This Business of Words - by Amanda Golden (Paperback)

About the Book

Long overshadowed by fellow confessional poets Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton seldom features in literary criticism, despite being one of America's most influential women writers. Now in this much-needed volume Sexton and her poetry are reassessed for the first time in two decades.

Book Synopsis

One of America's most influential women writers, Anne Sexton has long been overshadowed by fellow confessional poets Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell and is seldom featured in literary criticism. This volume reassesses Sexton and her poetry for the first time in two decades and offers directions for future Sexton scholarship. Mapping Sexton's influence on twenty-first-century cultural contexts, these essays emphasize her continuing vitality. Contributors: Jeanne Marie Beaumont Jeffery Conway Jo Gill Amanda Golden Christopher Grobe Anita Helle Kamran Javadizadeh Dorothea Lasky Kathleen Ossip David Trinidad Victoria Van Hyning

Review Quotes

"Rejecting inherited knockoff versions of Anne, the contributors . . . remap the extraordinary constellation of her career. . . . Added bonus: poets join their academic colleagues in reassessing an important poet and performance artist."--American Literary History "The reader sees the evolving artist and her efforts to promote her work and come to terms with her life. . . . This collection reveals Sexton as a unique artist and human being."--Choice "Successfully throwing much-needed fresh light from new perspectives, This Business of Words opens a path for fuller appreciation as well as greater critical discernment of the poet's work."--Colorado Review "Advance[s] Sexton scholarship through engagement with the materials in her archive and her significant influence on contemporary poets."--American Literature: The Twentieth Century

About the Author

Amanda Golden is assistant professor of English at New York Institute of Technology.