Kate Chopin's The Awakening was published in which year?

• A. 1875
• B. 1899
• C. 1910
• D. 1925

Answer: (B)

The year The Awakening appeared is 1899. Kate Chopin’s novel was published by Herbert S. Stone & Co. in Chicago in that year, placing it at the tail end of the 19th century and squarely in a period when questions about women's independence were hotly debated. The book’s candid portrayal of a woman's desire for personal freedom and its critique of conventional marriage shocked readers at the time, leading to harsh reviews and censorship in many places. But its bold perspectives later helped it be recognized as an important early work of American modernism and feminist thought. The other years don’t fit: 1875 is far too early for Chopin’s published fiction, and 1910 or 1925 come after Chopin’s death in 1904, so she could not have published then.