The Yellow Wallpaper

Title: The Yellow Wallpaper
Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Narrator: Jonathan Dunne
Original Publication: 1892
Public Domain: Yes
Series Placement: Number 4 in the Timeless Terrors series
Description:
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a groundbreaking work of psychological horror and early feminist literature. First published in 1892 in The New England Magazine, it tells the story of a woman suffering from postpartum depression who is confined to a room by her physician husband under the guise of a “rest cure.”
As she becomes increasingly obsessed with the room’s grotesque yellow wallpaper, her mind unravels in a chilling descent into madness. Gilman’s story is both a critique of the oppressive medical and social attitudes of her time and a powerful exploration of mental health, autonomy, and the dangers of silencing women.
This recording, narrated by Jonathan Dunne, captures the story’s creeping dread and psychological intensity. While the text is in the public domain, this performance is an original work and copyright © 2025 Jonathan Dunne.
Listeners should expect an unsettling, claustrophobic tale that remains one of the most influential and enduring pieces of American gothic literature.