Laura Riding Criticism
Laura (Riding) Jackson was a multifaceted American literary figure, recognized for her profound influence on modern poetry and criticism. Born Laura Reichenthal in 1901, she adopted the surname "Riding" in 1926 and became a prominent voice among the Fugitives, a group of southern American writers. Her work, characterized by a relentless pursuit of truth, often challenged conventional literary norms and embraced new aesthetic ideals. Riding's poetry delved into themes such as gender roles, the dichotomy between body and mind, and the existential allure of death, particularly suicide, as the ultimate truth. Stylistically, her poetry is notable for its inventive language, unconventional syntax, and use of repetition, drawing comparisons to Gertrude Stein.
Riding's career was marked by significant collaborations, most notably with Robert Graves, with whom she cofounded the Seizin Press and coauthored A Survey of Modernist Poetry, a critical work that helped shape "The New Criticism." Despite her substantial contributions, she famously renounced poetry in 1942, perceiving it as incompatible with her quest for truth. This decision, alongside her reluctance to anthologize her work, contributed to her critical marginalization, as explored by Jo Ann Wallace in the discussion of the politics of decanonization.
Critics have often struggled to categorize her within the literary canon, oscillating between labels like modernist, Fugitive, feminist, and postmodern. As noted by Barbara Adams, Riding's autobiographical poetry reveals a deep quest for perfection, aligning her with figures like Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell. Despite mixed reviews, with some viewing her work as pretentious or inaccessible, figures such as Robert Fitzgerald have praised her use of language, while critics like R. P. Blackmur have noted her innovative verbal techniques.
Riding's legacy, although complex, remains influential, as she continues to be studied for her unique voice and rigorous exploration of language and truth, themes further examined by Jerome J. McGann in his exploration of her relationship with literal truth. Her work, recently revisited, continues to inspire discussions of her impact on American poetry and literary theory.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Riding, Laura (Vol. 3)
- Riding, Laura (Vol. 7)
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(Riding), Laura Jackson
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Nine Poets
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Blackmur discusses Riding's verbal techniques in The Collected Poems.
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Review of The Collected Poems of Laura Riding
(summary)
In the following review, Fitzgerald praises Riding's The Collected Poems of Laura Riding for its use of language.
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Review of The Poems of Laura Riding
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Kinzie provides a mixed assessment of The Poems of Laura Riding, discussing her influence on modern poetry and the differences between her techniques and those of W. H. Auden.
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Laura Riding's Poems: A Double Ripeness
(summary)
In the following essay, Adams delineates the defining characteristics of Riding's Selected Poems.
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Laura Riding's Autobiographical Poetry: ‘My Muse Is I’
(summary)
In the following essay, Adams addresses Riding's search for perfection in her poetry and life, and compares her verse to that of Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell.
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Engaging in the Impossible
(summary)
In the following essay, Riding reflects on the role of poetry in her life as well as her perspective on twentieth-century literature and literary thought.
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Laura Riding's Poetry: A Nice Problem
(summary)
In the following essay, Rosenthal offers a mixed review of Riding's poetry, contending that “her writing is full of promises but preserved, as it were, in ambiguities, ironies, and near-solipsistic musings.”
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Laura (Riding) Jackson in Conversation with Elizabeth Friedmann
(summary)
In the following interview, Laura (Riding) Jackson and Elizabeth Friedmann explore Riding's views on the distinction between writing and intellectual work, her critique of contemporary literary theory such as deconstruction, her foundational influence on New Criticism, and her relationship with the Fugitive poets, emphasizing her commitment to linguistic exactitude and literary integrity.
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Laura (Riding) Jackson and the Literal Truth
(summary)
In the following essay, McGann explores the relationship between language, poetry, and truth in Riding's.
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Laura Riding and the Politics of Decanonization
(summary)
In the following essay, Wallace examines the reasons for the critical neglect of Riding's poetry, contending that it stemmed from her insistence on being the ultimate interpretive authority over her own work.
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Code of Silence: Laura (Riding) Jackson and the Refusal to Speak
(summary)
In the following essay, Temes discusses Riding's rejection of her poetic voice in 1942, and argues that the “repudiation of her critics links Riding's renunciation of poetry with the ideas that drive her poems.”
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A Stranger in the Country of Men
(summary)
In the following review, Heuving offers an overview of Riding's life and work. In the literary world, Laura Riding is famous for two things: living with Robert Graves and renouncing poetry at the height of her highly respected career. In 1938, Riding, at the age of 37, published her Collected Poems and wrote virtually no more poetry. By the late 1930s, she had authored or coauthored more than thirty books, including poetry, fiction, critical essays and 'found' writing. But between that time and her death in 1991, she published only one new book, The Telling. Riding's rejection of poetry was only one of many renunciations—of narrative, of history, of myth, and of most writers and thinkers of her time. Nothing could be spared her quest for a 'language open' in which 'truth' and 'goodness' were to be made manifest.
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‘This Is Something Unlosable’: Laura Riding's ‘Compacting Sense’
(summary)
In the following essay, Carson explores the major thematic concerns of Riding's poetry, focusing on different forms of the contract—such as the covenant, guarantee, or promise.
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Laura (Riding) Jackson's ‘Really New’ Poem
(summary)
In the following essay, Heuving explores the relationship between Riding's poetics and her gender critiques and addresses the poet's place in literary history.
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The Diversity of Performance/Performance as Diversity in the Poetry of Laura (Riding) Jackson and Eavan Boland
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In the following essay, Paddon contrasts the role of language in the poetry of Riding and Eavan Boland.
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The Witch of Truth
(summary)
In the following unfavorable assessment of A Selection of the Poems of Laura Riding, Perloff provides a stylistic and thematic analysis of Riding's poetry.
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Nine Poets
(summary)
- Further Reading