A timeless piece of feminist literature, this classic follows a series of journal entries made by a woman diagnosed with hysterical tendencies by her doctor husband. Barred from working or writing she is confined to the nursery of an old New England Colonial mansion to recuperate. Trapped in this room with barred windows and sickly yellow wallpaper, the narrator begins to feel the room come alive and mutate around her.
The wallpaper is animate, shifting and writhing, changing before her in the moonlight. There is someone in the walls, she knows it.
This classic has gone on to inspire numerous plays, films and T.V adaptations such as an episode of the Twilight Zone "Something in the Walls". This story demarcates the struggle women face in a male dominated world, where their few rights can only allow them to write. It is a story perfect for any fans of Sylvia Plath's work, as the themes of struggle, identity and self are readily apparent.
Feminist icon Charlotte Perkins Gilman, paved the way for women writers such as Alice Walker and Sylvia Plath, with her thought provoking and descriptive work. Appreciated as a feminist writer for tackling women's issues of the day, but also as an accomplished horror writer. Her subtle themes and ability to guide the reader through her characters, at times, crumbling psyche, earned the respect of pioneering horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, among others.
