"A woman who concerns herself with poetry should . . .
be a silent Muse and inspire the poets with her womanly presence."
~ Robert Graves, "The White Goddess"
Counter to Grave's recommendation, the women poets in "The Muse Strikes Back" are anything but silent. This lively anthology of spirited backtalk introduces the "reply poem" - a form in which the female subject of a male poet tells her side of the story. These poems are addressed to every level of the male-dominated poetry canon - from the Bible to Bukowski - and range in tone from wryly amused to fiercely outraged.
Contributions to "The Muse Strikes Back" include work from:
Anna Akhmatova, Margaret Atwood, Bogan, Anne Bradstreet, Annie Finch, H.D., Hacker, Erica Jong, Carolyn Kizer, Amy Lowell, Sharon Olds, Dorothy Parker, Sappho, Anne Sexton, Sara Teasdale, and many others.
This anthology includes a bibliography, indexes of contributing poets, the male poets addressed, and the titles and first lines. The anthology is designed to be of use to students as well as the general reading public, with footnotes provided for easy reference.
be a silent Muse and inspire the poets with her womanly presence."
~ Robert Graves, "The White Goddess"
Counter to Grave's recommendation, the women poets in "The Muse Strikes Back" are anything but silent. This lively anthology of spirited backtalk introduces the "reply poem" - a form in which the female subject of a male poet tells her side of the story. These poems are addressed to every level of the male-dominated poetry canon - from the Bible to Bukowski - and range in tone from wryly amused to fiercely outraged.
Contributions to "The Muse Strikes Back" include work from:
Anna Akhmatova, Margaret Atwood, Bogan, Anne Bradstreet, Annie Finch, H.D., Hacker, Erica Jong, Carolyn Kizer, Amy Lowell, Sharon Olds, Dorothy Parker, Sappho, Anne Sexton, Sara Teasdale, and many others.
This anthology includes a bibliography, indexes of contributing poets, the male poets addressed, and the titles and first lines. The anthology is designed to be of use to students as well as the general reading public, with footnotes provided for easy reference.
