The Poetics of the American Suburbs [Hardcover]

The first scholarly study of the rich body of poetry that emerged from the post-war American suburbs, Gill evaluates the work of forty poets, including Anne Sexton, Langston Hughes, and John Updike. Combining textual analysis and archival research, this book offers a new perspective on the field of twentieth-century American literature.Introduction PART I: 1: Constructing the Suburbs 2: Suburban Tastes PART II 3: The 'Poet Laureate of Suburbia' 4: Suburban Landscapes 5: The Look of the Suburbs 6: On the Margins Conclusion: The Song of the Suburbs

Jo Gill has produced the first careful study of US poets responding to post-World War II suburbanization. & Poetics of the American Suburbs should initiate new research on the material and cultural histories of suburbs & . a commendable contribution to Palgrave/Macmillans Modern and Contemporary Poetry and Poetics series. (Peter Schmidt, ALH Review, January, 2016)

The Poetics of the American Suburbs successfully dismisses the stereotype that the suburbs are places of little or no significance, and shows how poetry 'made in suburbia' is in fact thriving, critical, evocative, and boldly innovative. Gill convincingly tells a tale of many voices, many years and many perspectives, which beautifully uncovers the ever-pumping heart of modern American suburbia, behind its white-washed fences, and its manicured lawns. - Birmingham Journal of Literature and Language