Wallace Stevens
A Mythology of Self
Description:... In this study of the life and works of Wallace Stevens, Bates sets out to show how one poet transcended biography by transforming it into fables of identity. He presents a fascinating and persuasive account of Stevens's inner life -- the life he lived through his poetry. He examines the significant biographical influences on the poet's work: his relationship with his parents and wife, the ambience of Harvard College at the turn of the century, the New York avant-garde that flourished during World War I, political pressure from the Left during the '30s, his reading of Nietzsche and genealogical research in the '40s, and his late accommodation with traditional religious belief. Bates makes the poet seem not an isolated figure but part of a rich environment that includes politics, business and aesthetic speculation. ISBN 0-520-04909-8 : $26.95.
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