Reading a century of American poetry through the prism of short form, this book analyses the centrality of an aesthetic of brevity to American modernist verse. It begins with Imagism and devotes chapters to William Carlos Williams, George Oppen, Lorine Niedecker, Robert Creeley, Larry Eigner, Robert Grenier and Rae Armantrout. Montgomery combines his larger argument, which takes issue with epic-driven narratives of Modernist poetry, with sensitive and original readings of numerous short and short-lined poems. Suggesting a reappraisal of key movements as objectivism, Black Mountain poetry and Language Writing, he opens new lines of discussion around the major poets of the period.

About the Author
Will Montgomery, Reader in Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, Royal Holloway, University of London.


Book Information
ISBN 9781399500548
Author Will Montgomery
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press