An interesting trio of three dark stories. ( )

A little book that I liked very much. Why? It's a very intense short story. Horrifying is the word on the black cover.
Not much is said about the circumstances, just enough to paint a picture of a young woman who's kept from the world in a remote place, in a room with yellow wall paper. With so little words such a complete picture: that's well done!
And the thing that gave me the shivers was mostly what jumped off the page, despite the few words, 'madness', deceit, fear. ( )

Three short victorian `ghost` stories. A bit old fashioned for my taste but it`s highly recommended for those who are into the genre. ( )

First published in 1892 and inspired by her own experiences of being treated for depression, Gilman's story is a blistering criticism of medical theories at the time. Her narrator is suffering from an unnamed 'condition' (perhaps postnatal depression, as indicated by the narrator's mixed feelings about her young baby) and has been swept off by her husband to a country house, where she is 'absolutely forbidden to "work" until I am well again'. This means no writing. But the narrator is blessed with an active imagination and burns to spill her words out onto paper. She makes do with a journal, which reveals the full scandal of her treatment. Babied by her doctor husband ('He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction'), she is dismissed by him with infantile terms of endearment ('little girl' and 'Bless her little heart!') and he makes it quite clear that he knows best what's good for her. With no diversions or stimulation, the narrator struggles with her depression, becoming fixated on the strange yellow wallpaper that decorates their rented bedroom. As her hold on reality loosens, it becomes a whole world of bars and curls and hidden, trapped, creeping women.

This undeniably creepy story is presented alongside two others. The Rocking-Chair is a more straightforward horror story, in which two young journalists glimpse a beautiful young woman at a window and, renting rooms in the same house, become fervent rivals for her love. And finally there's Old Water, which feels lighter and more ironic in comparison, but goes back to the theme of men trying to convince women that they know what's best for them. The outdoorsy Ellen is presented with a suitor, the Poet, who is just the kind of man her mother longs to have married. Poems and myths and romantic legends - who could want more? But Ellen, actually, is quite happy with her hiking and canoeing and tennis and radiant, healthy activities, and can think of nothing less transporting than sitting under a tree while a man blusters in her ear about people who never existed. Convinced that he'll be able to open this unformed bud and enjoy its freshness, the Poet persists in his wooing and yet, when he's finally driven to make his declaration, the true differences between him and his beloved come to the fore. A darkly comic story, which leaves you with a wry smile. ( )

Marvelously creepy! I've read “The Yellow Wall-Paper” before, but the other two stories in this little book, No. 42 in the Penguin Little Black Classics set, were new to me. The title story is the longest, tracing a fragile woman's descent into madness and subversive, chilling rebellion against her husband and the oppressive society he represents. The story is interesting partly because, while the general idea is clear, various details can be interpreted in a number of ways, offering the possibility of a ghost story or a purely psychological drama. It might be suggesting the empowering nature of art, unless perhaps the narrator's husband was right and her indulgence in dwelling on her fancies sent her over the edge – “She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain” (Louisa May Alcott, but the narrator's husband would agree). Or maybe being largely confined to a madwoman's room, forbidden any interesting activity, and spoken to as a simpleton is an unwholesome way to live. Could be. The other two stories are more straightforward but also fun. “The Rocking-Chair” is a fine little ghost story – all suggestion and atmosphere, and “Old Water” is an interesting tale of a self-satisfied poet who deals poorly with rejection. Four and a half stars. ( )