Sounding the Self: Soundscapes, Spatiality, and Place in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

Abstract

In her seminal work, The Awakening, Kate Chopin’s central theme of identity is an expansive basis upon which a broadened understanding of the theoretical frameworks of Soundscape and Spatiality allow scope into the concept of Identity. For Chopin, sound marks itself as an evocative force linked to the subconscious and when laid parallel to spatiality, identity formation becomes a complex map. However, existing literature rarely anatomizes both concepts, therefore resists expanding from the abstract to specifics. Leaving room to identify how linguistic spaces are heard and affect experiences of objects, events and self-awareness. To that end, auditory perception also becomes key to marking out spaces of various spatial positioning, specifically vertical spatiality, an underutilised concept in literature regarding Chopin’s works. Thereby, an imperative is set to create a theoretical and critical analysis to interpret the intersection of sound and space in the creation of identity, as well as to offer new ways of thinking about the sense of space, sound and the self in relation to literary studies regarding Kate Chopin and her literary achievements.