Dorothy Livesay Criticism
Dorothy Livesay, a prominent Canadian poet, critic, and journalist, is celebrated for her work that seamlessly blends political engagement with personal exploration. Her poetry, rich in lyrical and sensuous qualities, is deeply influenced by T.S. Eliot and the imagists, offering perceptive, musical, and rhythmically inventive compositions. Livesay's distinguished career includes winning the Governor General's Award for Day and Night in 1944 and Poems for People in 1947. As Northrop Frye notes, her work evolves from imagistic roots to encompass broader social passions, reflecting on the tension between nature and human history. Peter Stevens highlights her thematic shift from collective societal concerns to individual female identity and love, particularly evident in The Unquiet Bed and Plainsongs. Her commitment to organic form and social protest, influenced by American and British poets, is emphasized by Munro Beattie, while Michael Greenstein discusses her exploration of political themes and Marxist influences in Right Hand Left Hand. Overall, Livesay's work is noted for its sensitivity, craftsmanship, and the bold exploration of personal and collective human experiences.
Contents
- Livesay, Dorothy (Vol. 4)
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Livesay, Dorothy (Vol. 15)
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Letters in Canada
(summary)
In the following essay, Northrop Frye argues that Dorothy Livesay's poetry, while rooted in imagism, evolves through social passion and intricate observations, particularly in how it relates to human experiences of life and memory, often highlighting the tension between nature's cycles and human history.
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Dorothy Livesay: 'The Love Poetry'
(summary)
In the following essay, Peter Stevens analyzes Dorothy Livesay's evolution from focusing on collective societal themes in her early poetry to exploring individual female identity and love in her later works, highlighting the candid and complex portrayal of love and individuality in her collections The Unquiet Bed and Plainsongs.
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Poetry: 1920–1935
(summary)
In the following essay, Munro Beattie examines Dorothy Livesay's evolution as a poet committed to organic form and social protest, influenced by American and British poets, while highlighting her successful transition to expressing private sensations with sensitivity and craftsmanship in her later works.
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Down and Out across Canada
(summary)
In the following essay, Michael Greenstein examines Dorothy Livesay's Right Hand Left Hand, highlighting its exploration of 1930s political and social themes, its non-traditional narrative style, and Livesay's Marxist influences, while also critiquing the lack of standout pieces among its socialist-themed sections.
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Letters in Canada
(summary)