Randall Jarrell and His Age

Randall Jarrell (1914--1965) was the most influential poetry critic of his generation. He was also a lyric poet, comic novelist, translator, children's book author, and close friend of Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Hannah Arendt, and many other important writers of his time. Jarrell won the 1960 National Book Award for poetry and served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress. Amid the resurgence of interest in Randall Jarrell, Stephen Burt offers this brilliant analysis of the poet and essayist.Burt's book examines all of Jarrell's work, incorporating new research based on previously undiscovered essays and poems. Other books have examined Jarrell's poetry in biographical or formal terms, but none have considered both his aesthetic choices and their social contexts. Beginning with an overview of Jarrell's life and loves, Burt argues that Jarrell's poetry responded to the political questions of the 1930s, the anxieties and social constraints of wartime America, and the apparent prosperity, domestic ideals, and professional ideology that characterized the 1950s. Jarrell's work is peopled by helpless soldiers, anxious suburban children, trapped housewives, and lonely consumers. Randall Jarrell and His Age situates the poet-critic among his peers -- including Bishop, Lowell, and Arendt -- in literature and cultural criticism. Burt considers the ways in which Jarrell's efforts and achievements encompassed the concerns of his time, from teen culture to World War II to the Cuban Missile Crisis; the book asks, too, how those efforts might speak to us now. Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) was the most influential poetry critic of his generation. He was also a lyric poet, comic novelist, translator, children's book author, and close friend of Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Hannah Arendt, and many other important writers of his time. Jarrell won the 1960 National Book Award for poetry and served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress. Amid the resurgence of interest in Randall Jarrell, Stephen Burt offers this brilliant analysis of the poet and essayist. Burt's book examines all of Jarrell's work, incorporating new research based on previously undiscovered essays and poems. Other books have examined Jarrell's poetry in biographical or formal terms, but none have considered both his aesthetic choices and their social contexts. Beginning with an overview of Jarrell's life and loves, Burt argues that Jarrell's poetry responded to the political questions of the 1930s, the anxieties and social constraints of wartime America, and the apparent prosperity, domestic ideals, and professional ideology that characterized the 1950s. Jarrell's work is peopled by helpless soldiers, anxious suburban children, trapped housewives, and lonely consumers. Randall Jarrell and His Age situates the poet-critic among his peers--including Bishop, Lowell, and Arendt--in literature and cultural criticism. Burt considers the ways in which Jarrell's efforts and achievements encompassed the concerns of his time, from teen culture to World War II to the Cuban Missile Crisis; the book asks, too, how those efforts might speak to us now.-- Provided by publisher Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) Was The Most Influential Poetry Critic Of His Generation; He Was Also A Lyric Poet, Comic Novelist, Childrens Book Author, And Close Friend Of Elizabeth Bishop, Hannah Arendt, And Many Other Important Writers Of His Time. This Book Examines All Of Jarrells Work, Incorporating New Research Such As Previously Undiscovered Essays And Poems. Other Books Have Examined Jarrells Poetry In Biographical Or Formal Terms, But None Have Considered Both His Aesthetic Choices And Their Social Contexts. Burt Argues That Jarrells Poetry Responded To The Political Questions Of The 1930s, The Anxieties And Social Constraints Of Wartime America, And The Apparent Prosperity, Domestic Ideals, And Professional Ideology That Characterized The 1950s. Jarrells Work Is Peopled By Helpless Soldiers, Anxious Suburban Children, Trapped Housewives, And Lonely Consumers. Randall Jarrell And His Age Situates The Poet-critic Among His Peers In Literature And Cultural Criticism. It Considers The Ways In Which Jarrells Efforts And Achievements Encompassed The Concerns Of His Time, From Teen Culture To The Cuban Missile Crisis, And The Book Posits What These Concerns Might Say To Our Own. Antechapter : Randall Jarrell's Life -- Ch. 1. Jarrell's Interpersonal Style -- Ch. 2. Institutions, Professions, Criticism -- Ch. 3. Psychology And Psychoanalysis -- Ch. 4. Time And Memory -- Ch. 5. Childhood And Youth -- Ch. 6. Men, Women, Children, Families -- Conclusion : What We See And Feel And Are. Stephen Burt. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [263]-275) And Index. "Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) was the most influential poetry critic of his generation. He was also a lyric poet, comic novelist, translator, children's book author, and close friend of Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Hannah Arendt, and many other important writers of his time. Jarrell won the 1960 National Book Award for poetry and served as poetry consultant to the library of Congress. Amid the resurgence of interest in Randall Jarrell, Stephen Burt offers this brilliant analysis of the poet and essayist.". "Burt's book examines all of Jarrell's work, incorporating new research based on previously undiscovered essays and poems. Other books have examined Jarrell's poetry in biographical or formal terms, but none have considered both his aesthetic choices and their social contexts. Beginning with an overview of Jarrell's life and loves, Burt argues that Jarrell's poetry responded to the political questions of the 1930s, the anxieties and social constraints of wartime America, and the apparent prosperity, domestic ideas, and professional ideology that characterized the 1950s."--BOOK JACKET. Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) was one of the most influential poetry critics of his generation. He was also a lyric poet, comic novelist, translator, children's book author, and a close friend of Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Hannah Arendt, and many other important writers of his era. Burt's book examines all of Jarrell's work, incorporating new research based on previously undiscovered essays and poems.While other books have examined Jarrell's poetry in biographical or formal terms, Burt's is the first to consider both his aesthetic choices and their social contexts. Inhabited by helpless soldiers, anxious suburban children, trapped housewives, and lonely consumers, Jarrell's poetry responded to the political questions of the 1930s, the anxieties of wartime America, and the conformist atmosphere that characterized the 1950s. Burt situates the poet-critic among his peers in literature and cultural criticism, considering the ways in which Jarrell's work encompassed the political, social, and intellectual concerns of his time; the book also asks how Jarrell's efforts might speak to us now. Stephen Burt is assistant professor of English at Macalester College. His essays on poets and poetry have appeared in the Boston Review, London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, and the Blackwell Companion to 20th Century Poetry, among other places. His book of poems, Popular Music, won the Colorado Prize for 1999. LIT004020,Literary Criticism/American/General,POE005010,Poetry/American/General This book, winner of the Robert Penn Warren-Cleanth Brooks award, examines all of Jarrell's work, incorporating new research such as previously undiscovered essays and poems. Burt situates the poet- critic among his peers, including Bishop and Arendt, in literature and cultural criticism. Introduction Antechapter: Randall Jarrell's Life 1: Jarrell's Interpersonal Style 2: Institutions, Professions, Criticism 3: Psychology and Psychoanalysis 4: Time and Memory 5: Childhood and Youth 6: Men, Women, Children, and Families Conclusion: "What We See and Feel and Are" Index Randall Jarrell's best-known poems are poems about the Second World War, poems about bookish children and childhood, and poems, such as "Next Day," in the voices of aging women.