Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is a psychologically riveting, semi-autobiographical story based on Charlotte’s experiences during a difficult period after the birth of her child. Her husband imposed an unproven treatment called “the rest cure” to treat her postpartum depression.

Under the supervision of a quack doctor who insisted on the cessation of all Charlotte’s creative and intellectual activity, the treatment ultimately demanded that she give up her opportunities, her art, and ultimately her personal autonomy. Yet that terrible experience which almost destroyed Gilman ultimately resulted in her most famous work: a terrifying short story of what might have been if she had not escaped.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a story about the gaslighting, control, and dependence that women endure when men control all aspects of political and economic reality.