The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories: Includes Ebook

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kirsten Potter

4 sound discs (4.50 hr.)

This collection brings together twelve of the finest short stories of prominent American feminist author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. "The Yellow Wallpaper," Gilman's best-known work, was first published in 1892 and represents an important examination of nineteenth-century attitudes toward women's physical and mental health. Written as a collection of journal entries by a woman whose physician husband has confined her to her bedroom, the story depicts the narrator's descent into psychosis as her confinement gradually erodes her sanity. This collection also includes the stories "The Giant Wistaria," "According to Solomon," "The Boys and the Butter," "Her Housekeeper," "Martha's Mother," "A Middle-Sized Artist," "An Offender," "When I Was a Witch," "The Cottagette," "Making a Living," and "Mr. Robert Grey Sr."

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Horror, Anthologies, 19th Century

5 pages, MP3 CD

Published March 28, 2011

About the author

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935), also known as Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was a prominent American sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. She was a utopian feminist during a time when her accomplishments were exceptional for women, and she served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper", which she wrote after a severe bout of post-partum depression.

She was the daughter of Frederic B. Perkins.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was famous as a 19th century feminist author, and apparently she's taught in a lot of feminist/women's studies courses. I was vaguely interested in her most famous story, The Yellow Wallpaper, so when this collection was an Audible deal of the day, I went ahead and downloaded it.

I'm glad I did. I'll get to the title story in a minute, but I found the other short stories - which were all about a woman being presented with a choice (usually in the form of a man) very readable. Clearly there is a feminist undertone to each story, though bear in the mind this is 19th century "First Wave" feminism, so it remains largely a given that even a spirited, talented, independent-minded woman is still going to marry eventually. But Gilman was first and foremost writing short stories meant to have a beginning, middle, and end, and does not beat her readers over the head with any "message." In that respect, these stories were quite enjoyable, some of them having an O. Henry twist. I particularly liked the one about a moralistic, wealthy old spinster aunt who promises her two nephews $50 (a small fortune, especially to children) if they forego butter for an entire year, believing butter is bad for children and too "rich." They do, and when the year is up, the old bitch gives them their $50 in the form of membership pledges in a missionary society. The reader seethes with anger along with the boys at the injustice of it, but Gilman delivers a satisfying coda to the story.

Some of the stories are really just simple romances, though with a slightly feminist spin, but all of them showed that Gilman was a master of characterization and not bad as a prose stylist either.

Now, The Yellow Wallpaper is famous because it represents an early feminist look at the treatment of women and mental health. The main character is a wife suffering in the aftermath of some sort of nervous breakdown and made to stay in an upstairs room decorated with a hideous yellow wallpaper that she abhors. She wants to leave, she wants to do something, she craves mental stimulation, but her kind but egostistical and patronizing physician husband refuses to let her go anywhere or lift a finger. And so he accomplishes exactly the opposite of his intent as she slowly goes mad.

This has obvious significance as an indictment of how women with mental health issues were treated, how their concerns were not taken seriously, and how they could be reduced to powerless chattel even by the most well-meaning husband. However, as a horror fan, I submit that this story can be read completely differently...

... as a tale of Lovecraftian horror! A trapped woman slowly discovers the secret of the things that live in the in-between spaces accessible from our reality through unearthly patterns in a hideous yellow wallpaper. In the climax, her husband discovers her after she has gone insane from exposure to secrets man was not meant to know.

Seriously, read it that way and it totally works.

Anyway, I quite liked these stories, even the ones that were very short and had not much in the way of conclusion.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains 12 short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman who was a prominent feminist writer of the 19th century. While most stories are unsophisticated romances centered around strong-willed women who are not given a choice by the society to choose their passion and ambition over marriage, the primary story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is a brilliant take on women’s mental health and the attitude of the society towards mentally ill women in the 19th century. Inside fact: The author wrote this unconventional story based on her own experience of postpartum depression.

4/5🌟.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very delightful audio book presentation of a collection of feminist author Charlotte Perkins Gilman stories. I even got Lambie to listen to them. She was quite impressed.
Goldman's views on women's equality were remarkable for her time, and come forward in these stories. One thing that is not apparent, however, which in my opinion keeps her from being one of the finest American writers of all time was her racist views of white superiority. These do not show in these tales, but one must be aware of them to keep a balanced view of her as a writer.

[Salam · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok time to rate all the stories yayyyy time to pass judgement

The Yellow Wallpaper ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Giant Wistaria ⭐️⭐️
According to Solomon ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Boys and the Butter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Her Housekeeper ⭐️
Martha's Mother ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Middle-Sized Artist ⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Offender ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I Was a Witch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Cottagette ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Making a Living ⭐️
Mr. Robert Grey Sr. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Amanie Johal]

Mistakenly thought this was a collection of horror short stories, especially since the first two stories are "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Wistaria". The rest of the stories were fine enough, but I was hampered by the anticipation of horror twists. Good collection overall though.

[Carlissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Audible audiobook, and the narrator, Kirsten Potter, did an excellent job of narrating; her voice just seemed to fit the stories. Anyway, there are 12 stories in this audiobook, some were better than others, but all were 3 stars or above. I liked The Yellow Wallpaper the best.
Just beware that the author seems to be an extreme feminist from the tone of these stories.

Here are the 12 stories:

The Yellow Wallpaper - 4*
The Giant Wisteria - 4*
According to Solomon - 4*
The Boys and the Butter - 4*
Her Housekeeper - 4*
Martha's Mother - 3*
A Middle-Sized Artist - 3*
An Offender - 3*
When I Was a Witch - 4*
The Cottagette - 4*
Making a Living - 3*
Mr. Robert Grey Sr. - 3*

[Heather L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather liked this collection of stories. I have read the title story a few times, but the rest were all new to me.

[Sai Fighter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a re-read for me. But I enjoyed the other stories here a lot. Definitely highly recommend for some early feminist literature.

[Brooke Bowlin]

These 19th century stories about women’s lives are too familiar 😭

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrator was great and I really enjoyed the stories! The Yellow Wallpaper, The Giant Wistaria and When I Was a Witch were my favourites, loved the gothic feminism.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women and their lives... some things never change, some a little, others, a lot. Depends on your perspectives and desires. Bravo to these stories.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've seen recommendations that I read The Yellow Wallpaper from 3 different sources within the past month. So I decided to give it a try and quite liked it. I'd give the title story 4 stars. Afterward, I felt I should check out some of her other work.

There is more than one collection of her short stories featuring The Yellow Wallpaper in the title. I went with the one that was available from my library's online service. I'm really not sure if this is the worst one, but I don't feel that the other stories in this collection were chosen because they were the best, either. The quality of the writing varies greatly with each story.

One issue with most of them is uneven pacing, stories that end abruptly, barely giving the reader time to take in what they have just read (the first time this happened, I was halfway through reading the next story before I realized why the characters were different), one story that ended in a long poem without much other resolution for the antagonist, and so on.

Another issue is how when Gilman has a moral point to make, she makes it with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. You know exactly how she feels about bad book illustrators, the treatment of horses in the city, etc. from her heavy-handed disapproval, and sometimes she sounds rather like an opinionated old aunt. I realize I might be overcritical on this point, as there is around a century between her and I, the reader, but persuasive story writing works best when the points being made are subtle and the story rings true to the reader, and I found myself fighting against what she was trying to say at times because all subtlety was lost.

I also find it puzzling why almost every story in the book is framed as a romance story in some way. Even a story about the safety issues of fenders on American vehicles (An Offender) was framed as a dialogue between a divorced wife and her estranged husband who wanted her to take him back. The device made sense when she was writing about gender politics, but I believe there were only two or three stories in the entire collection that didn't use a love story as a frame, and I started to find the repetition kind of boring.

There were a few fun moments, like when the main character in When I Was a Witch started wishing things to be different in the city and one of her granted wishes was newspaper articles that were color-coded based on the honesty of the articles. And there were some glimpses at what business and everyday life was like at the turn of the 20th century in stories like Martha's Mother, The Cottagette, and Making a Living. The prose was occasionally quite good, but overall too uneven for me to praise or enjoy it as a whole.

I do at least recommend The Yellow Wallpaper . It is available for free online or for download at Project Gutenburg if you'd like to read it without bothering to read her other fiction.

[Ryan Nims]

The title story is by far the best of the collection, but her other stories are pretty good as well. Writing feminist literature at this time must have been unbelievably progressive, so it's interesting to read.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I consume her work, I fall in love more and more. This is a particularly strong collection of her short stories with progressive (and some conservative) themes that continue to speak clearly to modern feminists.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to Gilman in my high school years. What a joy to find her again in audiobook. Thank you.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: postpartum depression; gaslighting; child death; sexism

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Potentially offensive items: sexism, adult situations, adultery (mentioned), potential suicide/murder, violence to children, (hinted at) pedophilia, mature themes, religious viewpoint, lying, dysfunctional family, neurosis, supernatural powers

I had read the title story before, but the others were a nice surprise. I think there were only two that I disliked. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a classic that portrays a descent into madness. It is left for the reader to decide whether that descent was the result of her environment or by genetic or physical diseases. "The Boys and the Butter" is an excellent work showing how the pious can create a revulsion toward religion in others. "According to Solomon" is about a woman whose gift-giving is controlled by her husband. "Her Housekeeper" is one of the stories I dislike. It's about an actress who does not want to marry and her friendship with a man who lives in her apartment complex. It touches on the subject of open marriages.

