The following thesis aims to give an insight into Anne Sexton's life and work. First, I will give an overview of Anne Sexton's biography, concentrating on her childhood and youth, the beginning of her illness, the marriage and her "other" character as a poet. Further, I will focus on her poetry with special remarks on the motif of suicide. Due to the multiplicity of her works and an even greater amount of diverging analytical approaches, I am going to concentrate on a selection of concepts, including the aspect of guilt, escape from life, society, religion, love and spirituality. I will pay special attention to the poem "Wanting to Die" and examine the representation of suicide along the poem.
Anne Sexton is counted among the most influential American poets of modern times. She was raised in a society in which women could only reach feminine fulfillment by being the perfect suburban housewife: healthy, attractive and only concerned about her husband, children, and the household. A society in which mental disorders and depression were seen as inappropriate behavior or harmless housewife blues. A society in which thousands of women missed to meet those expectations and considered themselves as individual failures. Anne Sexton was one of them. Raised by callous parents, she found herself deeply depressed and overstrained in a household with a husband and two small children. What followed were several suicide attempts, psychiatric treatment and her so-called rebirth at twenty-nine, when she started writing poetry, that was centered on her personal feelings and experiences.
What was intended to serve as a form of self-therapy was soon becoming a poetic confession dealing with topics many women and suicide patients had experienced but had been too afraid to talk about. To do something that was valued by others gave Anne Sexton strong self-esteem, but also created a wide gap between her public representation and her personal state of being. Critics were in disagreement whether she was groundbreaking confessional or narcissistic or completely insane. Or everything at once. Dealing with such a complex personality a variety of questions come to mind: To what extent did Anne Sexton's biography influence her writing? Did writing poetry help her to overcome times of despair or did it even enhance her mental disorder? How is the topic of suicide depicted in her poems? Can Anne Sexton be considered as a forerunner for later feminist movements?
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Main part
- 2.1 Anne Sexton - A Biography
- 2.2 Suicide in Anne Sexton's Poetry
- 2.2.1 Motifs Part I
- 2.2.2 Wanting to Die
- 2.2.3 Motifs Part II
- 2.3 The Personal is Political - Anne Sexton, Confessional Poetry and the Women's Liberation Movement
- 3. Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to explore the life and work of Anne Sexton, examining the interplay between her biography and her poetry, specifically focusing on the theme of suicide. It seeks to understand how Sexton's personal experiences influenced her writing and to analyze the representation of suicide in her poems. Furthermore, the thesis will investigate Sexton's role as a confessional poet and her influence on the feminist movement.
- The biographical influences on Anne Sexton's poetry.
- The representation of suicide in Anne Sexton's work.
- The relationship between Sexton's confessional poetry and the feminist movement.
- The impact of Sexton's writing on her mental health.
- Critical reception of Sexton's work and her public image.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. Introduction: This introductory chapter sets the stage for the thesis by presenting Anne Sexton as a multifaceted and contradictory figure: a confessional poet, a potential neurotic, a housewife, and a feminist icon. It highlights the inherent contradictions in Sexton's life and work, posing key questions about the influence of her biography on her writing, the role of poetry in her personal struggles, and her contribution to the feminist movement. The chapter establishes the thesis's central objectives: to examine the connection between Sexton's life and her poetry, particularly focusing on the theme of suicide, and to analyze her impact on feminism.
2.1 Anne Sexton - A Biography: This chapter provides a biographical overview of Anne Sexton's life, focusing on her childhood and youth, her struggles with mental illness, and her marriage. It details her challenging upbringing, marked by strained relationships with her parents and sisters, and her early experiences with psychological issues. The chapter highlights the societal expectations placed upon women during her time, contrasting them with Sexton's personal experiences, and emphasizes the lack of support she received in addressing her mental health concerns. This biographical context lays the groundwork for understanding the themes present in her poetry.
2.2 Suicide in Anne Sexton's Poetry: This chapter delves into the recurring theme of suicide in Sexton's poetry, examining motifs related to guilt, escape, society, religion, love, and spirituality. The analysis focuses on specific poems (particularly "Wanting to Die"), exploring how Sexton portrays suicide and its underlying causes. The chapter explores the complex layers of Sexton’s depictions of suicide, considering both the personal and societal factors that contributed to her preoccupation with this theme. The multiplicity of her works and the varied analytical approaches are considered, although a specific selection of concepts is focused on for the scope of this paper.
2.3 The Personal is Political - Anne Sexton, Confessional Poetry and the Women's Liberation Movement: This chapter examines the relationship between Anne Sexton's confessional poetry and the feminist movement of the 1970s. It analyzes the significance of Carol Hanisch's essay, "The Personal is Political," in understanding Sexton's contribution to feminist discourse. The chapter will explore how Sexton's open and honest portrayal of personal struggles, particularly those related to gender roles and mental health, resonated with the feminist movement's focus on challenging societal norms and giving voice to marginalized experiences. The chapter also evaluates critical reactions to Sexton’s work within the larger context of the women’s liberation movement.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Anne Sexton, confessional poetry, suicide, feminism, women's liberation movement, mental illness, biography, literary analysis, societal expectations, "Wanting to Die," The Personal is Political.
Frequently Asked Questions: Anne Sexton - A Literary Analysis
What is the main focus of this thesis?
This thesis explores the life and work of Anne Sexton, focusing on the interplay between her biography and her poetry, particularly the theme of suicide. It examines how her personal experiences influenced her writing and analyzes her role as a confessional poet and her impact on the feminist movement.
What are the key themes explored in the thesis?
Key themes include the biographical influences on Sexton's poetry; the representation of suicide in her work; the relationship between her confessional poetry and the feminist movement; the impact of her writing on her mental health; and the critical reception of her work.
What aspects of Anne Sexton's biography are discussed?
The thesis delves into Sexton's childhood, youth, struggles with mental illness, and her marriage. It highlights her challenging upbringing and the societal expectations placed upon women during her time.
How does the thesis analyze the theme of suicide in Sexton's poetry?
The thesis examines recurring motifs of guilt, escape, society, religion, love, and spirituality related to suicide in Sexton's poems, particularly "Wanting to Die." It explores the personal and societal factors contributing to her preoccupation with this theme.
What is the significance of "The Personal is Political" in relation to Sexton's work?
The thesis analyzes the relationship between Sexton's confessional poetry and the feminist movement, focusing on Carol Hanisch's essay, "The Personal is Political." It examines how Sexton's open portrayal of personal struggles resonated with the feminist movement's focus on challenging societal norms.
What chapters are included in the thesis and what are their focuses?
The thesis includes an introduction setting the stage for the analysis, a biographical chapter, a chapter dedicated to the theme of suicide in her poetry, and a chapter exploring the connection between her work and the feminist movement. It concludes with a summary of the findings.
What are the keywords associated with this thesis?
Keywords include Anne Sexton, confessional poetry, suicide, feminism, women's liberation movement, mental illness, biography, literary analysis, societal expectations, "Wanting to Die," and "The Personal is Political."
What is the overall objective of this academic work?
The overall objective is to provide a comprehensive analysis of Anne Sexton's life and work, highlighting the connections between her personal experiences and her poetic output, and situating her within the broader context of the feminist movement and confessional poetry.
- Quote paper
- Elena Mertel (Author), 2015, On the Motif of Suicide in the Poetry of Anne Sexton, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/464318
