This RARE book is a fabulous story for teenage girls...it shows them how an true Godly young woman should behave. Gerty learned how to control her self-centered desires and give of herself. The author give you a story full of mystery, Family and reverance to God. The central focus of the story is showing respect to others just because they need to be shown respect as a loving, caring and respectful way. Gerty, Emily, and the Graham family are wonderful examples how a family aught to act toward one another. We should use this story as an example of how we treat our fellow citizens--not cursing and shooting. This is a marvelous story about self-sacriface, because one person chooses to humble herself and do what is right.

This book is a classic. A friend loaned it to me years ago, after finding it in her attic. I didn't think I'd ever own my own copy, so I was very excited to find it here at Amazon. The story of Gertrude and the amazing people in her life is absolutely wonderful. No sex, no vulgarity, just a good story. The scene where Gertrude learns self-control has personally challenged me to not act like a spoiled brat! I highly recommend this book.

This book was a surprise. As my mother told me often of a book her mother read to her as a child and longed to have a copy of this book, I used a search company to locate this book. Having found this on the Amazon search I have ordered copies for all my aunts as well as my daughter and nieces. My mother was a very poor child and their books were extremely limited, the last book her mother read to her was "The Lamplighter". Curious and anxious to obtain this book for my mother's birthday, I purchased this book and read it prior to giving it to her. Cummins is an artist in detail. The dialect is intriguing yet still understandable for young adult readers. A piece with love, mystery, suspense - all qualities for a great read. Do yourself a favor, this book is well worth the wait - it brought tears of joy to my mother, myself and aunts. Enjoy!

"The Awakening and Selected Stories" is filled with wonderful classic narratives such as Chopin's famous "The Awakening," "Emancipation," and "Lilacs." My favorite short story from this book, however, was called "The Story of an Hour," in which a woman is presented with the news that her husband has passed away in a train accident. At first she mourns the loss of her former lover, but she soon realizes that she is better off without him; now she has the freedom to do whatever she pleases. Just as she realizes that she is joyful that she is no longer bound to her husband, the husband arrives home (he had not been on the train) and gives the woman a heart attack. (And if you think I've given the story away, I haven't -- there is a cruel irony in the ending; you'll need to read it to find out.) Anyway, I thought that "The Story of an Hour" was a fascinating tale that highlights the oppression of some marriages, but it is just one of the thirteen stories in this book that will thrill and charm you as you read this compilation of Kate Chopin's best works.

In "The Awakening", a woman rejects the drudgery of her life and decides to live selfishly, for once. Kate Chopin captivates her readers with a story of transformation and growth, and writes with clarity and ease. Perhaps most enjoyable about "The Awakening" and Kate Chopin's short stories is the vivid New Orleans setting. Chopin pays attention to the charms of Louisiana in this novel--Creole cooking and language, Southern black and French mannerisms of the time--not limiting herself by focusing on members of the elite. Definitely worth checking out!

Like far too many, I was first introduced to Chopin in college. As an educator, I find Chopin's work to be timeless. Chopin speaks to contemporay society--and especially American society--in ways that few authors can and do. I use "The Awakening," as one of the cornerstones (yes; one may have more than one cornerstone) of my literature class--a class that relies on trade publications rather than anthologies and "typical" textbooks for reading material. One of the unexpected rewards I have experienced while teaching this novel is that male students, generally speaking, truly enjoy the work. Given its content and storyline, one might expect the opposite to be true. Nonetheless, the novel speaks to readers of all ages and genders. I believe that virtually ANYONE will identify with the characters Chopin brings to life in "The Awakening." Not only is it the story of a woman in search of her identity--arguably, a rather Maslowian tale of ! "self-actualization"--it is the story of the human condition.

Additionally, given the story of Chopin's life, the book takes on even greater significance (sorry, but you'll have to read the book to understand why I feel this to be so).

This book is a MUST read for all who seek to dispell the myth of "June Cleaver." (Ya, I know I am not suposed to say that but this is one VERY cool book--a book that EVERYONE should read.)

