Kay Boyle Criticism
Kay Boyle (1902–1992) is a prominent figure in American literature, renowned for her contributions as a novelist, poet, short story writer, and essayist. Her work is characterized by a sophisticated style and a profound engagement with the socio-political issues of her time, including Fascism, McCarthyism, and the Vietnam War. As a pivotal member of the expatriate movement of the 1920s, Boyle's early works such as Wedding Day and Gentlemen, I Address You Privately are noted for their exploration of identity and societal conflict, often featuring strong female protagonists and employing innovative narrative techniques, as discussed in Kay Boyle's Experiments and Kaye Boyle's Story of a Moral Crisis.
Boyle's engagement with themes of social responsibility is further reflected in her novels Death of a Man and Primer for Combat, which draw from her wartime experiences. These works have been praised for their commitment to social issues by critics like Kay Boyle's Primer for Combat, though others point out challenges in narrative coherence, as indicated in Kay Boyle's New Novel. Despite the mixed critical reception, Boyle's literature serves as a testament to her era, weaving personal exploration with social commentary, a point emphasized in Call Forth a Good Day: The Nonfiction of Kay Boyle.
With a style influenced by modernist luminaries such as Gertrude Stein and James Joyce, Boyle's fiction is often imbued with intense and poetic imagery. Katherine Anne Porter, in Kay Boyle: Example to the Young, notes that Boyle's originality and technical skill are particularly evident in works like Plagued by the Nightingale. Her storytelling prowess in European settings is highlighted by Struthers Burt in The Mature Craft of Kay Boyle, although Edmund Wilson offers a critique of her novel Avalanche, suggesting it lacks literary depth in Kay Boyle and the 'Saturday Evening Post'. Richard C. Carpenter praises her ability to create immediacy and tension through complex characters, while also acknowledging the intricate nature of her narratives in Kay Boyle.
Boyle's writings continue to captivate readers with their emotional and moral complexities, as Vance Bourjaily elaborates in Moving and Maturing. Her work remains relevant, offering a nuanced reflection on historical and personal transformations, and underscoring her dedication to artistic integrity and social consciousness.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Boyle, Kay (Vol. 1)
- Boyle, Kay (Vol. 5)
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Boyle, Kay (Vol. 19)
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Kay Boyle: Example to the Young
(summary)
In the following essay, Katherine Anne Porter argues that Kay Boyle, emerging from the influence of modernist giants like Gertrude Stein and James Joyce, demonstrates a powerful originality and technical virtuosity in her short stories and novel 'Plagued by the Nightingale,' marked by a fresh perspective, wit, and meaningful use of symbolism and allegory.
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Kay Boyle and the 'Saturday Evening Post'
(summary)
In the following essay, Edmund Wilson criticizes Kay Boyle's novel Avalanche as lacking literary merit, suggesting it panders to popular magazine audiences, employs overused stylistic devices, and is influenced by commercial pressures from Hollywood.
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The Mature Craft of Kay Boyle
(summary)
In the following essay, Struthers Burt contends that Kay Boyle is a masterful storyteller whose true artistic prowess emerges in her European-set tales, characterized by their vivid backgrounds and compelling narratives, though her earlier, more experimental works sometimes lack clarity and cohesion.
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Foreign Legion in Colorado
(summary)
In the following essay, Nathan L. Rothman critiques Kay Boyle's novel, arguing that while Boyle's stylistic prowess and symbolic transformations are impressive, her failure to reconcile her visionary art with contemporary realities results in characters that feel out of touch and rooted in outdated legend.
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Kay Boyle
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard C. Carpenter examines Kay Boyle's mastery of style and fictional technique, emphasizing her ability to create tension and immediacy through complex characters and dark themes, while also critiquing her tendency to sometimes over-explain or overcomplicate, particularly in works like Gentlemen, I Address You Privately.
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Love Poems
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert E. Knoll argues that Kay Boyle's poetry in Collected Poems displays a feminine sensitivity and compassion, focusing on the world's injustices rather than personal grief, and likens her poems to her intellectual fiction in their shared intensity and desire to communicate experience.
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Kay Boyle: The Figure in the Carpet
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard C. Carpenter analyzes Kay Boyle's works "The Bridegroom's Body" and "The Crazy Hunter," arguing that while both stories explore themes of love and emotional depth, "The Crazy Hunter" presents a more optimistic and complex moral significance, emphasizing love's intricate role in the human condition.