"The Cottagette" will probably least appeal to a modern audience--especially if it is not read all the way through to the end. It deals with two-fold problems of peer pressure and trying to be something you aren't to catch a man. "A Middle-Sized Artist" addresses how sometimes romantic and personal goals conflict. "Making a Living" is about putting happiness over money.

"An Offender" is bleak and grim. The woman was not a sympathetic character for me. Being justified in your cause is not a reason to use manipulation to get your way. That the man was willing to bend completely after seeing the accident made her seem petty. He was willing to change for her, but she still refused him even though she made it sound like if he changed she would. "Martha's Mother" was not developed very well. It seemed like it was trying to meet a short word count requirement. "Mr. Robert Grey Sr." was creepy. It felt like the parents were trying to sell their daughter to the old pedophile next door.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read the title story time after time after time. I just discovered that a similarly aged friend had never read it before. He hadn't even heard of it. So off went I to find a PDF for him. I found this, and sent it. And then read the story again myself... and ended up reading the whole collection.

Most of these stories were new to me. The funny thing is that there are several compilations of CPG's work with this exact title, and they are comprised of very different assortments and arrangements of her stories. I don't know why that tickles me as much as it does, but it does. If you want to get a much deeper sense of her work, this might be a better option: The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this for a local library challenge prompt for a book with a color in the title. I had added it to my TBR last year after reading about it in a an author's acknowledgement (and now I can't remember which book that was.) The lead short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, was a semi-autobiographical story Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote after suffering from postpartum depression.

I'm hoping to read more of her works and would reread these short stories. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys old short stories.

These were my favorites in order:
When I Was A Witch - 5 stars
The Yellow Wallpaper - 5 stars
A Middle Sized Artist 5 stars
According to Solomon - 5 stars
The Giant Wistaraia - 4 stars
The Cottagette - 4 stars
An Offender - 4 stars
The Boys and the Butter - 4 stars
Making a Living - 3 stars
Martha's Mother - 3 stars
Her Housekeeper - 3 stars

[Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of twelve short stories by the late 19th and early 20th century feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman contains one amazing story and eleven mildly interesting ones, most of which engage with women's issues, particularly relating to marriage and exploring how women may live independent, healthy, and happy lives in a male-dominated world.

The first story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892), is the best, one of the most potent short stories I've read, a bit like an Edgar Allan Poe tale told from a woman's point of view. It's harrowing. The first person narrator, suffering from minor depression after having given birth to a son, is forced by her probably well-meaning but utterly un-empathic and un-understanding doctor husband to undergo the exact opposite treatment from what would be good for her in the exact opposite place from what would be good for her. "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage," she confides early on, without, perhaps, enough intentional irony. The woman's awareness that she needs activity, stimulation, and creativity, and would benefit from exploring and expressing her feelings through writing, etc., and her husband's demoralizing dismissal of those needs (as if she were a spoiled child), her growing insanity despite her and her husband's claims that she's improving, the unclean, ugly, morbidly fascinating yellow wallpaper that begins dwelling in her as she begins dwelling in it, the interesting difficulty of determining how much of what she tells us happens is real and how much delusion, all make for a gripping story. When you read it in the context of Gilman's own similar experience after she gave birth to her own child, "The Yellow Wallpaper" becomes even more moving and reveals a fearless honesty.

"The Giant Wisteria" (1891) is a ghost story set in a similar large old rented American house as that in "The Yellow Wallpaper." Here the house is haunted a female victim of patriarchal oppression from an earlier era.

"According to Solomon" (1909) marks a change in tone to light comedy as a wife demonstrates her independent thinking to her patriarchal, Bible-proverb quoting husband by secretly earning her own money to buy Christmas presents.

In "The Boys and the Butter" (1910) Gilman demonstrates her thorough understanding of children's minds, as she tells a funny, outraged story in which a pious Christian aunt from hell challenges her two young nephews to give up butter for a year in return for a prize of fifty dollars each.

The most common situation in this collection concerns a woman's difficult decision as to whether or not to marry, as when in "Her Housekeeper" an actress widow with a young son has her many reasons for not remarrying resolved by an unusual suitor.

"Martha's Mother" highlights both the need for young working women to live in comfortable and affordable places and for middle-aged women to continue working.

In "A Middle-Sized Artist" Rosamund would rather go to Paris to study art to achieve her dream to become an illustrator than marry a passionate suitor who'd want her to give up her dream. And then they meet three years later. . .

In "An Offender" a divorcee with a young son is being courted by the man she divorced seven years ago, because he assures her that he will be a better husband now, though he still seems to prefer making a profit with his streetcars than making the streets of NYC safe for children.

"When I Was a Witch" is an allegorical black comedy recounting how the first-person narrator suddenly gained the power to use her anger to curse anything and anyone who gets her goat, from men who beat horses and people who keep parrots to "mendacious and salacious" newspapers and corporation kings.

