This volume contains the Kate Chopin novel, "The Awakening". It was first published in 1899. Set in the USA in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf coast at the end of the 19th century, the plot centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. It is one of the earliest American novels that focused on women's issues without condescension. It is also widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism.The volume also contains eight short stories by Kate Chopin including; Beyond the Bayou, Ma'ame Pelagie, Desiree's Baby, A Respectable Woman, The Kiss, A Pair of Silk Stockings, The Locket and A Reflection.