Muriel Rukeyser and Documentary: The Poetics of Connection - Hardcover

Gander, Catherine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 074867053X ISBN 13: 9780748670536

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2013

Synopsis

‘This especially rich work takes on Rukeyser's uses of documentary forms (filmic, photographic, journalistic, historical, biographical) to argue for their persistence throughout her career. It is presented with patient clarity and substantial archival research which underpin agile conceptualisations and powerful close readings of the poetry.’
Professor Ian F. A. Bell, School of English, Keele University
Provides a new perspective on the documentary diversity of Muriel Rukeyser’s work and influences
This study of twentieth-century American poet Muriel Rukeyser explores the multiple avenues of her ‘poetics of connection’ to reveal a profound engagement with the equally intertextual documentary genre. It examines previously overlooked photo narratives, poetry, prose and archival material and demonstrates an enduring dialogue between the poet’s relational aesthetics and documentary’s similarly interdisciplinary and creative approach to the world. By considering the sources of documentary in Rukeyser’s work, the study provides insight into her guiding poetic principles, situating her as a vital figure in the history of twentieth-century American literature and culture, and as a pioneering personality in the development of American Studies.
Key Features
Provides a new, interdisciplinary perspective situating Rukeyser firmly within the canon of essential twentieth-century American poets
Examines Rukeyser’s photo narratives, poetry, prose, and archival material
Outlines the development of documentary in the 1930s, and its role in the formation of an American literary and cultural aesthetic

About this title

About the Author

Catherine Gander is Associate Professor of American Literature at Maynooth University, Ireland. Her books include Muriel Rukeyser and Documentary: The Poetics of Connection (2013; Irish Association for American Studies biennial book prize winner), The Edinburgh Companion to Don DeLillo and the Arts (2023), Mixed Messages: American Correspondences in Visual and Verbal Practices (2016; co-edited with Sarah Garland), Beyond Ourselves: Contemporary Poets on Muriel Rukeyser (2026; co-edited with Stefania Heim), and the poetry sequence Matches (2024).

From the Back Cover

‘This especially rich work takes on Rukeyser's uses of documentary forms (filmic, photographic, journalistic, historical, biographical) to argue for their persistence throughout her career. It is presented with patient clarity and substantial archival research which underpin agile conceptualisations and powerful close readings of the poetry.’Professor Ian F. A. Bell, School of English, Keele UniversityProvides a new perspective on the documentary diversity of Muriel Rukeyser’s work and influencesThis study of twentieth-century American poet Muriel Rukeyser explores the multiple avenues of her ‘poetics of connection’ to reveal a profound engagement with the equally intertextual documentary genre. It examines previously overlooked photo narratives, poetry, prose and archival material and demonstrates an enduring dialogue between the poet’s relational aesthetics and documentary’s similarly interdisciplinary and creative approach to the world. By considering the sources of documentary in Rukeyser’s work, the study provides insight into her guiding poetic principles, situating her as a vital figure in the history of twentieth-century American literature and culture, and as a pioneering personality in the development of American Studies.Key FeaturesProvides a new, interdisciplinary perspective situating Rukeyser firmly within the canon of essential twentieth-century American poetsExamines Rukeyser’s photo narratives, poetry, prose, and archival materialOutlines the development of documentary in the 1930s, and its role in the formation of an American literary and cultural aestheticCatherine Gander works in the American and Canadian Studies department of the University of Nottingham.

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 074867053X
• ISBN 13: 9780748670536
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256