What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Awakening
Kate Chopin · Book · 1899
If you loved The Awakening, start with Tipping the Velvet (Andrew Davies, 2002) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Awakening across media.
You were drawn to the way The Awakening maps the quiet, internal revolution of a woman defying stifling societal expectations.
Films on the same thread
The Piano
Jane Campion · Film · 1993
Explores: repressed desire, female agency, isolation.
Like the protagonist of The Awakening, Ada grapples with the suffocating weight of domestic control and finds an outlet for her repressed desire in a transformative, forbidden liaison.
The Age of Innocence
Martin Scorsese · Film · 1993
Shares a thread with The Awakening: Social Constraints.
This film mirrors the social constraints found in The Awakening, focusing on the agonizing tension between personal passion and the rigid demands of high society marriage expectations.
The Dreamers
Bernardo Bertolucci · Film · 2003
Explores: Sexual Awakening, Political Disillusionment, Intellectual Exploration.
Much like the central character in The Awakening, these characters pursue a sensual voyage of self-discovery that challenges traditional boundaries and explores the depths of human desire.
The Graduate
Mike Nichols · Film · 1967
Shares 2 threads with The Awakening: Adultery, Identity Crisis.
The Awakening captures the restlessness of a life unfulfilled, a feeling that drives this story’s protagonist toward an illicit relationship and a confrontation with his own social alienation.
Series on the same thread
Tipping the Velvet
Andrew Davies · Series · 2002
Shares a thread with The Awakening: self-discovery.
Similar to the journey taken in The Awakening, this story follows a woman navigating the 1890s as she pursues emotional and sexual discovery in a restrictive, hidden world.
Twin Peaks
Mark Frost · Series · 1990
Explores: Small Town Secrets, Doppelgangers, Good vs Evil.
While the setting shifts to mystery, the existential dread and the uncovering of hidden, unsettling truths echo the psychological unraveling experienced by Edna in The Awakening.
Tales of the City
Armistead Maupin · Series · 1993
Explores: Coming-of-age, Sexual awakening, Urban life.
Just as the main character in The Awakening breaks away from her traditional life, Mary Ann Singleton finds a new, liberated identity within a transformative urban environment.
Sex Education
Laurie Nunn · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with The Awakening: Self-Discovery.
This series explores the complexities of sexual awakening with the same raw honesty found in The Awakening, focusing on the tension between personal development and societal norms.
Podcasts on the same thread
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
Esther Perel Global Media · Podcast · 2026
Explores: infidelity, emotional vulnerability, human connection.
If the marital dissatisfaction in The Awakening resonated with you, this podcast offers a profound, real-world exploration of the intimacy and vulnerability often lost in committed relationships.
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
The Awakening examines the social constraints of its era; this documentary series provides a necessary, broader historical context for the structural systems that shaped American national identity.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Awakening set in New Orleans?
The Awakening is set in an idyllic coastal community away from the sweltering heat of 1890s New Orleans. Edna Pontellier spends the summer there with her children and the families of other businessmen while away from her husband.
How old is Edna Pontellier in The Awakening?
In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is in her 28th year. During this summer spent at a coastal community, she becomes aware of deep personal yearnings that remain unfulfilled by her life of marriage and motherhood.
What triggers the events in The Awakening?
The events in The Awakening are triggered when Edna Pontellier spends a summer away from her husband in a coastal community. This period leads her to recognize unfulfilled yearnings, ultimately resulting in an illicit liaison that reawakens her long dormant desires.
Does The Awakening feature a marriage?
Yes, The Awakening features the marriage of Edna Pontellier. The story explores her internal conflict as she realizes her deep yearnings are not satisfied by the roles of wife and mother, leading her to pursue an illicit liaison.