This is my all time favorite short story! The psychology of it is so fascinating with the slow change of her mindset throughout her writings. I have read and reread this story so many times and still marvel at the flawless transition from depression to full psychosis.
Makes me think of the claims that the arsenic in the wallpaper colors made people ill and sometimes a bit crazy. Really enjoyed your narration as always!
Loved this story I had a by pass operation last year and the pain killers (opiates) made me see all kinds of strange things coming out of the stained hospital room walls
Great story and narration! Mental illness is a tough thing. There was a piece of this story I could never form an idea of, but it always was in the back of my mind. Your discussion about the room being torn up by others, too, made me realize I was not looking too deeply. Great story, Tony! Thanks!
It was cool to revisit this as a ghost story! I remember reading it in 1st year at University, waaaayyyy back in 1990, I had only considered it at that point through the lens of feminist literature as a warning tale. Great reading as always!
This speaks to me every time I listen to it. I've been bedridden with severe ME ("chronic fatigue syndrome") for many years now and a lot of what she describes fits what I've been through myself (though I recognize others' comparison to PPP is probably more apt). Too exhausted to read and write, company sucks the life out of me, sometimes my sleep schedule gets turned around so that I'm up at night. Dismissive doctors. I'm lucky to have a truly caring husband who believes me and not a whats-his-face from the story who thinks he knows better. If it weren't for the internet, especially UA-cam, I might have just gone mad like that poor woman. I've definitely let my imagination get the better of me more than once during this illness as it's hard to think clearly and so I'll obsess over interesting daydreams. At least my walls aren't patterned or yellow! Lol. Thanks for the lovely distractions from it all.
I think that they will find a blood test for ME eventually. They were dismissive of a lot of conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, etc for a long time and now acknowledge them. I talk about this endlessly at work that distinction that health professionals make between the worthy and unworthy patient, where the first is deemed to be ill through no fault of their own and the second is somehow responsible for their illness. No one chooses to be ill. Anyway, I wish you all the best and some relief from your troubles.
@@ClassicGhost thank you! I just came across you commenting on working in mental health on another video, I think. I can't keep up on medical news, it's all well beyond me anymore, but I think I've heard of a lot of research into physical causes so a test being developed would make sense and help a lot with giving proof. I do have a doctor now who believes me and a specialist clinic is coming to my area, so I have some hope. First doctor I saw thought I was drunk though, that's how dismissive he was. But you're right, nobody would choose this, I certainly didn't.
@ Tony What a kind, compassionate response you gave to Sarah. There is very little understanding, compassion for those with chronic illness. You are a gem.
I always loved this story; extremely well written and quite plausible. This is what happens when you lock anyone in a room, where they don't see people, and lose the thread of real life.; like ICU psychosis. I'm old, and I know the feminists have gone to town over this citing men's cruelty, but really, when a woman has postpartum depression, it's often the most helpful thing. We did this when my sister had ;relieve her of work and care for the baby and housework, and meals, and let her get her strength and nerves back (not lock her in a room with barred windows. I guess I'm saying it was the right cure carried too far.
Brilliant! A frightening tale that resonates and sticks to you, impossible not to entertain (or obsess over?) the remaining duration of the day....or/and night
Wonderfully done - this story never fails to give me goosebumps. I am going to listen again, Tony, to appreciate the shades of narration. But not right away....
Hmmm... I kept putting off listening to this one; to be honest, I *love* it, and hate it because it is way too close to the bone. I wonder how many other (women especially) love it because they can relate so closely with it. I have always seen, and related to objects in the same way. I have been driven to a place like this in my life, by another "John" Too much information, I know. So thanks again Tony for your choice of story and unique delivery. Hang in there!, all whom can relate too closely to this. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train.
Same here! I’m 10 months post partum and was holding off on revisiting this story from my college days. The insanity of the domestic life is terrifying and so close to home (pun intended)
One of my takes on the story was that the lady was suffering from post natal depression and had a control freak of a husband who wanted her out of the way because he was having an affair. Is that too simplistic? 🤔 And no way in my mind was that room ever a nursery/gym for children 😱😱. Creepy, chilling, and a masterful narration. Thanks so much.
