Read “The Yellow Wallpaper”, https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureof…

1. Watch the video: Dr. Bernstein’s Intro to Symbols in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Then, go to the story itself. Find at least three references to the wallpaper and discuss what you believe is significant about each one.

1. The journal entries in the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” can be read as illustrating a woman’s decent into madness/deep depression. What if we don’t read the work this way? If we look at this story as a story of epiphany/realization (like “Cathedral”), what might the author be describing or illustrating with each passing journal entry written by the narrator? In other words, what is a positive spin or take on the story? What does the narrator realize? Why does she reference herself as “Jane” at the end of the story?

1. Read and respond to “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper'”.

Read “Roman Fever” https://www.newberry.org/sites/default/files/calen…

1. As you think about “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton , keep the image of the Coliseum in Rome in mind. What does this image suggest to you? What might the site symbolize? (Here is a short video on the Coliseum.)

1. Go back and review the descriptions of the Alida Slade and Grace Ansley in the text. Find two or three descriptions of each woman (physical or otherwise). Discuss the significance of each description to the story.

1. From whose point of view is the story being told? Are the thoughts of one character prominent in the story? How does this type of narration help you to better understand the relationship between the women?

1. Trace Mrs. Ansley’s knitting through the story. What do you think the knitting represents? (We will connect the knitting of Mrs. Ansley to the knitting of Mrs. Wright in Trifles in a few weeks.)