Besides, "The Awakening" itself is short enough and compelling enough that one will finish it in a matter of a few evenings. That the Penguin version also contains Chopin's EXCELLENT short stories, and a good deal of equally excellent biographical and critical writing regarding the author and her works makes grabbing a copy for one's personal library a must-do.

(Buy the book.) =)

The Norton Anthology of American literature is a great collection of the most prominent and prolific authors in this young nation's history. The Anthology covers the development of authors in the new world, from the early native American folk tales to the works of Toni Morrison and Allen Ginsberg. The anthology spans poetry and prose and gives the reader a great cross sectional view of American society and its problems. The presence of Native American, Black and Hispanic authors presents a complete line up of works of literature, presented in a pleasant chronological order and introduced by a brief and interesting description of the author's life and works. The introductory description of each author facilitates the contextual placement of the text and its comprehension. The anthology contains several novels such as "Howl", "Sula" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". The presence of these complete works makes the anthology more complete, as they are an important part of the American literary tradition. The selection of authors and of their works is a good one, but presents some flaws. Obviously not being able to include all relevant authors in the American literary tradition, the editors selected a large number of authors, and their most important works. Nonetheless several important texts seem to be missing. Texts by less prolific authors, such as the great new classic "To kill a mockingbird" are missing. Although the anthology gives the reader an introduction on the author and his works it does not stimulate sufficiently through interesting points to be discussed and questions which shed light on hidden or obscure aspects of the texts. The anthology is a great tool for any class, or for the passionate reader. It is ideal if accompanied by a class or group/club in which the texts are discussed.

The Norton anthology is the definitive collection of American literature. Its selections range from the letters of Christopher Columbus to quintessential American works like Whitman's "Song of Myself" and inherently American movements such as beat poetry. The collection offers a wide spread selection of works, some of which fall outside of your typical definition of "literature." All, however, have been important parts of our artistic tradition and provide literary examples of the coming of age of America. Literature has truly helped to define the American identity. This book is a history lesson, a journey through some of the most beautiful poetry and prose ever written and a testament to the kind of intelligent, passionate people that have formed our country.

To anyone seeking an encompassing overview of American literature, here is your book. This, the latest edition of the Norton Anthology, not only makes for months of good reading but also acts as a good primer for further pursuits in American letters (academic and otherwise.) Besides the countless number of excellent selections, eleven works appear in their entirety. Among them, Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Whitman's "Song of Myself," and Ginsburg's "Howl."

The anthology also contains several new additions - most notably an intriguing section of Native American trickster tales that provides an interesting counter to Chris Columbus' over-zealous ramblings. As for more contemporary writing, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of deserving writers and poets newly anthologized in this revision: Toni Morrison, Raymond Carver, and Sandra Cisneros just to name a few.

Yet what makes this anthology truly successful is the breadth and depth of the text as a whole. The selections, the organization, the well-written bits of biographical information... IT ALL FITS PERFECTLY! No doubt other readers will find this anthology as informative, provocative and enjoyable as I do. A definite keeper for my permanent collection.

Southworth's novel maniupulates many of the tropes of sentimental fiction in a uniquely subversive way. She stuffs it all within her pages- the damsel in distress, the dastardly villian, the orphan- but ultimately achieves a surprisingly feminist ideology. Her heroine, Capitola, is self reliant, creative, and genuinely heroic. She romps through Southworth's pages comically overturning many of the 19th century's most concretized stereotypes about femininity. All told, it is a marvelous read, deceptively subtle, surprisingly subversive, impossible to set aside once begun due to its breathless narrative rate. Well worth the investment.