Read the book years ago and was fascinated and wanted to read it again so badly but could not remember the author or title so imagine my joy when I found this and can't wait - think it calls for a cup of coffee and comfortable chair, hope I am as impressed as the first time,,,,,,,,
Marvelous! Thanks so much for sending this again--had actually forgotten all about it. Horrifying images, presentation, dialect, Masterful. Thank you! Also the interesting,. informative commentary.Will certainly listen again.
@@ClassicGhost Whoopeee! The more the merrier! Sorry I am so long on the uptakebut good you explained it to me ! By the way what is the title of your story about this kad of a military man who behaved badly toward a young woman named Vivian but got his due at this old English castle with lots of weird people and events galore? Need to binge this weekend.
I read this one either back in highschool or college, can't remember now!, sometime between '94 and '98 and it - like A Rose for Emily - never quite leaves behind the same person that you were before reading the story. I have also found that reading/listening to it at different points in my life, the story has spoken to me a little differently each time. In June 1999, the band The Apples in Stereo released their album "Her Wallpaper Reverie" which had several musical interludes, mostly variations of the same melody, and of a psychedelic persuasion. I very much had the impression that the album name was a reference to this story, and the musical interludes didn't disabuse me of the notion. Fun album on its own 😁
@@ClassicGhost Some of that, but also some indie poppiness to them. In some aspects they reminded me of the earlier, more wholesome Beatles, thru Sgt. Pepper, with some White Album thrown in for good measure, just 30 years later...especially the song Strawberryfire. I mean, it's UNmissable, lol. I'm listening right now on YT 😊 my fave is Benefits of Lying (with your friend)
@@ClassicGhost I really appreciate how much you interact with your fanbase. I know it's got to take up a great deal of your time, and soon you simply won't be able to keep up with all the incoming messages, but while you're doing it THANK YOU SO MUCH! It is such a great part of this new(er) medium, that the relationship between audience and creator/performer is more interactive and less one-sided. Even without the response commenting, so often now the creators are able to respond to concerns & interests of their audiences in next-to-real-time from comments, or actual real time in live streams, it's really interesting and such a completely different experience from traditional entertainment, the closest maybe being improv theatre or a City Council meeting (which may or may not be entertainment). It makes every upload of yours even more engaging and anticipated, like "oh good, my friend Tony's put up a new story! Halt everything and settle in for a listen."
How can I put this? I suffered from severe postpartum depression after the birth of my beautiful daughter. It is an experience that haunts me to this day and I am 71 now. I felt that the poor woman was also suffering a like condition when a baby was mentioned. It seems from there she descended into pure madness. This is a truly horrifyingly tale well read! Thank you once again Tony!
The story strongly suggests the room had been used for the confinement of a lunatic, she thinks nursery, but she’s not a reliable narrator, and goes from mild post partum dew press ion to post partum psychosis.. The rings set in the walls, the window is barred, the floor has been damaged, the bed is nailed down, and it’s been chewed on (which she does as well in a moment of anger and frustration). The husband lets her stay there (although he no s out realizes it’s last use) because there’s no lunatic there now, it’s open and airy, and he seems a sort of stubborn practical fellow, not one to give in to “fancies”. Perhaps that’s what the problem of inheritance mentioned earlier in the story entailed. Yellow would have been a popular choice of color for a sickroom. Perhaps the last occupant also had the sort of thick-headed, tut-tut, everything will be fine Dear sort of physician who ignored all the obvious signs as well until it came to complete psychosis.
Intriguing story. Got the impression of the husband as a control freak or an "emotional abuser". Pay no heed to the wife's concerns. May be she went psycho at the end. She was driven up the wall in the end thus entangling herself with the wallpaper.
I think that is what happened. He shut his wife up in the nursery upstairs and she went mad. Or because she went mad, so he put her there. As to what came out of the wallpaper. I prefer to think something really did crawl out.
Have completed the story now... It seemed a descent into schizophrenia and psychosis and yet, maybe it started as PPD. Madness is a frightening future none of us hope for.
