Where We Stand [Paperback]

Sharon Bryan (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1994

In this collection of essays, 21 contemporary women poets reflect on their particular relationship to literary tradition. The approaches taken are as diverse as the backgrounds of the authors who represent several generations of contemporary writers. They include Eavan Boland's essay in which she explores her roots as an Irish poet, Maxine Kumin's consideration of her generation's shaping context, and Amy Clampitt's account of her decision to become a poet. Other contributors include Dadeline DeFrees, Alicia Ostriker and Anne Stevenson. Despite the common threads in the experience of these women, there is no clear concensus: "Where We Stand" represents a plurality of voices, not a chorus.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Poet and River City editor Bryan presents illuminating essays by 21 women poets on their relation to literary history.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"Sometimes I can't help envy women, because they have no imagination," moaned Keats after a hard day's writing. That women are in any way deficient in this regard will come as a surprise to readers who have known and loved the women poets represented here, among them Amy Clampitt, Maxine Kumin, and Eavan Boland. Like all women who write, these poets find themselves working within a tradition that is not only defined by the masculine viewpoint but often openly contemptuous of their own. How do we do it? wondered poet Bryan. To find out, she actively solicited these essays, which range from Boland's startling analysis of the female as muse (and not much more) in Irish poetry to Alicia Ostriker's account of her protracted battle to acknowledge William Blake's dismissal of women. Though one would have welcomed the inclusion of younger poets who came of age after feminism hit its stride, these wide-ranging accounts are invariably thoughtful and refreshingly varied. Important for academic collections and a definite plus in public libraries where poetry is read seriously.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. (November 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393312097
• ISBN-13: 978-0393312096
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,496,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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