In the climax of "The Cottagette" (1910), the first person narrator asks rhetorically, "was there ever a man like this?" when a man tells her that he'll only marry her on the condition that she not cook for him and instead continue her artistic work.

"Making a Living" features a rare male protagonist, Arnold Blake, a scorned eldest son who tries to use his poetic sensibilities to turn chestnuts into an environmentally friendly way to support himself and a potential wife.

In the last story, "Mr. Robert Grey Sr.," the first-person narrator tries to hold out against pressure from her parents to marry a grotesque old man while believing that her beloved fiancee has drowned at sea.

The audiobook reader, Kirsten Potter, has a pleasing voice reminiscent of Kate Reading's, and reads all the stories with perfect pacing and emphasizing, without over-dramatically changing her voice for different genders and character types. She reads "The Yellow Wallpaper" with appropriately increasing emotional tension, and the lighter stories with a deft comic touch that enhances Gilman's writing.

After reading Gilman's interesting short novel Herland (1915), in which three American men enter a hidden utopia where women live without men, and then the remarkable "The Yellow Wallpaper," in this collection I expected more stories featuring science fiction or fantasy and more powerful stories with grim endings or intense moods, but the other eleven pieces are mostly realistic, romantic, earnest, and unchallenging, written with clear, professional, unnoticeable prose--apart from a few rich descriptions like this setting of a romantic picnic: "We saw the round sun setting at one end of a world view and the round moon rising at the other, calmly shining, each on each." Finally, "The Yellow Wallpaper" rewards multiple readings and is a must read for anyone, while the collection itself should be of read by people interested in early 20th century feminist fiction and American culture.

[Hazel Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was good. I had sworn off short stories, but Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote hers perfectly, where I was invested in the various characters and didn't feel like the plot was too abrupt. Her descriptions are good, but not too flowery. The Yellow Wallpaper was a delicious description of descent into madness. The love stories were so sweet and wholesome (somewhat surprising after having read so much Thomas Hardy) and the ones advocating for change did it well. I particularly liked the one that combined black magic, the reform movement, and the idea of divine motherhood- interesting because I just learned about it in my American Heritage class and funny to see someone with so much power in their hands. I highly recommend and will be reading more of her stories.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've wanted to read The Yellow Wallpaper for ages. I am so glad I finally read this collection. The Yellow Wallpaper was my favorite but there were many really great stories that I enjoyed. I really felt like I was losing my mind while reading the title story. The details were so vivid. You can tell Charlotte Perkins Gilman was passionate about women's issues - these themes showed up in every single story. She was ahead of her time. Learning more about her own background was fascinating and very telling.

I would read this collection of stories again. This is definitely a well-deserved classic.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a joy to read! Told during the 19th century, it is a feminist tale of multiple stories of strong women navigating through society norms. There were quite a few stories that I absolutely loved. One of my favorites was The Boys and the Butter. Nothing beats a mother who stands strong for her kid in the face of injustice. Every story is powerful, witty, touching, sometimes funny. It is a very entertaining powerful and quick read that can be read in one sitting. It is really hard to turn away from this book. It's like opening up a box of chocolate and being pleasantly surprised and enjoying each one.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is wonderful for their commentary on the role of women at the time. The narrator, Kirsten Potter, did a wonderful job with the performance, adding emotion and tension, sarcasm and snark, in all the right places.

There were several stories that had me laughing out loud; I think The Boys and the Butter was my favorite, though When I was a Witch was a very close second.

If you like historical short stories with strong women who know their own minds despite society telling them otherwise, then you will probably enjoy these stories.

[Elly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The yellow wall paper is an excellent horror story. I was really surprised how old this book was. New horror novels don't utilize that feeling of something there with little to no rational evidence and leaving readers to question the characters sanity and then their own. The butter story was also excellent and I was angry for the children as well. She was a lovely writer and so glad I picked this up.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories by a radical feminist from 1890s, whose themes now read like common sense: don’t get married to someone you don’t love, it’s ok to divorce a man who doesn’t love your child, etc. Plus The Yellow Wallpaper, a vivid haunted house tale which I loved. I’m only sorry there weren’t more stories to enjoy.

[Aisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very famous and haunting first story, and a story about ghosts or magic here and there, but this was mostly a bunch of short tales, a lot of them romancs, with happy endings. I found some of them a little too pat. Still, a short read, and an interesting enough way to turn the corner from Halloween to the winter holidays.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the 1880’s and yet somehow relevant and insightful. Wow. I’m impressed and was intrigued by many of the stories in this collection. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the most renowned and for good reason. I felt on the verge of insanity myself. So so good…

[Zhuo Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the descriptive details!

[Ben Nanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

traumatic it stings all never forget it and u wot read for the next year