I know this story but know I'll enjoy your doing it. Is it a ghost story or the story of a woman going mad ? I can never decide. Your accent brushed against the Bronx in a few words. Not intended as a criticism of any kind. It's an enunciation I hear all the time.
What's most maddening about this story is that every time John speaks or does something it seems like he might be trying to gaslight her. Then when she dwells at length she seems less like someone fighting madness to someone who already is. The only absolute certainty is the hideous life their dysfunctional marriage has endowed the paper with.
I loved this story, but this recurring theme where women allow their husbands to totally subjugate them, making them lonely recluses in their own homes really makes me mad! Signed- a women's libber from way back.
![The Yellow Wallpaper | Charlotte Perkins Gilman [ Sleep Audiobook - Full Length Calm Bedtime Story ]](/img/n.gif)
Very upsetting. And as always beautifully narrated!
This is my all time favorite short story! The psychology of it is so fascinating with the slow change of her mindset throughout her writings. I have read and reread this story so many times and still marvel at the flawless transition from depression to full psychosis.
I came here after finding "The Haunting of Hill House". You do dread and creppiness so well!
Awesome! Glad you found me through Hill House! Creepy vibes are where it's at! Keep it spooky! 👻✨
Makes me think of the claims that the arsenic in the wallpaper colors made people ill and sometimes a bit crazy. Really enjoyed your narration as always!
I read this as a kid & was horrified. It’s awful, genuinely upsetting. Absolutely fantastic & the subtext resonates still.
Loved this story
I had a by pass operation last year and the pain killers (opiates) made me see all kinds of strange things coming out of the stained hospital room walls
An Amazing read... Your narration is on point. Not missing a breath. Thank you! Keep rocking this show. Appreciate you tons...
Thanks a lot.
Great story and narration!
Mental illness is a tough thing.
There was a piece of this story I could never form an idea of, but it always was in the back of my mind. Your discussion about the room being torn up by others, too, made me realize I was not looking too deeply.
Great story, Tony!
Thanks!
It was cool to revisit this as a ghost story! I remember reading it in 1st year at University, waaaayyyy back in 1990, I had only considered it at that point through the lens of feminist literature as a warning tale. Great reading as always!
It's interesting in that you can take it many ways
Thank you Tony I really enjoy this story!
This speaks to me every time I listen to it. I've been bedridden with severe ME ("chronic fatigue syndrome") for many years now and a lot of what she describes fits what I've been through myself (though I recognize others' comparison to PPP is probably more apt). Too exhausted to read and write, company sucks the life out of me, sometimes my sleep schedule gets turned around so that I'm up at night. Dismissive doctors. I'm lucky to have a truly caring husband who believes me and not a whats-his-face from the story who thinks he knows better. If it weren't for the internet, especially UA-cam, I might have just gone mad like that poor woman. I've definitely let my imagination get the better of me more than once during this illness as it's hard to think clearly and so I'll obsess over interesting daydreams. At least my walls aren't patterned or yellow! Lol. Thanks for the lovely distractions from it all.
I think that they will find a blood test for ME eventually. They were dismissive of a lot of conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, etc for a long time and now acknowledge them. I talk about this endlessly at work that distinction that health professionals make between the worthy and unworthy patient, where the first is deemed to be ill through no fault of their own and the second is somehow responsible for their illness. No one chooses to be ill. Anyway, I wish you all the best and some relief from your troubles.
@@ClassicGhost thank you! I just came across you commenting on working in mental health on another video, I think. I can't keep up on medical news, it's all well beyond me anymore, but I think I've heard of a lot of research into physical causes so a test being developed would make sense and help a lot with giving proof. I do have a doctor now who believes me and a specialist clinic is coming to my area, so I have some hope. First doctor I saw thought I was drunk though, that's how dismissive he was. But you're right, nobody would choose this, I certainly didn't.
@ Tony
What a kind, compassionate response you gave to Sarah. There is very little understanding, compassion for those with chronic illness. You are a gem.
