Books & Life by Jan Clausen

Books & Life

Jan Clausen

From Publishers Weekly

In these essays and reviews, Clausen ( The Prosperine Papers ) raises provocative questions–about feminism, lesbianism, activism and the web of relationships among these and a host of other ‘isms.’ She pinpoints the potential pitfalls of common assumptions underlying anti-patriarchal poetry of the ’70s (‘Feminist poetry is useful’; ‘individual ego plays a minimal role in its creation’). With lucidity and a welcome sense of humor, Clausen is refreshingly honest: she calls ’70s feminism a ‘womb/crucible’; she enjoys fiction by men partly because of the ‘vacation it provides from ideology’; she describes her difficulties as a ‘flommy,’ or stepmother, to her lesbian lover’s daughter. At times, Clausen’s reviews are unfocused; her es says lack political subtlety and ignore her own admonitions (she laments that Doris Lessing is not a feminist). But this decade’s worth of writing reflects the growth and evolution of an individ ual as well as a movement.


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Details

ISBN 9780814204702
Genre Literary Criticism; Literary Collection (Single Author)
Copyright Date 1989
Publication Date 01-Apr-89
Publisher Columbia University Press
Format Trade Paperback
No. of Pages 237
Language English
Rating NotRated
BookID 1413

Author: LFWBooks