Elmer Andrews has argued that one of the most notable developments in modern American poetry has been the emergence of a “confessional poetry…giving direct expression to the poet’s personal life”

... Elmer Andrews has argued that one of the most notable developments in modern American poetry has been the emergence of a "confessional poetry...giving direct expression to the poet's personal life". (1996) How far do you think this comment is appropriate to the poems in this selection? In you answer you should refer to at least two poets The style of confessionalism revitalised the American literary scene. What is surprising is that two major exponents of the genre were both very shy and extraordinarily eccentric. Emily Dickinson was born into an upper-middle class family who were very religious, her father was a clergyman. Dickinson's desire to break free from the confines of conventional religion is apparent in her poem No. 67, in which she claims that American Patriotism is a new religion in its own right. In the first stanza, she shows her indifference to G-d and religion, "to comprehend a Nectar/ requires sorest

want to read more? →