Judith Johnson Sherwin Criticism
Judith Johnson Sherwin, born in 1936, is a distinguished American poet, playwright, and short story writer known for her powerful and often tragic exploration of contemporary life. Sherwin's literary work is marked by an intensely personal vision, frequently engaging with themes of human weakness, power, and the darker aspects of existence. Her poetic style ranges from the bold and challenging to the eloquent and spontaneous, as illustrated in works like Uranium Poems and Transparencies. While Herbert Leibowitz critiques her work for its lack of imaginative vibrancy, Hayden Carruth praises the feminist themes and musical expression of The Town Scold. Sherwin's work in How the Dead Count, as analyzed by Robert Demott, reflects her postmodernist approach with its deep exploration of solipsism and shared human experiences, despite the complexity of its narrative structure. Sherwin's oeuvre is celebrated for both its formal boldness and its capacity to convey a blend of lightheartedness and tragic sensibility.
Contents
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Sherwin, Judith Johnson (Vol. 15)
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The Muse and the News
(summary)
In the following essay, Herbert Leibowitz criticizes Judith Johnson Sherwin's Uranium Poems for their narrow imagination and lack of poetic 'radiant gist,' likening them to a monotonous and greyish sound as they represent the destructive nature of uranium and human evil.
- Margaret Randall
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The Passionate Few
(summary)
In the following essay, Hayden Carruth praises Judith Johnson Sherwin's The Town Scold as a deeply feminist work that transcends clichés, highlighting its powerful themes of power and weakness and its lucid, musical expression, while noting its position as part of a larger forthcoming work, Waste.
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A Year's Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Hayden Carruth discusses Judith Johnson Sherwin's Transparencies, noting its calmer and more loving tone compared to its predecessor, while praising the eloquence and spontaneity of Sherwin's language that conveys a lighthearted yet tragic sensibility.
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Recent Poetry: 'How the Dead Count'
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Demott critiques Judith Johnson Sherwin's "How the Dead Count" for its postmodernist approach, exploring themes of solipsism and phenomenological metaphors of self, and ultimately commends the work for its formal boldness and recognition of shared human experiences despite its challenging structure.
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The Muse and the News
(summary)
- Sherwin, Judith Johnson (Vol. 7)