Discontented with her comfortable but stagnant marriage, a New Orleans woman on vacation with her family meets several remarkable women and two desirable men who set her off on a different and difficult path: to live according to her own needs rather than in accordance with the rigid standards of society. First published in 1899, this book was rediscovered in the 1960s and pronounced a feminist classic for its open treatment of a woman's search for self-understanding. Includes an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carol Shields, plus a sampling of early reviews, a biography of Chopin, and essays by modern scholars.