“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman* is one of the most interesting short feminist texts I’ve ever read (need a refresher? Check Wikipedia!).  I have a feeling several people agree, so this will be less of a book review and more of an overlap between several things I have going on all at once right now.  Fortunately, I’m preparing to teach “The Yellow Wallpaper” as we speak.  In fact, incorporating this text into my curriculum might fit very well into a way to teach feminism in the classroom! In order to overlap my Feminist Lens and my teaching feminism posts, as well as prepare for teaching today, I’ll share with you a glimpse into my classroom and tell you how I plan on teaching this wonderful story.

One of the most interesting things about this text is that it was originally categorized as a horror story or Gothic text because there was no “feminist genre” in which to place it when it was originally written.  Some still see it as a horror story, thinking the women in the walls are ghosts rather than hallucinations.  Because of this, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is perfect not only for an introduction to feminism, but an introduction to reading literature from different points of view.

My intended audience is college prep sophomores in an English 2 class during a 50-minute class period.  This is the first full week of school, so I’m keeping that in mind as I create rigorous plans, yet ease them into thinking after a long summer.

Day 1: I’m going to start class with a Bellringer (something that is on the board for the students to get started with as soon as the bell rings).  I’ll ask them to answer these questions in a journal: Have you ever had something bother you that you just couldn’t get out of your head?  Tell me about it.  How did it make you feel? I will give them 10-15 minutes to finish this.  We will discuss their answers for about 5 minutes before transitioning into reading “The Yellow Wallpaper” aloud in class.  Since this is the first story in our short story unit, I will read it aloud to them while they follow along.  We will discuss plot elements as we go along, and I will assign them a worksheet asking them to give examples from the story for plot, characters, theme, setting, etc.

Day 2: The Bellringer to start this day will be on the board.  They will be asked to answer a journal question answering the following question: Would you categorize “The Yellow Wallpaper” as a horror story or as a story about women’s rights?  Explain your answer. I will give them a few minutes to answer this question in writing, then we will discuss their answers.  As we talk, I will explain to them the history behind the story’s categorization.  We will find out if anyone changes their opinion, and I will give them a chance to add to their journals if this is the case.  After I collect their journals, the students will get into their (already defined) cooperative learning groups to write about the story.  Each group will be asked to answer “What does the story say about…?”, although each group will be assigned a different end to that question: psychology, women, work (writing), how men see women, how the narrator sees men (her husband in particular), marriage.  They will write their answers down as a group, pulling examples from the text to support their answers, and they will share their answers with the class when everyone is finished.

So, here is a good way to teach a great story that is part of the curriculum while reviewing short story elements AND generating productive discussions about feminism in the classroom.  See?  Easy.

*Full Citation: Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Fiction: A Pocket Anthology. Ed. R.S. Gwynn.  New York: Penguin, 2007. 86-101.

Liked this feminist book review?  Read more by clicking here.  Hated it?  Completely disagree with it?  Have something to add to it?  Have a book to recommend? Leave a comment or e-mail me at smallstroke (at) gmail (dot) com.

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