The time of The awakening

Abstract

Departing from the theoretical principle that the feminine text, as a palimpsest, holds subtextual meanings which, in permanent interaction with the textual surface, disarticulate the oppositional and hierarchical backgrounds of patriarchy, this essay intends to offer a general overview on the narrative instance of time in The Awakening, the most important work by Kate Chopin – one of the highlights of Realism in the United States –, with the intention to show how the time instance brings with it and at the same time disseminates into the other narrative elements some inter-dictions to gainsay patriarchy.