I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with this for so long. Hope these are better days for you ❤️🔥
I always loved this story; extremely well written and quite plausible. This is what happens when you lock anyone in a room, where they don't see people, and lose the thread of real life.; like ICU psychosis. I'm old, and I know the feminists have gone to town over this citing men's cruelty, but really, when a woman has postpartum depression, it's often the most helpful thing. We did this when my sister had ;relieve her of work and care for the baby and housework, and meals, and let her get her strength and nerves back (not lock her in a room with barred windows. I guess I'm saying it was the right cure carried too far.
Brilliant! A frightening tale that resonates and sticks to you, impossible not to entertain (or obsess over?) the remaining duration of the day....or/and night
I listen to this every few years. Love everything about this story.
תודה!
Enjoyed this
Wonderfully done - this story never fails to give me goosebumps. I am going to listen again, Tony, to appreciate the shades of narration. But not right away....
Hmmm...
I kept putting off listening to this one; to be honest, I *love* it, and hate it because it is way too close to the bone.
I wonder how many other (women especially) love it because they can relate so closely with it.
I have always seen, and related to objects in the same way.
I have been driven to a place like this in my life, by another "John"
Too much information, I know.
So thanks again Tony for your choice of story and unique delivery.
Hang in there!, all whom can relate too closely to this. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train.
Same here! I’m 10 months post partum and was holding off on revisiting this story from my college days. The insanity of the domestic life is terrifying and so close to home (pun intended)
One of my takes on the story was that the lady was suffering from post natal depression and had a control freak of a husband who wanted her out of the way because he was having an affair.
Is that too simplistic? 🤔
And no way in my mind was that room ever a nursery/gym for children 😱😱.
Creepy, chilling, and a masterful narration.
Thanks so much.
+Janet Carr Wharton I think that is a very reasonable hypothesis. You may well be right
Agree with the gaslighting husband - never ever trust a man who calls one "little girl"!
Read the book years ago and was fascinated and wanted to read it again so badly but could not remember the author or title so imagine my joy when I found this and can't wait - think it calls for a cup of coffee and comfortable chair, hope I am as impressed as the first time,,,,,,,,
Listened again, there has been a group discussion on a different channel, I have recommended your channel of course.
Thank you Janet :)
This is a really good one! Thank you, Tony. It’ll be with me all day…
ditto this time around. Just as horror evoking----I blame John
Marvelous! Thanks so much for sending this again--had actually forgotten all about it. Horrifying images, presentation, dialect, Masterful. Thank you! Also the interesting,. informative commentary.Will certainly listen again.
Glad you enjoyed it! Good on you for the use of the custom emojiis. Imogen says she will make some more soon
@@ClassicGhost Whoopeee! The more the merrier! Sorry I am so long on the uptakebut good you explained it to me ! By the way what is the title of your story about this kad of a military man who behaved badly toward a young woman named Vivian but got his due at this old English castle with lots of weird people and events galore? Need to binge this weekend.
Danke!
Gern geschehen und danke auch
Thanks again.
Always welcome
Hell is being alone with your thoughts...forever.
Thank you once again
My pleasure!
WHAT CAN I SAY?????? SPINE CHILLING .........
PPP/PPD love this story.
I read this one either back in highschool or college, can't remember now!, sometime between '94 and '98 and it - like A Rose for Emily - never quite leaves behind the same person that you were before reading the story. I have also found that reading/listening to it at different points in my life, the story has spoken to me a little differently each time.
In June 1999, the band The Apples in Stereo released their album "Her Wallpaper Reverie" which had several musical interludes, mostly variations of the same melody, and of a psychedelic persuasion. I very much had the impression that the album name was a reference to this story, and the musical interludes didn't disabuse me of the notion. Fun album on its own 😁
I don't know the Apples in Stereo but I will go straight to them now. Sort of indie psychedelia?
