Book Discussion: 'The Yellow Wall-Paper'

This book discussion will be led by Janice Derr, assistant professor in reference services, Booth Library at EIU.

The Yellow Wall-Paper can be interpreted in many ways, and Booth Library invites you to share your views on the story. We hope to have a lively discussion on the themes in the story and touch on some of the different interpretations of the work. All are welcome to attend.

To prepare for the discussion, the library has several copies of the story available for checkout, and the story can be read online at www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1952.

This event is part of the exhibit “Literature of Prescription: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper'” that Booth Library will host from Sept. 23-Nov. 2.

More about the Exhibit

The exhibit examines a 19th-century writer’s challenge to the medical profession and the relationship between science and society. Artist and writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who was discouraged from pursuing a career to preserve her health, rejected the ideas in a terrifying short story titled ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper.’

The famous tale served as an indictment of the medical profession and the social conventions restricting women’s professional and creative opportunities.

For more information, please visit http://www.library.eiu.edu/exhibits/yellowwallpaper/