READ: 26.07.17

BOOK: The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories

AUTHOR: Charlotte Perkins

GENRE: Short Story

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is written as the secret journal of a woman who, failing to relish in the joys of marriage and motherhood, is sentenced to a country rest 'cure'. She is confined to her bedroom and forbidden to write even though she longs to. The story does not only powerfully depict one woman's descent into insanity but also shows the importance of freedom and self-empowerment for woman. My edition also came with the stories: 'When I Was A Witch', 'Turned', 'Making A Change', and 'If I Were A Man'.

REVIEW: 'The Yellow Wallpaper' was also a story I have to read for school, and it is relatively short seeing as it is 6,000 words, which meant I could read it very quickly. It was a really interesting short story, and I was highly intrigued by the ever-growing sense of insanity within the narrator's voice, and I was engrossed by the ever changing tone and voice of the narrator. I was also slightly creeped out towards the end, and I'm not exactly sure why! I really enjoyed this short story, and found it raised some really important questions about the way women were viewed in the period this story was written in.

I was slightly underwhelmed by the rest of the stories in the collection except for 'Turned' which I enjoyed. I think you can read 'The Yellow Wallpaper' somewhere online so I wouldn't bother purchasing the whole collection.

FINAL VERDICT: For a short story, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' sure packed in a lot of details and emotions which really hit me, and I felt like I was going on the same, spiralling journey downwards as the narrator.

RATING: 7/10