@@ClassicGhost Some of that, but also some indie poppiness to them. In some aspects they reminded me of the earlier, more wholesome Beatles, thru Sgt. Pepper, with some White Album thrown in for good measure, just 30 years later...especially the song Strawberryfire. I mean, it's UNmissable, lol. I'm listening right now on YT 😊 my fave is Benefits of Lying (with your friend)
@@ClassicGhost I really appreciate how much you interact with your fanbase. I know it's got to take up a great deal of your time, and soon you simply won't be able to keep up with all the incoming messages, but while you're doing it THANK YOU SO MUCH! It is such a great part of this new(er) medium, that the relationship between audience and creator/performer is more interactive and less one-sided. Even without the response commenting, so often now the creators are able to respond to concerns & interests of their audiences in next-to-real-time from comments, or actual real time in live streams, it's really interesting and such a completely different experience from traditional entertainment, the closest maybe being improv theatre or a City Council meeting (which may or may not be entertainment). It makes every upload of yours even more engaging and anticipated, like "oh good, my friend Tony's put up a new story! Halt everything and settle in for a listen."
I think all those women lived there and and now lives in the wall paper ❤
Excellent
Brilliant
I want to creep around my house now!
Who else tried to get into the locked drawer today…
Be honest
That’s my favorite line.
HOW did you find a wallpaper for your thumbnail that actually COULD be the awful stuff in question?? My goodness. Insane minds exist!
That's a picture of the wallpaper I've picked for our new house...
Oooooh as creepy in real life as the stories he reads....spooky !!
:)))
How can I put this? I suffered from severe postpartum depression after the birth of my beautiful daughter. It is an experience that haunts me to this day and I am 71 now. I felt that the poor woman was also suffering a like condition when a baby was mentioned. It seems from there she descended into pure madness. This is a truly horrifyingly tale well read! Thank you once again Tony!
The story strongly suggests the room had been used for the confinement of a lunatic, she thinks nursery, but she’s not a reliable narrator, and goes from mild post partum dew press ion to post partum psychosis.. The rings set in the walls, the window is barred, the floor has been damaged, the bed is nailed down, and it’s been chewed on (which she does as well in a moment of anger and frustration). The husband lets her stay there (although he no s out realizes it’s last use) because there’s no lunatic there now, it’s open and airy, and he seems a sort of stubborn practical fellow, not one to give in to “fancies”. Perhaps that’s what the problem of inheritance mentioned earlier in the story entailed. Yellow would have been a popular choice of color for a sickroom. Perhaps the last occupant also had the sort of thick-headed, tut-tut, everything will be fine Dear sort of physician who ignored all the obvious signs as well until it came to complete psychosis.
A master...
Intriguing story. Got the impression of the husband as a control freak or an "emotional abuser". Pay no heed to the wife's concerns. May be she went psycho at the end. She was driven up the wall in the end thus entangling herself with the wallpaper.
I think that is what happened. He shut his wife up in the nursery upstairs and she went mad. Or because she went mad, so he put her there. As to what came out of the wallpaper. I prefer to think something really did crawl out.
Ah the classic
I had done it before but I messed the music up so re-issued it as new.
This one is hard to follow. So tired 😫, best to take a nap and try again later.
Have completed the story now... It seemed a descent into schizophrenia and psychosis and yet, maybe it started as PPD. Madness is a frightening future none of us hope for.
John is an abuser. The poor woman. Anybody ll go crazy stuck in a room all day
How is he abusive when the woman is crazy/possessed? She said she's too tired to move so it's not as though she can leave.
💙💙💙
I know this story but know I'll enjoy your doing it. Is it a ghost story or the story of a woman going mad ? I can never decide. Your accent brushed against the Bronx in a few words. Not intended as a criticism of any kind. It's an enunciation I hear all the time.
What's most maddening about this story is that every time John speaks or does something it seems like he might be trying to gaslight her. Then when she dwells at length she seems less like someone fighting madness to someone who already is. The only absolute certainty is the hideous life their dysfunctional marriage has endowed the paper with.
Ewwwww. I imagine the canary-yellow of that horrible suit David Bowie wore in the 80's. I bet he smelled papery too.
John sounds positively tiresome!!!😏 The last thing for someone with postpartum depression is to be alone and to be told that she's being silly!😢
So creepy, wow ….
I loved this story, but this recurring theme where women allow their husbands to totally subjugate them, making them lonely recluses in their own homes really makes me mad!
Signed- a women's libber from way back.
+Carol Rios I don’t do that to
Sheila. She’s never in
@@ClassicGhost Tony, you seem like a very compassionate person, Sheila is a lucky woman!