Anne Sexton- American poet

September 16, 2004 11:08 PM

Anne Sexton, American Poet.......172 of her poems online I am reading a biography on her and thought I would share with the class. She had a tough time.
posted by lee (3 comments total)

I had to memorize and read her "Pain for a Daughter" to my 10th grade English class. I loved the mysteriousness of it; it really moved me. Later I preferred Plath for being more structured and clever. Must have been galling to have the constant comparisons to Plath.

I think my favorite Sexton poem here is "To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph," because (1) it's a clever riff on the Yeats poem that preceded it, (2) I like the ominous hint that your triumph now can turn into failure at any moment; (3) I love the surprise at the end, that even failure can be triumph, "acclaiming the sun," and that sometimes miserable failure is better than following the "sensible daddy" who wants you to do the expected, safe thing. She could be pretty wise for someone so unhappy. Thanks, lee.
posted by onlyconnect at 11:56 PM on September 16, 2004

Drat. I sent a Sexton poem to my significant other when we were first dating. It's about a woman pining for her husband at sea, but I can't remember the name. Anyone? (And yes, I realize how vague and unlikely a thing this is.)
posted by yerfatma at 5:03 AM on September 17, 2004

Not to divert the focus from the poet, but I've heard it said that this poem of hers was at least a partial inspiration for Twin Peaks. True or not, it at least shares some of the show's more unsettling qualities.
posted by picea at 5:43 AM on September 17, 2004