I'm sure most of you have heard of the book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Scarlet Letter". Hawthorne weaves a tale of hardship, struggle, and victory as we follow the life of Hester Prynne, a woman who has had a child out of wedlock, whom she names Pearl. She is shunned from the community, refuses to confess the identity of Pearl's father, and is forced to wear a letter "A" on her dress, the symbol for adultery. Fighting against the stifling and hypocritical ways of Puritan life, Hester rebels in her own way, first by embellishing her letter with fine embroidery. This book gives us a look at what it is like to live in Puritan America from not just a woman's point of view, but a so-called "sinner's" point of view as well. As we read this book, we come to see how the letter becomes a symbol of strength and freedom for Hester, in a fight against facades of piety and hypocrisy. A very good novel, and Hawthorne does a wonderful job in the portrayal of his characters. Another little known fact, Hawthorne's grandfather was a judge at the Salem witch trials and Nathaniel was so embarassed by the affiliation, that he changed the spelling of his last name to distance himself from his grandfather and what he stood for. A very good novel, definitely something that everyone should read. Besides, don't you want to know the identity of Hester's lover? Go and read this book!

I read this because It was listed as a "great book". Why, I don't know. Maybe at the time it was risque. Imagine the horror! A wife, not happy with just being a wife! Soon she begins to realize that she is an indvidual who has her own sexual desires, so she trapses around town with men while her husband is away on business. It was a labor to read this, but I always finish. You however- I would not reccomend picking this up.

I got turned on to KC in college through one story--The Storm--and a little background on her (she wrote ahead of her time, was published and then forgotten until the 1960's Feminist Movement dug her up again). She became one of those authors I lodge in the back of my head to investigate later. I happened upon this wonderful book at the book tent at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest and grabbed it. The book gives a great introduction to her and her time. I was lucky enough to read The Awakening and some of her other short stories while staying at Grand Isle. She was and is a great writer. She wrote from a viewpoint that bucked the norms of her time---the late 1800's, she wrote of women who didnt fit the mold of mommy and wife. She wrote eloquently of an area, era, and culture that I love...New Orleans, Cajun Country, and Grand Isle amongst others. I dont write many reviews, but after reading the only other review for this book I felt a different opinion should be heard. She is a good read.

I usually like the classics. But when I read this book and a number of the author's short stories I couldn't escape the conclusion that Nathaniel Hawthorne wasn't a great writer. He doesn't belong among the immortals of literature. His short stories are predictable. After reading Hawthorne I read some Herman Melville and found him to be far better. The one thing in Scarlet Letter's favor is that it is politically correct. It's satisfying that the intolerant religious fanatics are the bad guys. The villain of the story is respected Roger Chillingworth, and the heroine is his wife Hester Prynne, adulteress. Would you consider it adultery if the husband was missing for years and assumed dead, as is the case here? It's not enjoyable to read about religious intolerance. The book gets quite dopy when something magical happens to Hester's boyfriend at the end, something right out of The Exorcist, and typical of Hawthorne's silly writing. It gets even dopier when Hester deserts her happy family to return to misery. Hawthorne has a thing for magical events and foolish endings.

Although The Scalet Letter is superbly written and there is no denying the greatness of Nathanel Hawthorne, I must admit that the book was, perhaps, a bit on the dry side. Hawthorne, himself having grown up in Puritan Salem, writes from first-hand experience of the unwavereing rigidity and intolerance of Puritan society. Hester Prynne, having committed the unthinkable sin of adultery and conceiving her illegitimate child Pearl, becomes a veritable pariah as she is forced to live on the outskirts of town and wear the ignominious scarlet letter A on her bosom for eternity.

In sanctimonious colonial Salem, Hester's impropriety is tantamount to murder in today's society. She, however, should not have to bear the guilt alone. As they say, it takes two to tango. Reverend Dimmesdale, in his absolute cowardice, is just as, if not moreso, guilty than Hester. Furthermore, the biggest coward and hypocrite proves to be none other than her spineless husband, Roger Chillingworth. I must say that the reading was at times a bit laborious, but a good read nonetheless. I must further confess that the movie version with Demi Moore is much more rewarding, although the book should undoubtedly be read first.

