In this episode of Of Prurient Interest, my dad and I explore themes of sexuality, female autonomy, race, and privilege in Kate Chopin's 1899 novel, The Awakening. You do not need to have read the book to enjoy the podcast, but there will be spoilers! I mean, it's been over a century since its publication sooooo.... Next episode will be on Anais Nin's A Spy in the House of Love

Bookstores Mentioned:

Beach Town Books, San Clemente, California, USA


Further Recommended Reading:

Quicksand by Nella Larsen

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

Sula by Toni Morrison

Our Nig by Harriet Wilson

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

I mentioned my old blog in which I covered The Awakening and made a meal thematically attuned to it. Those posts are here and here.



What We're Reading Now:

Noli Me Tángere by José Rizal

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer


Resources Used:

"Women in Nineteenth-Century America" by Dr. Graham Warder

"The Classic Novel that Saw Pleasure as a Path to Freedom" by Claire Vaye Watkins

"15 Facts about Kate Chopin's The Awakening" by Kristy Puchko

Living a Feminist Life by Sara Ahmed

Secrets and Lies: Race and Sex in The Awakening by James O'Rourke

Edna the Oblivious Oppressor: An Intersectional Analysis of Privilege and Its Lack Thereof in The Awakening by Jessica L. Rosenthal

"Unspeakable Things Unspoken: The Afro-American Presence in American Literature" by Toni Morrison


J. Davis:

The Whole Book Experience

Leaves of Cha

Donation-based Meditation

Instagram: @leavesofcha


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