The Poetics of the American Suburbs

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Introduction

   1. Introduction

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 1-18

3. Part I

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19

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   2. Constructing the Suburbs

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 21-50

   3. Suburban Tastes

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 51-69

4. Part II

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 71-71

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   2. The “Poet Laureate” of Suburbia

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 73-106

   3. Suburban Landscapes

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 107-128

   4. The Look of the Suburbs

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 129-154

   5. On the Margins

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 155-171

5. Conclusion: The Song of the Suburbs

   1. Conclusion: The Song of the Suburbs

      • Jo Gill

      Pages 173-181

6. Back Matter

   Pages 183-225

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The first scholarly study of the rich body of poetry that emerged from the post-war American suburbs, Gill evaluates the work of forty poets, including Anne Sexton, Langston Hughes, and John Updike. Combining textual analysis and archival research, this book offers a new perspective on the field of twentieth-century American literature.

• America
• Amerikanische Literatur
• poetics
• poetry

“Jo Gill has produced the first careful study of US poets responding to post-World War II suburbanization. … Poetics of the American Suburbs should initiate new research on the material and cultural histories of suburbs … . a commendable contribution to Palgrave/Macmillan’s Modern and Contemporary Poetry and Poetics series.” (Peter Schmidt, ALH Review, January, 2016)

"The Poetics of the American Suburbs successfully dismisses the stereotype that the suburbs are places of little or no significance, and shows how poetry 'made in suburbia' is in fact thriving, critical, evocative, and boldly innovative. Gill convincingly tells a tale of many voices, many years and many perspectives, which beautifully uncovers the ever-pumping heart of modern American suburbia, behind its white-washed fences, and its manicured lawns." - Birmingham Journal of Literature and Language

Jo Gil is Senior Lecturer in 20th Century Literature and Director of Education at the University of Exeter.

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