
The original provider of professionally-written study guides, Cliffs Notes were available in print form before the Internet even existed. Their content is very comprehensive and includes an analysis of characters, detailed chapter by chapter summaries, critical essays, essay topics, and many other sections.
You won't get any frills with GradeSaver -- just the content you expect. Their study guides include a full plot summary, themes and character analysis, study questions, and the e-text of the book. One hidden gem is their collection of literature essays, but you'll have to pay for it.
If you're bored by traditional book notes, try Shmoop! They write their summaries in an approachable, entertaining style. Their comprehensive offering includes chapter by chapter summaries, themes, quotes, character analysis, study quizzes, and even flash cards and infographics.
From the creators of SparkNotes, this website tracks which chapters each theme and symbol appear in. You can also search for quotes by character or theme. Highly recommended if you are writing an essay on a particular theme or character.
Very bare bones and an out-of-date web design. You'll find a character list, book summary, and author biography on this site, but it's not as comprehensive as other providers.