I just finished The Scarlet Letter in school. Hawthorne does an excellent job of describing every nuance of this story, and that is why at times it is a little hard to follow. But the very heart of the story is one that we all can compare with. Hester Prynne has committed a terrible sin, and bears The Scarlet Letter on her breast. This classic tale begins with Hester on the gallows platform, alone with her baby, Pearl. Throughout the course of thise novel, Hawthorne weaves his way through characters so that you feel you are a part of this story, and by the end you have no doubts in your mind how you feel about each character. This is a book that you will either love or hate, and it really depends on when you read it. Try to take your time through the book the first time you read it, then everything will make much more sense, and you won't throw down the book in disgust. On a side note, you can really skip the introduction chapter entitled "The Custom House" because it has little to do with the rest of the book.

Forced to read in college. Absolutely incoherent ramblings. Terrible writing, astrocious editing and poor research make this book a professor's dream and a student's nightmare.

Nina Baym's pioneering study paved the way for the recovery of nineteenth-century American women novelists, writers who were "disappeared" by literary critics in the first half of the twentieth century intent on creating a pantheon of American literature peopled only by male writers (with the exception of Emily Dickinson). Indeed, Nina Baym is one of the "founding mothers" of scholarship on nineteenth-century women writers. Along with scholars such as Judith Fetterley, Marjorie Pryse, Sharon Harris, Mary Kelley, Nancy Cott and others, she inspired invigorating, exciting scholarship in this "new field" more than twenty years ago. Many novels from the nineteenth century have been reprinted by Rutgers University PRess and Oxford University PRess as a result of Baym's efforts.

WOMAN'S FICTION is a fascinating, compelling study not only of the kinds of novels women wrote but also of WHY women in the nineteenth century wrote. Baym chronicles these writers often complicated view about womanhood in nineteenth-century America. Indeed, she provides a more complex picture of AMerican literary history in the nineteenth-century, one that includes much more than THE SCARLET LETTER and MOBY-DICK. Although many other similar studies have been written since WOMAN'S FICTION was first published (studies that rightly challenge several of Baym's assertions), it is still a vital and important work in the study of American literature in general and nineteenth-century women writers in particular.

And contrary to the other review, WOMAN'S FICTION is NOT rambling and incoherent, nor "a student nightmare." This former student was so inspired after reading WOMAN'S FICTION when she was an undergraduate, that she went on to get a Ph.D. in American literature, specializing in nineteenth-century American women writers, and became an Assistant Professor of English.

WOMAN'S FICTION is a fascinating read for ANYONE interested in American women's writing.

I looked over the Norton Sixth Edition the other day...

Approximately a decade has passed since I used the Fourth Edition Norton Anthology during my undergraduate studies. At that time I sensed that there were two types of English professor: the traditionalist, who was committed to teaching the traditionally accepted great American writers; and, the revisionist, whose mission was to infuse female and minority writers at whatever cost. It seemed to me that the revisionist had been behind the Fourth Edition, given that there were many apparent changes to the American literary canon for what I believed to be for the purposes of political correctness and social change. My suspicions were later confirmed when a visiting Berkley professor, my American Lit professor's friend, admitted that this in fact was not only the goal but "a great responsiblility".

Of course, there is nothing wrong in introducing new writers, who during the preceding decades, because of there gender, race or ethnic background, had been overlooked and not read or studied. However, because there is finite number of pages in a given work, when a new writer is introduced it is at the expense of the older, traditional writer who ends up giving away his pages. In fact, in that course, entitled American Literature, which was a required course for all English Lit majors, we did not read any Twain, no Fennimore Cooper, and no Poe. Instead we were assigned Native American chants, slave writings, and various female authors. Just to reiterate, there is nothing wrong with studying Native American chants, slave writings, and female writers, but we must ask ourselves is it worth pushing some of the traditionally accepted fathers of American literature aside?

Since then I have looked over the Fifth and now Sixth editions and have seen the revisionist's grip tighten. It seems that with every edition there are more decisions made based on politics rather than merit. The canon is being revised and the good folks at Norton believe that it is their duty to do so.

Nevertheless, although it is clear that I am not a disciple of the revisionist, I nevertheless recommend the Norton Anthologies because although they contain plenty of mediocre works, they are nevertheless interwoven among the works of American masters, and it is difficult not to see who is who, regardless of what Professor Stillahippy says.