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Distant Landscapes
(summary)
In the following essay, Earl Rovit critiques Kay Boyle's short fiction for its lack of a consistent emotional landscape, arguing that while her work showcases a strong sense of social justice and compassion, it often fails to transcend melodrama due to its impersonal narrative style and predetermined sentiments.
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Moving and Maturing
(summary)
In the following essay, Vance Bourjaily examines Kay Boyle's "Fifty Stories," lauding her use of evolving narrative techniques such as surrealism and thematic engagement with historical and personal transformations, while highlighting her ability to portray emotional depth and moral complexity without sentimentality or romanticization.
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Kay Boyle: Example to the Young
(summary)
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Boyle, Kay (Vol. 121)
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Kay Boyle's Experiments
(summary)
In the following review of Wedding Day and Other Stories, the critic argues that Boyle is at her best when she combines experimentation with structure.
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Kaye Boyle's Story of a Moral Crisis
(summary)
In the following review of Gentlemen, I Address You Privately, Kronenberger states that although Boyle enjoys moments of genius in this novel, she fails to sustain the quality.
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Exiles
(summary)
In the following review which compares Gentlemen, I Address You Privately with Jack Conroy's The Disinherited, Cantwell concludes that Boyle's writing suffers from isolation and unrealistic characters.
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Miss Boyle's Irony
(summary)
In the following review of My Next Bride, Walton accuses Boyle of focusing on trivial matters and failing to meet her potential.
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Kay Boyle's New Novel
(summary)
In the following review of Death of a Man, Kazin suggests that while Boyle's sense of style is successful, she fails in her narrative.
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Springs of Tragedy
(summary)
In the following review of The Crazy Hunter, the critic claims Boyle has found her best literary form in the novelette.
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Kay Boyle's Primer for Combat
(summary)
In the following review, Hauser praises Primer for Combat as a powerful portrayal of France in 1940 under Nazi rule.
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Stories to Remember
(summary)
In the following review of Thirty Stories, Mirrielees praises the collection, citing the French section as the best.
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There Is No Armistice
(summary)
In the following review of Generation Without Farewell, Peterson, a radio commentator and critic, credits Boyle with creating a profound account of postwar Germany which reflects the conditions from multi-perspectives.
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PW Interviews: Kay Boyle
(summary)
In the following essay based on an interview with Boyle, Holt provides an overview of Boyle's life, concentrating on the author's political activism.
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Boyle's Moral Essays Chart the Century's Contours
(summary)
In the following review of Words that Must Somehow be Said, D'Evelyn claims the book is a valuable record of the twentieth century as Boyle recounts her life experiences artfully and with skill.
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Words That Must Somehow Be Said
(summary)
In the following review of Words That Somehow Must Be Said, Hinerfeld, a critic and writer, praises Boyle's writing, but cites the story 'Farewell to New York' as a piece in which she falls short.
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Studs Terkel: An Interview
(summary)
In the following interview, Studs Terkel with Kelly Baker reflects on Kay Boyle's enduring commitment to political activism, her elegant literary style, and her impactful presence throughout significant historical events of the 20th century, portraying her as a continually contemporary figure who champions young and marginalized writers.
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Revolution, the Woman, and the Word: Kay Boyle
(summary)
In the following essay, Clark explores the balance between literary and feminist ideology in Boyle's writing.
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Sexual Politics in Kay Boyle's Death of a Man
(summary)
In the following essay, Hatlen reconsiders Death of a Man from a feminist perspective in an attempt to explain why the novel has been misinterpreted as Pro-Nazi.
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Kay Boyle's High Country: His Human Majesty
(summary)
In the following essay MacNiven praises His Human Majesty as a near perfect novel that is well balanced, with a great tone.
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Call Forth a Good Day: The Nonfiction of Kay Boyle
(summary)
In the following essay, Bell argues that Boyle's essays are proof of Boyle's conviction that writers must be a voice of consciousness and accountability.
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Boyle's 'Astronomer's Wife'
(summary)
In the following essay, Gronning explores the issue of androgyny in Boyle's short story 'Astronomer's Wife.' Gronning discusses how Boyle, in 1936, depicted the old conception of androgyny as sexless through the character of the astronomer, while also anticipating the modern definition of androgyny as sex equality in the characters of the plumber and Katherine.
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Abortion, Identity Formation, and the Expatriate Woman Writer: H. D. and Kay Boyle in the Twenties
(summary)
In the following essay Hollenberg compares the conflicted views on maternity of American writers H. D. and Boyle.
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Kay Boyle's Experiments
(summary)
- Further Reading