1. “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman

2. Some Background on Mrs. CPK 1887: Went to see someone about her nervous breakdowns following the birth of her child (suffered from post-partum) Prescribed the “rest cure”—no more than 2 hours of intellectual activity a day After 3 months CPK claimed she was near total mental ruin “TYW” is more of a Gothic horror story that reads like a very scary memoir “TYK” is a now seen as an example of how women were treated both mentally and emotionally by a male dominated society Remember during this time a woman’s closest male relative OR her husband controlled her life.

3. Some Background on “TYW” Starts with a woman whose husband has rented a very scary house for the summer—we learn very quickly that the husband controls the wife (our narrator). The woman expresses her desire to socialize & write, but her husband refuses her “request” and demands that she “rest.” The woman becomes obsessed & terrified of the wallpaper—she begins to “see” a woman trapped in the wallpaper. From here a cyclone of events propels us to the strange and tormented ending—no spoilers!

4. While you are reading… Read the questions FIRST—this is a GOOD reading strategy—you have to know what to “look” for while you are reading. As you read the text, write down any questions (in your notes) that you have about the text—what don’t you understand? What needs clarified? Specifically respond to all of the questions—trust me, you will need this in the near future.