The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was published in the New England Magazine in 1892. The story is told through the protagonist’s journal, which she writes secretly over the course of several months, while staying in a rented mansion. As she narrates the story, she reveals that she has been suffering from a nervous condition and has been prescribed rest with strict orders not to work or socialize. Unfortunately, her husband is a physician who doesn’t think anything is wrong with her that a little rest and fresh air won’t cure. As time passes and the narrator is alienated from the activities and people that enliven her spirit, she sinks deeper and deeper into a depression that preys upon her mind. She becomes obsessed with the hideous yellow wallpaper in her room and succumbs to a delusion, which drives her across the line separating reality from fantasy.
Included in this episode, there is an introductory synopsis, narration of the full text, and a biography of Gilman at the end.
Text: “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Published: 1892
Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Type: Short Story
Duration: 47 min.
Size: 44 MB
Download: The Yellow Wallpaper – MP3
Recording Copyright © 2007 Nikolle Doolin
