Best of Women's Short Stories, Volume 1 Book

It was worth listening to this collection as part of my interest in reading new authors (and in this case, female authors who are considered groundbreaking or important in some way).
I must say that, unfortunately, I did not LIKE any of these stories, and found them to be variously drab, hopeless, despairing, or else relentlessly, unrealistically moralistic and idealistic.
This is not to say that they were poorly written. I admire the shadowy images of loss, wistfulness, and fantasy captured in William Locke's "Ladies in Lavender," the brilliant evocation of helplessness in Edith Wharton's "Atrophy," or the exquisitely crafted description of a woman's descent into madness in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's memorable "The Yellow Wallpaper."
I can also appreciate that these short stories have merit in that they express a repression and frustration experienced by female writers, and women in general, throughout much of history.
However, a limitation of this collection is that it reflects a narrow perspective in class, eras, and race. I cringed at the morality being preached in stories such as the offering by Elizabeth Gaskell, and found it difficult to empathize completely with one character's situation of having to stoop to the poverty of cleaning her own front steps (sans maid).
On the other hand, I could relate to the way in which women are often taught to mistrust their own judgment, or be quiet about what they are truly feeling.
This internalization of the dominant male paradigm was especially powerfully depicted in The Yellow Wallpaper. In this final story in the collection, the main character is diagnosed by her husband and brother (both doctors) as having nervous anxiety. Although initially, she actually has a very good grasp on reality, the men in her life force her to remain isolated in the old attic nursery of a country cottage. Our protagonist believes that meaningful work, making new friends, and otherwise acting as an adult will reduce her sense of ennui. But the men in her life dismiss her ideas, and, addressing her in terms of endearment or as a child, they ever so gently imprison her in her yellow-wallpapered tower, where they claim she must rest in order to recover. The protagonist's descent into madness is a direct result of her internalization of the dominant male paradigm, which tells her that she is weak, powerless, and ultimately, without worth.
Although the situation was dated, the themes in The Yellow Wallpaper still resonate today. I'd like to write a "The Yellow Wallpaper" set in the present-day, and explore how those ideas are still powerful. Ultimately, this collection of short stories left me with a lot to ponder.