James Merrill

Knowing Innocence

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Poetry History & Criticism, American
Cover of the book James Merrill by Reena Sastri, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Reena Sastri ISBN: 9781135914141
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 11, 2013
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Reena Sastri
ISBN: 9781135914141
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 11, 2013
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

James Merrill: Knowing Innocence reevaluates the achievement of this important poet by showing how he takes up an old paradigm – innocence – and reinvents it in response to new historical, scientific, and cultural developments including the bomb, contemporary cosmology, and the question of agency. The book covers Merrill’s full career, emphasizing the late poetry, on which there remains little commentary. Illuminating both Merrill’s relation to a tradition of literary innocence from Milton to Blake and Wordsworth to Emerson and Stevens, and his relevance to contemporary cultural debates, the rubric of "knowing innocence" helps us to understand his achievement. Merrill undertakes a career-long effort to know innocence, and develops a thematic and stylistic attitude that is both innocent and knowing, combining attitudes of wonder and hope with reflexive wit, intellectual breadth, and an unflinching gaze at mortality. He ultimately imagines innocence as creative agency, a capacity for imagination, invention, and ethical responsibility. The book demonstrates how, addressing questions of sexual identity, childhood and memory; atomic science, the big bang, and black holes; environmental degradation; AIDS; and the notion of the death of history – while honoring poetry’s essential qualities of freedom and play – his poems perform cultural work crucial to his time and ours.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

James Merrill: Knowing Innocence reevaluates the achievement of this important poet by showing how he takes up an old paradigm – innocence – and reinvents it in response to new historical, scientific, and cultural developments including the bomb, contemporary cosmology, and the question of agency. The book covers Merrill’s full career, emphasizing the late poetry, on which there remains little commentary. Illuminating both Merrill’s relation to a tradition of literary innocence from Milton to Blake and Wordsworth to Emerson and Stevens, and his relevance to contemporary cultural debates, the rubric of "knowing innocence" helps us to understand his achievement. Merrill undertakes a career-long effort to know innocence, and develops a thematic and stylistic attitude that is both innocent and knowing, combining attitudes of wonder and hope with reflexive wit, intellectual breadth, and an unflinching gaze at mortality. He ultimately imagines innocence as creative agency, a capacity for imagination, invention, and ethical responsibility. The book demonstrates how, addressing questions of sexual identity, childhood and memory; atomic science, the big bang, and black holes; environmental degradation; AIDS; and the notion of the death of history – while honoring poetry’s essential qualities of freedom and play – his poems perform cultural work crucial to his time and ours.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Water Quality Policy and Management in Asia by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book The Social Reality of Crime by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book A Practical Guide to the Thematic Apperception Test by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book The New Geopolitics of Eurasia and Turkey's Position by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Music in The Girl's Own Paper: An Annotated Catalogue, 1880-1910 by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Multiple Perspectives in Persistent Bullying by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book The Hidden Intelligence by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Filming the Nation by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Entertaining Lesbians by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book The Future of International Relations by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Environmental Democracy by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Against Understanding, Volume 2 by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Hispanic-Serving Institutions by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book Revise AS Level Psychology by Reena Sastri
Cover of the book White Mythologies by Reena Sastri
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy