Cimalová, Natalie. “Feminism in the Poetry of Adrienne Rich: A Comparison of Her Early and Late Poems.” (2015).
The present article is devoted to the development of feminism in the poems by Adrienne Rich. The author states that it was strictly formal at the beginning of the 1950s and only insinuated the inferior role of women in society. However, later, in the 1970s-1980s feminist ideas in her works became more explicit. Specifically, the poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” deals with the marginalization of women. Cimalová claims that Rich’s literary works were characterized by a certain degree of formalism. However, in her later poems, it is shown more implicitly than in those of the 1950s. The present article is well-written and presents a broad outlook on Adrienne Rich’s poetry with a lot of details and interesting ideas. The article fits into my research because it helps me understand the nature of the poems written by Adrienne Rich and the ideas which affected them the most.
Genesis, Kadriye Asli. “Self-Expression and Definition of Women Through Confessional Poetry.” Journal of International Social Research 14.82 (2021).
The paper explores the differences women poets experienced in the 20th century as well as their struggle with the stereotypes that existed in society. The article also deals with such notion as confessional poetry the aim of which is to tell about the author’s personal experience in verse. Confessional poetry quite differs from the traditional ones, and it became popular among the women poets of the previous century. Genesis states that the poems of this type, written by women were different from those written by men. They also became the means of making the name that the women poets used to fight the stereotypes that existed in society at that time. This writing is well-structured and provides a deep analysis of the topic with the focus not only on the poems by Adrienne Rich but on the women’s poetry of the previous century in general. It really helped me in my writing because I could see the picture that existed in the area of poetry on the whole.
Holland, Walter. “Collected Poems: 1950–2012 by Adrienne Rich.” Pleiades: Literature in Context 37.2 (2017): 52-54.
The present article is a review of the collection of literary works by Adrienne Rich. Holland analyses and interprets the verses written by the poet. The author states that the readers can trace the personal transformation and growth of the poet through her poems. The article also explores Rich’s language and the linguistic means she uses to create the image of the real woman which has nothing in common with the stereotypical one formed by society. Holland writes that Rich forms her lines with ease which enables her to speak with the audience about such themes as gender and oppression of women. The article is easy to read and perceive, and the author’s argumentation and analysis are understandable and help understand Rich’s artwork better. It helped me write my final paper as I found out more about Rich’s writing style and the image of a woman from it.
Langer, Cassandra. “A wild patience: appreciating Adrienne Rich.” The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 19.5 (2012): 9-10.
This article provides a broader outlook on the biography of Adrienne Rich and her contribution to the acceptance of LGBT people by society. The author of the article concentrates, specifically, on public reactions to Rich’s poems and essays as well as on their social impact. Apart from that, Langer reveals some details from Rich’s biography which are crucial for the understanding of her literary works and the themes she touches upon in them. The provocative themes of homosexuality and compulsory heterosexuality made her poems and essays ambiguously perceived by the American society but were an important milestone in the development of feminism. The article is quite concise and well-written, there is nothing missing or unnecessary about Adrienne Rich’s life and literary work. It really helped me in writing my paper because after I found out more about the poetess’s personal life, I was able to better understand and interpret her poems.
Raslan, Usama. “Patriarchy Rejected: A Feminist Reading in Some Selected Poems by Adrienne Rich and Fatima Naoot.”
The present article is a feminist reading of the poetry by Adrienne Rich and Fatima Naoot, who opposed the patriarchal system in their literary works. The article states that both authors criticize the patriarchal world in their poems though do it in a different manner. Thus, Adrienne Rich clearly says that her poetry is feminist and respects women, their rights, and uniqueness. Naoot does it more implicitly which does not prevent her from being one of the well-known feminist poetesses. They both agree that the patriarchal statement that women are inferior to men is completely wrong and needs reconsideration. This article is quite long but informative, and it takes time and effort to perceive it as it contains a lot of important information about Rich’s and Naoot’s literary works. It really helped me understand the message of Rich’s poetry and its feminist nature.
Rich, Adrienne. “Aunt Jennifer’s tigers.” The Norton Introduction to Literature (Shorter) Available from: Yuzu Reader, (13th Edition). W. W. Norton, 2019, pp. 833-834
This source is not an article but a piece of poetry by Adrienne Rich titled “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”. It is the poem that deals with the forced heterosexual marriage the poetess herself faced in her personal life. It also touches upon the tough challenges women have to go through in their lives. The central image of the poem is aunt Jennifer who may be a prototype of the poetess herself since their life experiences are quite similar. The poem is easy to read and comprehend since Rich’s language enables the reader to notice the major problems it is devoted to at the first sight. It would have been impossible for me to write my analysis without this source because the object analyzed is this exact poem by Adrienne Rich.
Turner, Samuel. “Subversion and Containment in Adrienne Rich’s” Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”. Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism 8.2 (2015): 10.
The present article is devoted, specifically, to Adrienne Rich’s “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” and its interpretation. Since the poem was written in the 1950s, it is more conservative than Rich’s later literary works. The article states that this poem does not promote feminism or contribute to its major postulates. Instead of opposing males oppressing females, it reinforces the muted women’s voices creating an illusion of subversion. At the same time, the author states that Rich’s further growth and development as a feminist poet was impossible without “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”. Thus, the poem still remains an important part of her literary work and is worthy of attention. The article is well-written and contains really interesting ideas and slight criticism of the poem. It was useful in my work because it gave me the opportunity to look at “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” from a different perspective.
Vatcoskay, Tyler. Breaking From a Patriarchal Position: The Interwoven Stances of Boland, Cixous, and Rich. Diss. Loras College, 2014.
The thesis is devoted to the comparison of the literary works by Boland, Cixous, and Rich, which are marked as feminist poetry. The author states that these poets promote the idea of women facing injustice and oppression from men. They also call women for opposing the stereotypes that were formed in society about them and support women’s emancipation. The analysis of the literary works written by the three different authors on the same issue enables the audience to immerse deeper into the problem and better understand it. This thesis is well-written and contains very interesting ideas and interpretations of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”. Thus, it was helpful in my work because it enabled me to understand the message of the poem as well as the aim the author might have in mind while writing it.
Works Cited
Cimalová, Natalie. “Feminism in the Poetry of Adrienne Rich: A Comparison of Her Early and Late Poems.” (2015).
Genesis, Kadriye Asli. “Self-Expression and Definition of Women Through Confessional Poetry.” Journal of International Social Research 14.82 (2021).
Holland, Walter. “Collected Poems: 1950–2012 by Adrienne Rich.” Pleiades: Literature in Context 37.2 (2017): 52-54.
Langer, Cassandra. “A wild patience: appreciating Adrienne Rich.” The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 19.5 (2012): 9-10.
Raslan, Usama. “Patriarchy Rejected: A Feminist Reading in Some Selected Poems by Adrienne Rich and Fatima Naoot.”
Rich, Adrienne. “Aunt Jennifer’s tigers.” The Norton Introduction to Literature (Shorter) Available from: Yuzu Reader, (13th Edition). W. W. Norton, 2019, pp. 833-834.
Turner, Samuel. “Subversion and Containment in Adrienne Rich’s” Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”. Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism 8.2 (2015): 10.
Vatcoskay, Tyler. Breaking From a Patriarchal Position: The Interwoven Stances of Boland, Cixous, and Rich. Diss. Loras College, 2014.