• By Michael Ackerman
• Posted Friday, September 18, 2020

The Short Story Society discusses "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Thursday, October 1 at 4:00 p.m. via Zoom

Ever since it was first published in New England Magazine way back in 1892, "The Yellow Wallpaper" has haunted and fascinated readers. Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman intended it as a condemnation of the male-dominated medical profession and patriarchy at large. She more specifically hoped to critique the "rest cure," a form of therapy in which the patients (many of them women diagnosed as "hysterical") were strictly forbidden to engage in any physical or mental activity for long periods of time. Gilman herself was subjected to this treatment and said it nearly drove her to madness. Read her brief but disturbing tale and you might feel like your own tenuous grip on reality has begun to slip...

The Short Story Society is dedicated to reading and discussing new and classic works of shorter fiction. We meet (via Zoom at present) on the first Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. and we're on the lookout for new members. Please call Michael at 336-703-2985 for more information or to request a copy of this month's featured story.