 Poetry: June 05, 2013 Issue [#5705] |
  Poetry
This week: Confessional Poetry Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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Thank you to everyone who wrote in about my last Poetry Newsletter "Poetry: Truth or Fiction." I got several responses that pointed out that I neglected to mention Confessional Poetry in my discussion of fiction vs. non-fiction poetry. And you're right! I would be remiss not to mention the great Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Allen Ginsberg, John Berryman, and the tons of others who paved the way for confessional poets in the 1950's and 60's! I love learning new things, so I did some research on the genre of Confessional Poetry, and today's newsletter is exclusively devoted to that subject.
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Confessional Poetry
Confessional Poetry was born in the 1950's and 60's. Robert Lowell's Life Studies is one of the first known books in what has become the genre of Confessional Poetry. His students Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath soon followed with their own work.
It may be hard for us to believe, but before the Confessional Poetry movement, issues dealing with death, relationships, and depression were not usually disclosed in poetry, and poets certainly never did so in an autobiographical manner. For poets like Plath, the speaker truly was the same person as the poet. One of Plath's most well-known poems, "Daddy," addresses her father directly. Sexton began writing poetry at the suggestion of her therapist, and went on to write poems that addressed controversial issues related to her mental illness.
It is important to note, however, that Confessional Poets did not simply record their emotions on paper; they were extremely careful to use literary devices and techniques that enhanced their poetry and brought it to life for the reader.
Today, the tradition of Confessional Poetry continues in the work of poets such as Sharon Olds. It is no longer taboo to write poems about difficult real-life circumstances, and we have these poets of the 1950's and 60's to thank for that. |
Enjoy these poems, and give them a review if you can!
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Lots of great feedback about my last Poetry Newsletter!
Thanks for bringing this up, Crys. I’ve received reviews that went so far as to accuse me of being an evil person for things my characters did! Even more in poetry than in stories, some readers tend to assume anything in first person is real.
It’s clear, however, that confessional poetry can be much more than a way to “purge emotions and deal with difficult situations.” Seasoned poets who write this form almost exclusively show us their lives with amazing artistry and poetic technique. Right now I’m reading Sharon Olds’ Stag’s Leap, which reads almost like a memoir in verse. Confessional poetry belongs to a whole spectrum of poets, from inexperienced writers to Pulitzer Prize winners using personal experience as a springboard to art. -asymmetrical
Your newsletter raises a common misunderstanding: we often write from experience, but equally find inspiration in things outside of it. And readers often believe it is you who has experienced/done what the poem seems to speak of. Some examples from my own writing:
"Invalid Item" caused my brother to remark, "Gee Al. You must have been going through a tough time when you wrote this." I told him that I wrote it purely to demonstrate the use of metaphor in poetry to my senior English class!
"Invalid Item" is a dramatic monologue written from my wife's perspective - she is a home-care nurse to elderly patients and the events of this poem actually happened. Not to me, but to her: she was the audience.
And so the poet has the opportunity to write from the perspective of another, or purely as an exercise in language. Whether it's fact or fiction doesn't enter into the reading.
Regards,turps 
Well said! I have often received well meaning advice in reviews for pieces I have written that have been inspired by others or by 'outside' experiences. I generally accept that these 'well wishers' were moved enough to review it. I just thank them for writing it, foregoing any corrective rebuttal. I do this mixed in combination of feeling that explaining, which I do, do sometimes is a wasted effort, and also that whatever help or pleasure that person received from the piece is somehow enchanced to them by believing that there is this particular person behind the words. I really don't want to take anything away from a reader, so let them believe what they like and enjoy it as they see it. When 'helpful advice' becomes a detailed instructional thesis, I just laugh and blow it off, figuring "Wow! I really triggered a response in them!" Which is quite a compliement as a writer the way I see it! Loved the article, it's nice to know I'm not the only writer out there that gets misunderstood! -Rick H
You absolutely NAILED it with this newsletter! But on the flip side, I don't get upset when someone assumes (!) I have done/experienced all of which I write about because if I am writing that convincingly, that authentically, that well, then I am doing a good job with my craft! -Fyn 
Crys,
When I write a new poem, I'm often amazed at the twist it will take. I wrote this one "The Jester" [E] seven years ago, and was shocked at the twist that came about about 2/3 of the way through. I felt compelled to write it after I experienced what I can only call a 'vision'. The first verse describes this vision well I think. Since that time, I've written 10 other poems about the main character I call, "The Jester". Hope you enjoy it should you decide to read it. -Sum1's Home 
Isn't this the ultimate compliment? When you make up something out of whole cloth, and a reader asks what it was like to live through that? To me, that's the ultimate purpose of fiction writing, to give someone an alternate life to experience, and when you get this type of comment, someone has just told you that you've succeeded beyond your wildest dreams. -jack-tyler
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