Poetics of the Body : Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Bishop, Marilyn Chin, and Marilyn Hacker

Poetics of the Body examines representations of the body in the work of four important twentieth-century poets: Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Bishop, Marilyn Chin, and Marilyn Hacker. Drawing on both past and present discussions regarding the place of the body in relation to Western philosophy, gender, sexuality, desire, creative production, and narrative, this study reveals how the poetic bodies in the poetry of these women negotiate the intersecting ideologies that attempt to regulate the body, its characteristics, and its behaviors. Ultimately, this dynamic book considers what it means to possess a body. Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-11 Theorizing the Body....Pages 13-25 Textual and Corporeal Convergence....Pages 27-53 “Dress Up! Dress Up and Dance at Carnival!”....Pages 55-79 Writing the Body Palimpsest....Pages 81-105 Narrative and Desire on and through the Body....Pages 107-128 Interview with Marilyn Chin....Pages 129-144 Conclusion....Pages 145-154 Back Matter....Pages 155-179 This Study Examines Representations Of The Body In The Work Of Four Important Twentieth-century Poets.